A year in a virtual wellness benefit moves older workers toward retirement readiness

Employees 55 and older spent roughly a year in a virtual financial wellness benefit. By the end, many had taken concrete steps on beneficiaries, contribution rates, and income estimates, according to new research from Financial Finesse's Financial Wellness Think Tank.

The researchers followed participants who had not yet completed a particular retirement milestone when they started the program. After about a year, 54.2% had moved onto a path toward their overall retirement goal. The most common step was naming or updating a beneficiary, which 91.8% did. The next most common was raising contributions to capture the full employer match, and 82.3% did so. Two-thirds completed a retirement income estimate. A smaller share, 54.8%, adjusted their investment allocations to better fit the retirement timeline.

The findings come as worker confidence falls. EBRI ran its Retirement Confidence Survey in 2026. The survey put worker confidence at 61%. A year earlier, the figure was 67%. Financial Finesse's proprietary ROI model estimates the behavior changes are worth roughly $1.95 million in annual employer savings. The estimate assumes a 50,000-person workforce and includes improved financial outcomes and productivity. The figure is a model output, not a measured ledger line.

The Institutional Retirement Income Council has made retirement readiness and retirement income outcomes a key priority for 2026. Plan providers are expanding income solutions and participant planning resources. Retirement Capital Daily's reporting this month has documented employers seeing workers delay retirement as costs bite. The Financial Finesse data shows these planning behaviors can move before workers exit. They moved in the places sponsors control: matching contributions, allocations, and beneficiaries.