Financial planning webinars: A new way to highlight a company's full benefits package

Business owners face a dilemma. They spend money providing benefits for employees, then learn employees do not know what they are or do not see the value. Research has shown American employees have an interest in financial education and feel their employers should provide it. Fortunately many employers feel the same way. How can this knowledge help your business?

How about starting by getting your employees interested in financial planning? This could be done through videos available on a platform like YouTube. You could contract with an outside provider to bring financial planning training to them. You could host a series of webinars delivered by your HR department. The purpose would be to use financial planning training as a vehicle to highlight the benefits the company provides to employees.

Let us look at 11 examples of how you could get the message across about all of the company's benefits.

Retirement planning. Everyone wants to live a comfortable retirement. They might have misconceptions about how much money they will need. Some might think Social Security is enough. They remember parents or grandparents with defined benefit pension plans, possibly from the same company. Educate: People need to project their spending in retirement. An accepted figure is 80% of your pre retirement income. Costs will go up over time, some much faster than inflation. Social Security is one leg of a three leg stool representing your future retirement income. Each employee has a responsibility to save for their own retirement. The company provides a defined contribution retirement plan, often a 401(k). The employee contributes money and the company adds matching contributions. Each employee determines how their monies will be invested.

Seeking higher education. Some employees earned their full education before joining the company. Others are working on their bachelor's degree or studying for an advanced degree in their field of work. Education is not free. It comes at a cost in time and dollars. How does the firm's tuition reimbursement plan work? Is $5,250 the maximum they will cover in a calendar year? Are some courses included and others excluded? Does the employee need to earn a certain grade? How long will it take them to complete their studies and earn their degree?
Contributing to charity. Many employees give back in their local community. They might contribute volunteer hours or write checks. They may be unaware how the company can support their efforts, making their gifts larger. Does your company have a matching gift program? How does it work? Are all accredited nonprofits included? Does this include educational organizations? What about religious organizations? Is it a 1:1 match? How does the employee apply for a match? Does the firm have a charitable foundation? Does it hand out grants apart from what employees are giving themselves? How do they choose the organizations and amounts? How does a nonprofit organization apply for support? Does the number of employees involved as volunteers matter?
Being a good citizen. This does not involve financial planning directly, but some employees might have questions in this area. Some employees might be in the Army Reserve or serve in the National Guard. They are required to perform a couple of weeks of active military service each year. Other employees might get selected for jury duty. Who do they need to notify when this happens? How much advance notice? Are they paid by the company during their absence? What happens to any money they earn doing their service?
Starting a family. This is a very personal subject, but there is overlap with the employee's job and career. In the near term, they give birth and raise their child. Later they will be educating their children. How does parental leave work? Does this apply to one or both parents? How are the medical expenses covered? When are they expected back at work? Is this variable? Is their job protected?
The importance of health insurance. This is both the most important benefit for many employees and the least understood in terms of cost. People thinking of starting their own business often have little or no idea of the expenses involved, especially for health insurance. Once an employee retires, what happens to their coverage? What happens if employees are laid off? What does the company sponsored health insurance cover? Do employees have a choice between plans? Is there a lifetime cap on coverage? How are costs split? How much does the employer pay? How much does the employee pay? Are there deductibles? How does the dental plan work? If an employee were to leave, when does their coverage end? What is the cost if a past employee needs to pay for their own coverage? What provisions does a retiring employee need to make to maintain similar coverage?
The importance of life insurance. The company might automatically provide life insurance for employees, especially if they are killed while on company business. How much coverage do they have? Is it a multiple of their salary? What are its limitations? Employees need to know coverage does not follow them if they leave the firm. What is term insurance? How is whole life insurance different? Can an employee pay to retain their coverage if they leave the firm? Does life insurance coverage continue in retirement? Where can employees learn more about insurance?
How to build wealth. Financial planning is often synonymous with building money. Amassing a nest egg. Many people spend everything they earn. What are the savings opportunities available to employees? Can they defer part of their salary? How do bonuses work? Is there an employee stock purchase plan? How does the firm's retirement plan work? Do employees have restrictions on trading company stock? If the employee wanted 1:1 financial planning help, can they get it? How?
How to build a family budget. Many employees spend everything they earn. They are impulse shoppers. They go into debt. Children are expensive. They may still be getting financial help from their parents or giving it to their grown children. Is there a worksheet they can use to track their own spending? How much should they be budgeting in categories like groceries? What steps should you take when you cannot make ends meet?
Managing personal debt. It's often been said there is good and bad debt. Debt is like fat. Easy to add, hard to shed. Are you spending more than you earn? Do you carry credit card debt from month to month? Do you know the interest rate you are paying? Can you get a better rate elsewhere? Does the firm offer credit counseling?
Mental health and vacation time. Why is it good to take a vacation? How much vacation time do employees get? What is the procedure for scheduling your vacation time? Can it be carried over year to year? If you leave the firm, what happens to unused vacation days? What is a sabbatical? Does the firm offer them? How much time off do employees get? Include vacation days, holidays and floating holidays. What about sick days? Are there any other types of time off? Are some days paid and others not?

Related: Financial wellness is the next benefits boom for employers

The format is teaching financial planning, yet the training serves as a platform to highlight the benefits the firm is offering. This should encourage employees to realize they work for a good firm and their benefits have value.

Continue Reading for Free

Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor

NOT FOR REPRINT

Bryce Sanders, president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc., has provided training for the financial services industry on high-net-worth client acquisition since 2001. He trains financial professionals on how to identify prospects within the wealthiest 2%-5% of their market, where to meet and socialize with them, how to talk with wealthy people and develop personal relationships, and how to transform wealthy friends into clients. Bryce spent 14 years with a major financial services firm as a successful financial advisor, two years as a district sales manager and four years as a home office manager. He developed personal relationships within the HNW community through his past involvement as a Trustee of the James A. Michener Art Museum, Board of Associates for the Bucks County Chapter of the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Board of Trustees for Stevens Institute of Technology and as a church lector. Bryce has been published in American City Business Journals, Barrons, InsuranceNewsNet, BenefitsPro, The Register, MDRT Round the Table, MDRT Blog, accountingweb.com, Advisorpedia and Horsesmouth.com. In Canada, his articles have appeared in Wealth Professional. He is the author of the book “Captivating the Wealthy Investor.”