Benefits in action: How one employee went from financial stress to financial security

Judi Feiner, a partner experience liaison with financial services company Ascensus, had always been conservative when it came to money. She knew the value of saving from a young age, and when she joined the workforce over 30 years ago, she made it a priority to pay off debts and build herself a tidy little nest egg.

But in 2015, when Feiner’s personal life went through an unanticipated change, so did her finances — and she found her life savings depleted, and her future uncertain.

Read More: Benefits in action: How this flight attendant improved her weight and wellness with her employer's help

“I had tried to do everything right, but things didn't quite work out the way that I had thought they would,” says Feiner, now 57. “It left me in a situation of feeling unknown: unknown in terms of what I had left, unknown as to how to invest it, unknown as to where I'm going to be in the future and am I ever going to be able to retire?”

Financial concerns are the top source of stress among employees, according to research by PwC, and building up savings often isn’t a priority for those who are looking to eliminate current debt. As a result, one-third of full time employees have less than $1,000 saved for unexpected expenses, according to PwC data.

Read More: Bank of America debuts digital retirement program to help employees get on track

For Feiner, her personal situation caused enormous stress. She would refuse to look at her bank account and felt paralyzed. The irony of working for a financial services company and having a serious monetary crisis, she says, wasn’t lost on her.

“Even though I talked about this every day with advisers and my partners, [because it was] my own personal experience, I kind of blocked it out,” she says. “And it caused me a great deal of anxiety.”

Read More: Employers are recognizing 'financial wellness' isn't just a buzzword anymore

Her job would ultimately prove to be her saving grace: Ascensus offers its employees a financial wellness benefit through Financial Finesse, and Feiner was able to utilize financial coaching, workshops and webcasts that provide education and aim to maximize employees’ financial well-being.

“Our mission is changing financial lives,” says Liz Davidson, CEO of Financial Finesse. “I founded the company coming from an investment management background after seeing how so many people — that had a lot of assets — were making pretty significant mistakes. It was like, okay, who's looking out for the rest of us that are not in that top 1%?”

Read More: Betterment teams with Lumity on retirement, financial wellness benefits

Financial Finesse’s online programs and coaching help users implement noticeable behavioral changes. For Feiner, working with a financial coach was a “completely natural” experience.

“We started breaking up what I needed into small buckets, so she led me on the journey of getting to where I needed to be,” Feiner says. “She gave me advice that helped me feel confident in making a decision on where to put my money.”

Read More: Chime and Salary Finance benefit gives employees free money

Feiner realized that this was the first time she really focused on taking care of her own needs — and when she started to put the work in, she felt a sense of relief and accomplishment.

“I felt this huge sense of calm and tranquility, it just took off such a weight,” she says. “Every time I would think about my finances, I would have such a heavy weight on my soul. I didn't want to deal with it so I would ignore it, but it was still there deep down. But once I was able to get my home equity loan, take a look at all of my accounts and figure out what to do with them, I just felt such a huge relief.”