Retirement plan providers, advisors, and employers are treating pre-retiree readiness as a top priority for 2026. New data from Financial Finesse shows employees ages 55+ who engage with virtual financial wellness benefits make significant progress toward key retirement readiness milestones. 

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Aug. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Retirement confidence is declining. The Employee Benefit Research Institute’s (EBRI) 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey, the longest-running study of its kind, found that worker confidence in having enough to retire comfortably fell to 61% this year, down from 67% in 2025. At the same time, financial well-being weakened and emergency preparedness slipped.  

Against that backdrop, industry organizations, including the Institutional Retirement Income Council (IRIC), have identified improving retirement readiness and income outcomes for workers nearing retirement as a key priority for 2026. Employers, recordkeepers, and advisors are increasingly relying on financial wellness benefits to help older workers close readiness and knowledge gaps while making the most of available planning tools, decision-making frameworks, and retirement income solutions. 

New research suggests that virtual financial wellness benefits are already delivering results. Financial Finesse’s Financial Wellness Think Tank™ found that after one year of engagement with the firm’s virtual financial wellness benefit, returning users age 55 and older who had not previously achieved specific retirement readiness milestones achieved them at high rates: 

• 91.8% named or updated a retirement plan beneficiary.  
• 82.3% increased contributions to capture their full employer match.
• 67.3% completed a retirement income estimate.  
• 54.8% adjusted investment allocations to better align with their retirement timeline.  
• 54.2% moved from “not on track” to “on track” for their retirement goal. 

The ROI of retirement readiness 

Improvements in retirement readiness can also translate into meaningful cost savings for employers. Based on a Financial Finesse ROI model, readiness gains of this kind could save a 50,000-employee organization approximately $1.95 million annually through reduced delayed-retirement costs. While significant on its own, that figure represents less than 10% of the model’s projected $23 million in total annual savings, which also accounts for reductions in costs associated with wage garnishments, healthcare, turnover, and absenteeism, as well as FSA/HSA payroll tax savings. 

Those potential savings are not limited to large organizations. For smaller employers that receive a virtual financial wellness benefit through a fund manager or recordkeeper at no cost, the same ROI model estimates approximately $467 in annual savings per employee. For a 100-employee organization, that equates to nearly $47,000 in total annual savings per year.  

Implications for plan sponsors and advisors  

Financial wellness is a cornerstone of retirement readiness, not a separate initiative. Employees who don’t understand their retirement plans, investments, or available options are unlikely to feel confident about their retirement prospects, regardless of how sophisticated the products designed to support them may be. As the industry intensifies its focus on workers nearing retirement, the data above suggest that virtual financial wellness benefits can help close critical gaps and drive measurable progress in as little as a year. 

“Every conversation we’re having about employees nearing retirement comes back to the same question: How do you create meaningful progress before someone’s retirement date arrives? Our experience has shown that engagement is key. Once participants begin actively using the benefit, many of the retirement behaviors that matter most start improving quickly,” said Susan Weeks, Director of Key Accounts at Financial Finesse. “That kind of progress, coupled with meaningful cost savings, gives advisors a powerful differentiator in the marketplace. It also provides employers with tangible evidence of both financial savings and improved employee outcomes.” 

About the Research 

The findings draw on Financial Finesse’s Financial Wellness Think Tank™ data across employer clients from 2024–2026. All figures reflect participants who engaged with Financial Finesse’s virtual financial wellness benefit specifically. Except for the near-retiree milestone data cited above, which reflects participants age 55 and older, the underlying research does not break results out by participant age.  

The full report, “The Impact of Virtual Financial Wellness on Retirement Readiness,” including methodology and complete figures, is available here.  

About Financial Finesse 

Financial Finesse is the leading independent global provider of unbiased financial coaching as an employee benefit, driving measurable improvements in employee financial wellness and proven employer ROI. Employees receive unlimited access to certified financial coaches—CFP® professionals or in‑country equivalents—and AI‑powered guidance that expands reach and personalization with trusted human oversight at every step. 

Serving more than 20,000 organizations and reaching millions of employees worldwide through a single integrated platform, Financial Finesse delivers localized experiences tailored to each employee’s country, language, culture, financial system, and benefits. The result: reduced financial stress, seamless scalability for employers, and a benefit employees trust, value, and actively use. 

Media Contact 

Danielle Encinas 909-217-1749 danielle.encinas@financialfinesse.com 

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SOURCE Financial Finesse