Author: Michael Clark
As Michael Clark, senior vice president at Gallagher, notes, best-in-class financial wellbeing isn't a collection of disconnected benefits. Rather, "it's a strategy that connects short-term stability, long-term savings, education and measurable outcomes."
More employers are waking up to this reality. According to Gallagher's 2026 US Workforce Trends Report: Financial Benchmarks, almost half (45%) reported an increased focus on financial wellbeing.
Organizations must recognize the real opportunity they have to provide wellness tools and resources that reflect employees' evolving needs. And when resources align with the issues that matter, employees are more likely to engage with and benefit from the available support.
The concerns of someone just entering the workforce are often very different from those of a counterpart who's balancing family responsibilities or preparing for retirement.
Individuals in these three broad career stages are likely to have distinct needs:
Here, employees are unsure where to begin and tend to focus on building financial stability. Managing student debt, covering housing costs, building emergency savings and keeping up with day-to-day expenses will typically take priority over longer-term goals.
These priorities often reflect immediate financial needs rather than a lack of willingness to save for the future.
At this stage, financial responsibilities often become more complex. Alongside saving for retirement, employees may potentially be juggling a mortgage, childcare costs, healthcare expenses and financial commitments for family members.
The challenge is often not a lack of awareness, but deciding which priorities come first.
The focus then moves to understanding whether retirement goals are achievable, planning how savings will be used and making informed decisions about the future.
Retirement readiness and confidence are now the key concerns.
Offering more benefits doesn't automatically create more value. Employees are more likely to be engaged when benefits reflect the financial decisions and trade-offs they face today.
As Michael explains, the challenge is often not a lack of intent but a clash of competing priorities. "Personalized support helps employees to both focus on the resources most relevant to their circumstances and make better use of the benefits already available to them."
This may include support for:
Flexible savings options boost employee satisfaction by tailoring workplace benefits directly to individual life stages. This also helps companies attract and retain top talent while lowering recruitment costs and keeping overall payroll budgets predictable.
Recent policy and benefit changes in the US, including provisions introduced through the SECURE and SECURE 2.0 Acts, are making it easier for employers to support employees' financial goals across different life stages. Examples include:
Rather than offering the same support to everyone, employers can use these tools to provide more relevant financial benefits.
As Michael highlights, you can't measure ROI only by utilization. "It's about changing behavior, encouraging more employees to save, better use of the company match options and greater confidence in retirement readiness."
But participation rates only tell part of the story. To understand whether a financial wellbeing strategy is making a real difference, employers need to focus on outcomes, including changes in employee financial resilience, engagement and workplace performance.
Michael suggests tracking three metric categories:
Turning financial wellbeing into meaningful outcomes requires the right combination of education, guidance and support. Want to learn more? Speak with a Gallagher consultant today.
This material was created to provide information on the subjects covered, but should not be regarded as a complete analysis of these subjects. The information provided cannot take into account all the various factors that may affect your particular situation. The services of an appropriate professional should be sought regarding before acting upon any information or recommendation contained herein to discuss the suitability of the information/recommendation for your specific situation.
Investment advisory services are offered by Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors, LLC ("GFA"), an SEC registered investment advisor that provides retirement, investment advisory, discretionary and independent fiduciary services. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply any specific level of skill or training and does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the SEC. GFA is a limited liability company with Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc. as its single member. GFA may pay referral fees or other remuneration to employees of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. or its affiliates or to independent contractors; such payments do not change our fee. Neither Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., GFA, their affiliates nor representatives provide accounting, legal or tax advice.
Consulting and insurance brokerage services to be provided by Gallagher Benefits Services, Inc. and/or its affiliate Gallagher Benefit Services (Canada) Group Inc. Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc. is a licensed insurance agency that does business in California as "Gallagher Benefit Services of California Insurance Services" and in Massachusetts as "Gallagher Benefit Insurance Services." Neither Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., nor its affiliates provide accounting, legal or tax advice.
