2026 Virtual Think Tank: Financial Wellbeing at Work: Are We Solving the Right Problems?

Description

More than two-thirds of employees say financial stress is undermining their work and personal lives.¹ The World Health Organization estimates that the mental health toll of financial stress alone costs employers $1 trillion annually in lost productivity.² Financially stressed workers are also significantly more likely to be job hunting than their less-stressed peers.³ This is not just a personal finance problem. It is a workforce problem. And it has a cost whether employers choose to address it or not.

HERO’s Think Tank on Financial Well-Being brings together employers, researchers, consultants, and thought leaders for a focused, evidence-driven conversation about what meaningful employer action on worker financial health looks like.

The pressure to has never been greater. Nearly nine in ten U.S. adults reported some form of financial stress at the start of 2026, and 77% said they experienced a financial setback in 2025.⁴ Cost of living is a primary driver, with 70% of Americans reporting that rising everyday expenses had a moderate or severe impact on their household budget last year.⁵ Employer concern has hit a new high, with 48% rating their concern at 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale, up from 22% in 2019.⁶ Yet many employers find themselves stuck. Programs exist, but utilization is low, evidence of impact is limited, and the business case is hard to build.

This Think Tank asks a fundamental question: Are we solving the right problems, and for the right people? In this focused, evidence-driven conversation, we’ll explore:

• Who financial well-being efforts are designed for, and who might be left out

• Why so many employees don’t use the programs and tools available to them

• What meaningful measurement of financial well-being outcomes looks like

• How employers better integrate and align financial well-being programs

Participants will leave with practical frameworks for building a business case under uncertainty, approaches for reaching employees who need the most support, and strategies for integrating programs that too often sit in silos across departments and vendors.

Learning Objectives

As a result of this Think Tank, participants will be able to:

1. Describe what employers are currently prioritizing in financial wellbeing, where they report falling short, and how they are attempting to measure program value — drawing on the latest national employer survey data.

2. Explain how to build a business case for financial wellbeing investment, even when proof of impact is incomplete.

3. Identify at least two approaches employers are using to design or expand financial wellbeing programs, with attention to reaching employees who most need support.

4. Discuss what meaningful measurement of financial wellbeing initiatives looks like and how to move beyond utilization as the primary indicator of success.

References

1. Morgan Stanley. State of Workplace Financial Benefits Study 2025. Morgan Stanley at Work; 2025. Accessed May 2026. https://www.morganstanley.com/atwork/articles/state-of-workplace-financial-benefits-study

2. Bahl M, Patil R. Well-Being in the Workplace: Why Financial Health Is Foundational for Thriving Workforces. Financial Health Network; May 2025. Accessed May 2026. https://finhealthnetwork.org/research/well-being-in-the-workplace-why-financial-health-is-foundational-to-overall-well-being/

3. PricewaterhouseCoopers. Employee Financial Wellness Survey 2023. PwC; 2023. Accessed May 2026. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/business-transformation/library/employee-financial-wellness-survey.html

4. Survey: Most Americans report stress over finances. ABA Banking Journal. February 2026. Accessed May 2026. https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/02/survey-most-americans-report-stress-over-finances/

5. National Endowment for Financial Education. Financial Well-Being and Goals: Q4 2025 Survey Report. NEFE; 2026. Accessed May 2026. https://www.nefe.org/research/polls/2026/financial-well-being-and-goals.aspx

6. Employers focusing more on employee financial well-being, study shows. CNBC. January 16, 2026. Accessed May 2026. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/16/employers-focusing-more-on-employee-financial-wellbeing-study-shows.html