Financial Wellness, while a very hot topic, is not yet mainstream. One reason could be there has not been a clear value proposition for the employer to invest the time and/or the money to roll it out.  Today, my conversation with Lynn Pettus, the National Leader for Ernst & Young’s Employee Financial Services Practice sheds some light on that topic.  Our conversation begins with exploring what financial wellness is or isn’t, how employers are measuring the impact of financial stress in the workplace and what can be done to help employees.  Also, Lynn talks about her biggest competition (its not who you think it is), discusses the value of speaking to peers who have embraced financial wellness and ways you can either dip your toe in the water and just offer gold stars to engaged employees or go "all in" with a fully integrated health, financial and emotional wellness strategy.    

Lynn references and shared some of the work Ernst & Young has done on financial wellness which we have posted on the website at www.401kfridays.com/pettus if you want to check it out.  While you’re there, don't forget to subscribe to our email list so you don’t miss any valuable updates on new episodes and other valuable information!

Guest Bio

Lynn Pettus is a tax partner located in Charlotte, North Carolina.  She serves as the National Director for the Employee Financial Services practice and relationship partner for the Southeast and Southwest areas.  Her time is concentrated on serving large private and public sector employers in the strategic development of financial education and counseling programs focused on employee benefit plans.  Ms. Pettus also helps coordinate Human Capital resources, firm-wide, to assist in serving area clients in the most efficient and effective manner possible.  

Ms. Pettus has spoken at The Conference Board’s Pensions & Retirement Conferences and has presented at The Wharton School, Boettner Center for Pensions and Retirement Research.  She is co-author of articles for Benefits Quarterly, the Society for Human Resource Management and the Pension Research Council.  Ms. Pettus has spoken in numerous other forums and has been quoted in the general media (e.g., New York Times, Wall Street Journal), and trade publications (e.g., Employee Benefit News, Employee Benefit Advisor, National Health & Underwriter), as well as other media.

As a graduate of Converse College in South Carolina, Ms. Pettus holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant, Personal Financial Specialist (AICPA Designation), Certified Investment Management Analyst, and Registered Investment Advisor. Additionally, she is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants, the Investment Management Consultants Association, and the National Association of Securities Dealers (Series 65 Examination).  

Ms. Pettus actively supports women’s initiatives through her involvement with Ernst & Young’s Inclusiveness Advisory Council, National Tax Inclusiveness Steering Committee, Professional Women’s Network and through her community work with the Junior League of Charlotte.  She has served on the boards of local charitable organizations including Carolina Voices and the Carolina Raptor Center.  Ms. Pettus has also acted as Ernst & Young’s coordinator for the Arts & Science Council Fund Drive and supports the United Way.

401(k) Fridays Podcast Overview

Struggling with a fiduciary issue, looking for strategies to improve employee retirement outcomes or curious about the impact of current events on your workplace retirement plan? We've had conversations with retirement industry leaders to address these and other relevant topics! You can easily explore over ninety prior on-demand audio interviews here. Don't forget to subscribe as we release a new episode each Friday!