Financial Wellness Program Examples: 8 Formats Employers Use

What is a financial wellness program?

A financial wellness program is a workplace benefit that helps employees understand and manage their money: budgeting, debt, saving, investing, taxes, benefits and retirement. It can be as simple as a few workshops a year or as complete as a year-round mix of classes, recordings and confidential one-on-one coaching.

For public retirement systems and other public employers, the same idea is often called member education: helping members understand their pension, deferred compensation plan and retirement timing.

8 financial wellness program examples

1. A live workshop series

Monthly or quarterly classes on a rotating set of topics, taught live by a credentialed instructor, virtually or onsite. Live classes let employees ask questions in the moment, which is where much of the learning happens.

2. Short lunch-and-learn sessions

Focused 30-minute sessions on a single topic, such as setting goals or understanding a paycheck. They fit busy schedules and work well as an introduction to longer classes.

3. A recorded course library

On-demand recordings employees can watch any time. Recordings reach shift workers, other time zones and anyone who missed the live class.

4. Confidential one-on-one coaching

Private sessions where employees bring their own questions to a financial professional. Coaching turns general education into personal next steps. Employers see participation numbers, never what anyone discussed.

5. Open Q&A sessions

An “ask the expert” session with no set agenda, where employees ask anything. These often surface the topics people care about most.

6. Life-event campaigns

Education timed to moments that matter: new-hire onboarding, open enrollment, stock vesting dates, a new baby or the years before retirement.

7. Financial wellness built into benefits

Short explanations of each benefit (the retirement plan, HSA, FSA, insurance and any new benefits) so employees actually use what they already have.

8. Digital tools

Budgeting apps, calculators and online learning platforms. They work best as a supplement to live education rather than a replacement, because many employees want to talk to a person.

Which format fits which goal?

Financial wellness activities for employees

Beyond formal classes, small activities keep financial wellness visible all year:

• A savings challenge during America Saves Week in late February
• A themed class or two during Financial Literacy Month in April
• A retirement-focused session in October, when many employers run retirement awareness campaigns
• A benefits Q&A during open enrollment
• A year-end tax tips session in December
• A short financial tip in each internal newsletter
• A pulse survey asking what employees want to learn next

Putting it together: a sample program

A practical program for a mid-size employer might look like this:

1. One live class a month on a rotating set of topics, recorded for anyone who misses it.
2. Confidential one-on-one coaching available year-round.
3. Two timely campaigns around tax season and open enrollment.
4. A short survey twice a year to choose the next round of topics.

Smaller organizations can start with a quarterly class and add more as interest grows. Public retirement systems often build a member education calendar around career stages, from new members to those nearing retirement.

How to measure a financial wellness program

• Participation: attendance, recording views and coaching sessions booked.
• Satisfaction: post-class ratings and comments.
• Knowledge gain: employees rating their confidence before and after a class.
• Requests: the topics employees ask for next, a sign of ongoing engagement.

Ask any provider what reports they share and how often. Clear, regular reporting makes it much easier to show the value of the program to leadership.

What to look for in a provider

Whatever formats you choose, the provider matters. Look for credentialed instructors such as CFP® professionals, a broad course catalog, flexible formats, regular reporting and, above all, an education-only approach. Providers that also sell financial products or earn commissions have a built-in conflict of interest, even when the education itself is good.

Frequently asked questions