Financial wellness and how Alliant helps companies and their employees through partnerships

Your financial health is an essential aspect of your well-being. When looking at new jobs, applying or starting at a new company, understanding your benefits package and the resources provided can help you and your family in countless ways. While most companies already have benefits such as healthcare and retirement plans in place, many are now including financial wellness programs within their benefits.

You may be wondering what exactly a financial wellness program is and how it differs from a retirement plan, such as a 401(k), or simply putting your money in a savings account to earn interest. If this is the case, here is some information about financial wellness and how to take advantage of a financial wellness package if your employer offers it.

What financial wellness is and why it matters

Money is at the top of many people's minds, especially with the rising price of products and services. Throughout daily life, we make many financial decisions, big and small, that affect us financially in the moment and in the future. Finances are one of the top stressors in life, but they don't have to be. If you find yourself consistently stressed about your finances and unsure if you can meet your financial needs and wants, understanding your financial wellness may be key to feelings of financial security and freedom.

Financial wellness is setting yourself up to meet all your financial obligations while feeling secure in your financial future. To improve your financial health, building habits such as setting financial goals – both long and short – and discovering resources to enhance your financial freedom can help you immensely. Here are three simple ways to start increasing your financial wellness:

• Build a realistic budget, keeping in mind long- and short-term goals.
• Start an emergency savings fund.
• Save and invest.

While these ideas seem simple enough, finding a program or seeing if your job has a financial wellness program as an employee benefit can make starting your financial wellness easier than if you had to set everything up yourself.

How your company’s financial wellness program can benefit you

While most employers will have a type of retirement fund plan, such as a 401(k), to help you save for the future, some also offer more extensive programs. These financial wellness packages may include a partnership with a credit union or bank that provide exclusive benefits for you, such as emergency saving funds or access to specific high-rate checking accounts. These benefits can help you reach your financial goals with real-world tools and saving incentives, giving you more ways to succeed financially.

Every company’s financial wellness plan will be different. Some common benefits include access to saving and checking accounts, credit cards, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), access to different types of loans and more. If your company doesn’t offer a financial wellness program, you can always contact your human resources department to express interest in having one developed.

How Alliant helps companies with their financial wellness

Alliant currently partners with many companies to provide their employees with financial benefits to help them succeed financially. If your company currently partners with Alliant, you and your family are eligible for Alliant Credit Union membership, giving you access to many great benefits, such as high-rate savings accounts and certificates. We have helped tens of thousands of employees nationwide increase their financial wellness through this program with our award-winning products and competitive loan rates, and we would love to help you.

Learn more about financial wellness:

• Emergency funds 101
• Why more employers are implementing financial wellness benefits
• 6 reasons to open a Roth IRA