A financial wellness strategy designed to meet employees where they are is essential in today’s diverse and financially burdened workforce. Not every employee learns or engages with financial concepts in the same way—some absorb information best through videos, others prefer reading, and many benefit most from personalized, one-on-one conversations. Tailoring financial education and support tools to different learning styles, life stages, and financial situations fosters deeper understanding, reduces stress, and helps employees make informed decisions. This personalized approach not only improves retirement outcomes but also enhances employee engagement, productivity, and retention—making financial wellness a powerful component of a modern, competitive benefits strategy.
Fred Barstein, CEO and founder of 401kTV and The Plan Sponsor University (TPSU), recently spoke with Tammie, the HR Director at Summit Pathology in Loveland, Colorado, during a TPSU program at the University of Denver. Tammie, who oversees benefits for roughly 160 employees, shared how her organization is strengthening retirement plan engagement by implementing a personalized financial education strategy.
Working with Prime Capital, their retirement plan advisor and the session’s TPSU lecturer, Summit Pathology built a flexible and accessible financial wellness platform. Recognizing that employees have different preferences and comfort levels when it comes to learning about money, the advisor team created a custom webpage with tools, tips, and educational videos, and also scheduled short, individualized meetings to help employees focus on their unique goals and challenges. Tammie noted that this inclusive, tailored approach made financial education more approachable and meaningful. “You still have some people that are uncomfortable discussing finances,” she explained, “but the open nature and accessibility had a very big impact.” Employees appreciated having support at their fingertips, which not only helped them better navigate their benefits but also encouraged greater confidence in their financial future.
Read the Full Transcript Here:
Fred Barstein:
Greetings. This is Fred Barstein, CEO and founder of 401kTV and TPSU. Just completed a program here in Denver, the University of Denver, and I’m here with Tammy. Welcome, Tammy.
Tammie:
Thank you.
Fred Barstein:
Okay if we ask you a few questions?
Tammie:
Yes.
Fred Barstein:
Thank you. So why don’t you tell our audience a little bit about yourself?
Tammie:
Well, my name is Tammy and I am the HR director for Summit Pathology in Loveland, Colorado. And we have about 160 employees.
Fred Barstein:
Great. So one of the things you said today in the program was about that your advisor provides financial education and advice to your employees. Why’d you do that?
Tammie:
Well, I think we need to meet people where they are with their educational needs, and not everybody does well with reading. Some people need videos, things like that. So our advisor team put together an amazing web page that has all of the tips, tools, tricks, information on how to navigate through their retirement plans. We also had them come out on site for 15 minute one-on-one interviews with people to help see where they needed to zero in and help people a little bit more independently.
Fred Barstein:
And what’s been the reaction, the result of that?
Tammie:
I think people were pretty happy with that. I think they felt comfortable. You still have some people that are uncomfortable discussing finances, but being the open nature that they had, I think it had a very big impact. Plus it gives people tools at their fingertips that they can watch when they want to.
Fred Barstein:
Great. And I do want to mention your advisor is Prime Capital?
Tammie:
Yes.
Fred Barstein:
And who is the lecturer here for TPSU, so I want to give them a little bit of a plug. Thank you. Final question, a couple of things you learned and would you recommend TPSU to others?
Tammie:
Yes, I would. I think two of my biggest takeaways were the group interactions, because I learned that some people are having the same struggles that I am, and I felt like I was on my own boat somewhere and didn’t have the same support. And then the other was just hearing the 10 things that we could be improving on and things that we can action item towards and actually improve.
Fred Barstein:
Great. Well, thank you for your time.
Tammie:
Thank you.
Fred Barstein:
Thank you for watching 401kTV. Please stay tuned and hopefully attend a TPSU program near you. We also have virtual options as well.
