The recent PFEEF conference in collaboration with Employee Benefit News’ 24th Benefits Forum and Expo in Dallas, hopes to be a success for promoting financial wellness. With the mission to encourage and facilitate financial education in the workplace, The EDSA Group’s CEO Susan Windham led the panel titled “Healthy People, Healthy Bottom Line.”

Workers’ poor personal financial skills can cost businesses higher turnover rates, lower productivity, added healthcare costs and exposure to liability, and many employers are looking for ways to give employees more knowledge of how to manage their money. Now some companies are partnering with community colleges to provide financial education for their employees. Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida, collaborates with local businesses to provide workforce-training through financial education courses for employees.

On today's college campuses, almost all professors and administrators know students who have dropped out of school due to financial problems. College students have the second-highest personal bankruptcy rate in the U.S., and student loan defaults are on the rise.

Colleges and universities nationwide are teaching students money management skills to improve student success and retention.
A recent survey of public four-year colleges and universities examined reasons for student attrition. ACT’s 2010 Student Retention Survey found that financial issues tied with student academic preparation as the top reason students drop out of school. Because students' financial problems also affect colleges and universities, many schools are including financial education programs in curricula to educate students on money management skills.

A survey conducted by Personal Finance Employee Education Foundation (PFEEF) shows poor financial health of employees negatively impacts productivity in the workplace. "Financially distressed employees have trouble functioning in their jobs, and this is hurting their health as well as taking a bite out of the employer's bottom line," says Dr. E. Thomas Garman, president of PFEEF.

The economic crisis is affecting higher education. With fewer college students qualifying for student loans, and those with loans carrying large balances, more students are withdrawing from college for financial reasons. Some private and public colleges and universities are taking a new approach by teaching personal financial management skills.

While teaching accounting to college students, Vicki Jobst discovered that they know very little about managing money. So the Benedictine University business instructor has helped establish a new personal money management course at Benedictine that incorporates Goodmoneyhabits.com.

With the national economy declining, many college administrators agree that now, more than ever, their students need money management skills. Jamestown Business College began offering Goodmoneyhabits.com, an online financial education program, to incoming students last year. The reaction was so positive that the course is now required for all new students.

For Anne Wilks, the sales course she agreed to teach was just another assignment. But then the 36-year-old corporate trainer discovered an online financial education program that would change her life, Goodmoneyhabits.com. She now recommends these lessons to individuals, business owners, and employees.

Missouri Southern State University has integrated The EDSA Group's e-learning tool, Goodmoneyhabits.com, into the university's core curriculum to teach students to manage their finances and reduce debt. The responses were so positive that all MSSU students will now be required to study money management modules in addition to other core requirements.

For many employers, the rising cost of health care is their greatest concern. Communities and states throughout the United States have formed alliances of employers, insurance groups and providers to investigate methods to reduce health care expenses. The Louisiana Health Care Alliance is one of the first in America to introduce workplace financial education as a means to lower health care costs.

Nearly half of young Americans reported experiencing significant financial challenges. And although they want to save, many can't. One young professional reports solutions in Goodmoneyhabits.com.

BRECO Federal Credit Union in Baton Rouge, La., announced a new service available to both members and non-members. BRECO is now offering Goodmoneyhabits.com, The EDSA Group's online financial education program, to help individuals manage their personal finances.

Alliance Benefit Group (ABG), a leading provider of retirement plan services, is offering comprehensive financial education services to companies providing retirement plans through its 15 national licensed offices. The programs, developed by EDSA, include live workshops and Goodmoneyhabits.com, an interactive online tool, to help employees of ABG clients plan and save for retirement.

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 allows employers to offer automatic enrollment into defined contribution pension plans. This practice was the topic of the Pension and Investment West Coast Defined Contribution Conference, where experts agreed that without employer-provided financial education, auto-enrollment will not correct employees' poor money habits or foster self-responsibility for their finances.

EDSA announces the launch of www.GoodMoneyHabits.com, an online tool that provides workers with interactive financial education. This e-learning tool provides big benefits at a small cost and now offers the option of paying on a per-user basis, allowing businesses to take advantage of its value without overpaying for non-participants.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 had a sweeping impact on retirement plans, leaving companies open to compliance liabilities. EDSA offers a solution to meeting SOX compliance requirements through workplace financial education, which helps employees reach a full understanding of retirement issues.