Financial wellness programs are continuing to attract more employees, and that might be most beneficial to lower-income workers, according to Financial Finesse’s review of data from 2014.
The provider of wellness programs to large employers found that since 2010, sponsors are seeing participants access the tools at a 69 percent annual growth rate, indicating that if given the chance, workers will use tech-based education programs.
The San Diego-based firm, which, according to company representatives, has no financial relationships with retirement product providers, thinks the most recent data proves the value of investing in education programs.
And doing so can help lower-income workers most in need of direction.
“Companies offering financial wellness programs can take heart that their efforts are starting to reach employees who often have the most financial stress,” according to a report on 2014’s data.
About half of employees with household income less than $35,000 say their financial situation is not under control, but that is down from 57 percent from 2013’s survey.
More of those lower earners have an emergency fund and say they pay their bills on time. About 39 percent said they are comfortable with their debt levels, up from 36 percent in 2013.
Companies with wellness programs are reporting reductions in hardship withdrawals from 401(k) plans, according to Financial Finesse’s report. In 2014, 24 percent of workers with access to education programs took a withdrawal, down from 30 percent, which the firm anecdotally links to increased adoption and use of their products.
But not all of 2014’s data suggests companies offering access to financial education program results in improved retirement savings outcomes.
For lower-income workers with access to education programs, 76 percent said they contribute to their workplace retirement plan, down from 80 percent in 2011. In fact, across the seven income brackets surveyed, extending up to those households with over $200,000 in income, participation rates were either slightly down, or even since 2011.
And 83 percent of millennials contributed to their retirement plan, down from 88 percent in 2011. For all age groups, a general knowledge of stocks, bonds and mutual funds was down in 2014 from 2011. For workers under 30, only 66 percent said they have a general knowledge of basic investment vehicles, down from 75 percent in 2011.
Still, 401(k) participation rates for workers with access to wellness plans remains high. And awareness of retirement is high; all age groups counted retirement preparedness as their primary vulnerability, and all but millenials ranked retirement planning as their No. 1 priority.
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Nick Thornton
Nick Thornton is a financial writer covering retirement and health care issues for BenefitsPRO and ALM Media. He greatly enjoys learning from the vast minds in the legal, academic, advisory and money management communities when covering the retirement space. He's also written on international marketing trends, financial institution risk management, defense and energy issues, the restaurant industry in New York City, surfing, cigars, rum, travel, and fishing. When not writing, he's pushing into some land or water.
