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"No one has ever asked me, 'What’s your journey been like as a black woman financial adviser? How can I help you?'" says adviser Zaneilia Harris.

Employers are in a unique position to address employees' financial struggles, as benefits programs are a powerful tool that can help support employees in meeting their current and future financial needs.

In order to maximize the plans fiduciary responsibilities, a contract with appropriate terms and definitions must be in place to allow the plan to exercise their right to carve-out prior authorization.

Many organizations have taken significant steps to reduce employment costs, and nearly a third already have or plan to furlough workers, with another 19% saying they might if necessary, according to a survey by Unum.

Leave-sharing programs make sense for employers seeking tax-efficient opportunities to financially assist employees impacted by the pandemic.

The lack of seamless plan-to-plan asset portability prevents participants from easily moving and consolidating their 401(k) savings, leaving them open to the temptation to prematurely cash out their 401(k) accounts from prior employers’ plans.

The impact of COVID-19 on the workforce and business has only reinforced the importance of leave policies and the value of protection offered through disability insurance.

Those who are bereaved need comfort from each other and extra effort needs to be made to reach out and encourage employees to take advantage of their EAPs.

Now more than ever, employees need options for meeting their short-term financial needs without compromising their long-term finances.

Getting back to work requires thoughtful planning to ease employee fears and optimize mental and physical health.