A Broker’s Guide to Boosting Employee Financial Wellness

Quick look: Personal finance issues are a growing concern and can negatively impact employee productivity, mental health, and tenure. As such, many employers are taking action to help their staff improve their economic standing. To honor National Employee Benefits Day’s 2025 theme of building future financial stability, we review how brokers and PEOs can equip clients with comprehensive benefits, intuitive platforms and tools, educational sessions, and more.

Did you know that just 48% of Americans believe they understand basic financial principles, a figure that has dropped two points in the last two years? Moreover, over half of people in the U.S. don’t have enough savings to pay for an unexpected $1,000 expense. These statistics are staggering, but as a broker, there are several ways you can help.

Today’s talent expects more than just employer-sponsored health insurance; they want their companies to support their overall well-being, including their financial security. As brokers’ roles become more consultative, clients look to their advisers to provide recommendations on these holistic issues.

This shift in expectations is underscored by National Employee Benefits Day, observed annually in April. In 2025, the day emphasizes the importance of planning for future financial success, highlighting the critical role financial wellness plays in employee satisfaction and retention.

From retirement savings accounts to identity protection services, offering a well-rounded financial wellness program can strengthen your brand as a trusted partner and provide even more value for your clients and their staff.

4 financial wellness tips for your clients

To attract and retain talent, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) need solutions tailored to their workforce’s unique needs. For many, those needs involve economic stability, as 70% of Americans believe they are not financially healthy.

Brokers can ease this burden by partnering with a professional employer organization (PEO) that offers access to comprehensive benefits and programs that may be cost-prohibitive for small employers to secure independently. This allows brokers to enhance their value proposition while helping clients appeal to and improve the financial well-being of their workers.

1. Offer financially focused benefits

Several benefit plans can give employees’ finances a boost:

• Retirement savings accounts: A 401(k) plan enables workers to prepare for the future, aids in clients’ recruiting and retention efforts, and can offer business tax advantages.
• Flexible savings accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs): Employees can use these accounts to pay for a range of eligible expenses, from sunscreen and vitamins to doctor’s office visits and eldercare.
• Student loan repayment programs: Over 40 million Americans have federal student loan debt, making a repayment plan attractive to many.
• Tuition reimbursement plans: When clients help pay their staff’s tuition, it promotes professional development, builds institutional knowledge, and can pave the path for workers to transition into higher-earning roles.
• Supplemental insurance: Employees can avoid unexpected economic crises with accident, critical illness, life, and hospital indemnity insurance plans.
• Employee assistance programs (EAPs): EAPs connect staff with confidential advice, support, and resources on various matters, including debt management, budgeting, and more.
• Identity protection: Employees can avoid the significant financial losses associated with identity theft with an identity protection plan.
• Discount programs: Exclusive rates on common goods and services, like retail, travel, and entertainment, can put some cash back in workers’ pockets.

In addition to offering large-group pricing on Fortune 500-level plans, PEOs often also take on clients’ benefits administration and management, streamlining and optimizing their human resources (HR) processes.

2. Provide an easy-to-use payroll platform

Knowledge is power, and providing clients with a simple, intuitive payroll platform—something available through most PEOs—can empower employees.

Ideally, platforms should be mobile-friendly, provide clear insight into earnings, and make it easy for workers to access paystubs and confirm that their taxes and other deductions are correct. No one wants a surprise bill come tax season.

3. Consistently educate

The best financial wellness training starts right away. When new hires join your client’s business, encourage their HR department or PEO to provide clear insight on payroll, benefits, and professional development options.

However, this education shouldn’t fall to the wayside during an employee’s tenure. SMBs can partner with financial advisors to host training sessions on budgeting, investing, saving for retirement, and more.

4. Communicate, communicate, communicate

Recent LIMRA research reveals widespread employee confusion about benefit plans. For instance:

• 42% don’t fully understand their retirement benefits,
• 44% feel the same about life insurance, and
• 62% have a limited understanding of critical illness insurance.

This confusion could prevent workers from enrolling in and taking advantage of their plans, ultimately affecting their financial health.

To clear up misunderstanding, brokers may suggest partnering with a PEO, whose benefits experts maintain and share updated plan materials and send effective communications during critical times such as open enrollment.

Additionally, some PEOs, like ExtensisHR, have readily available customer service teams to answer employees’ questions about benefit plan comparison, qualifying life events, and more.

ExtensisHR: empowering your clients with financial wellness solutions

Partnering with a PEO is an effective way for brokers to support clients in improving their employees’ financial security. For instance, by collaborating working with ExtensisHR, brokers can offer SMBs:

• Fortune 500-level benefits, including:
  • Health insurance, with HSA and FSA options
  • Retirement savings plans
  • Tuition reimbursement programs
  • Identity theft protection packages
  • EAPs
  • Employee discount programs
  • Supplemental insurance
• Benefits administration and management services designed to keep employees informed and clients compliant.
• Work Anywhere®, a mobile-first platform providing at-a-glance payroll, tax, 401(k) information, etc.
• An Employee Solution Center dedicated to assisting employees with questions regarding payroll, taxes, benefits, and more—answering calls in 10 seconds or less with a 95% same-day resolution rate.

Together, ExtensisHR and its broker partners deliver clients more value, helping employees achieve greater financial stability and improving overall job satisfaction and retention.

Brokers are uniquely positioned to strengthen the financial security of countless workers. Connect with us today to learn how ExtensisHR’s benefits, services, and tools can enable you and your clients succeed.