How can financial wellbeing programs help employees understand their total rewards?

Financial wellbeing helps employees understand their total rewards by showing the full value of their compensation, not just salary, in one place. A total rewards visualization and 1:1 guidance from Certified Financial Planner® professionals help employees see and use their health coverage, retirement match, equity, and pre-tax benefits, so the value the employer provides is understood rather than overlooked.

What are total rewards?

Total rewards are the full value of what an employee receives for their work, beyond base salary. They include health coverage, retirement plans and the employer match, equity compensation, paid time off, voluntary benefits, and pre-tax accounts. An employee's financial life is closely tied to these offerings, yet most people think of their compensation as their paycheck alone. When the rest goes unseen, it goes unappreciated and often unused.

Why do employees undervalue their total rewards?

Employees undervalue total rewards for the same reason they under-use benefits: the value is hard to see and harder to understand. A retirement match, an HSA contribution, and an equity grant do not show up in a paycheck the way salary does, and 60% of employees do not understand their equity compensation at all. An employer may contribute thousands of dollars a year in benefits an employee never counts. Without a clear picture, workers compare only their salary to the market and miss the rest of what they are paid.

How does financial wellbeing help employees see the full value of their benefits?

Financial wellbeing makes the full picture visible and understandable. A total rewards visualization brings equity, health insurance, retirement contributions, PTO, and voluntary benefits into one view, so an employee can see what their compensation is really worth. A personalized benefits portal links every benefit with plain-language descriptions as the front page of the employer's offerings, and 1:1 guidance from a Certified Financial Planner® professional explains how the pieces work together. The Benefits Decision Assistance guide shows how LearnLux helps employees unlock the value of their total rewards.

How does understanding total rewards support retention?

When employees understand what they are paid, they value it, and that shows up in how they feel about the employer. 80% of employees say they have a more positive view of their employer because they have access to LearnLux, and 79% say they are more likely to stay because of the program. A total rewards view also helps at moments of comparison: an employee weighing an outside offer can see the full value they would be giving up, not just the salary line. How does financial wellbeing reduce employee turnover? covers the retention connection.

How does LearnLux visualize and explain total rewards?

LearnLux helps employees see and use their total rewards through a personalized benefits portal and total rewards visualization, backed by 1:1 guidance from Certified Financial Planner® professionals. Employees see the full value of their compensation, understand each benefit in plain terms, and get guidance on how to use it. Because LearnLux is fiduciary and paid by the employer, the guidance is built around helping employees make the most of their rewards, not around selling a product. Planners are available in members' current country of residence, so a multinational employer can present total rewards consistently across regions. The LearnLux program shows how it is delivered.

Frequently asked questions about financial wellbeing and total rewards

What is a total rewards visualization?

It is a single view that shows the full value of an employee's compensation, including salary, health coverage, retirement contributions, equity, PTO, and voluntary benefits. It turns a scattered set of benefits into one clear picture of what the employer provides.

Why should employers communicate total rewards?

Because employees who cannot see the full value of their compensation tend to undervalue it and under-use the benefits inside it. Communicating total rewards helps employees appreciate and use what the employer already pays for.

Does understanding total rewards improve retention?

Yes. 79% of employees say they are more likely to stay because of the LearnLux program, and a clear total rewards view helps employees see the full value they would give up when weighing an outside offer.

What belongs in a total rewards view?

Base salary, health and insurance coverage, retirement contributions and the employer match, equity compensation, pre-tax accounts, and voluntary benefits, presented in plain language so each piece is understood.

How is this different from a benefits summary?

A benefits summary lists what is offered. A total rewards visualization shows the value of it and, paired with 1:1 guidance from a Certified Financial Planner® professional, helps the employee understand and act on each piece.

How do we show employees their total rewards?

Use a personalized benefits portal and total rewards visualization backed by guidance, and keep it available year-round rather than once a year. Request a demo of LearnLux to see how it works.

Bringing it together

Financial wellbeing helps employees understand their total rewards by making the full value of their compensation visible and usable. A total rewards visualization, a personalized benefits portal, and 1:1 guidance from Certified Financial Planner® professionals move employees from seeing a paycheck to understanding everything they are paid. That understanding drives appreciation, higher benefits utilization, and the retention that follows when employees know the full value of what they have.

Methodology

Workforce statistics are drawn from the 2026 LearnLux Workplace Financial Wellbeing Report, the fifth edition of the report, with a sample of 27,000 program participants and a measurement period of October 2024 to October 2025. Data review and validation by the LearnLux Client Advisory Board. The equity compensation understanding figure is drawn from third-party research cited in the LearnLux Benefits Decision Assistance guide (Charles Schwab).