Maya’s retirement journey: from confusion to confidence

Maya’s retirement journey: from confusion to confidence

Organizations invest heavily in employee benefits, often around a quarter of payroll. But in an environment of rising living costs and financial stress, even the most generous programs can fall flat if employees don’t understand or engage with them.

That means the challenge isn’t just designing great benefits; it’s ensuring people have the clarity and confidence to use them in ways that improve wellbeing and deliver ROI.

To see what that looks like in practice, meet Maya.

Maya works at a global pharmaceutical company that offers a comprehensive retirement plan as part of its benefits package. Like many employees, she knew it existed but rarely thought about it. With the demands of work and everyday life taking priority, retirement felt distant, and too complex to tackle.

This is the story of how Maya moved from confusion to confidence with her retirement benefit through financial education.

The moment of awareness

One morning, Maya receives a personalized notification: “Maya, have you checked if your retirement savings are on track?”

It’s from nudge, and it explains how taking small actions today can make a big difference later. For the first time, she pauses to think seriously about her retirement benefit.

Building understanding

Curious to learn more, Maya explores the education linked within her nudge. Step by step, she unpacks what her retirement plan really means for her financial future. She learns about:

• Employer match: Contributing a little more means Maya can unlock the full company match, essentially free money for her future.
• ‍Tax benefits: Her contributions are pre-tax, helping Maya to save while reducing her taxable income. ‍
• The power of time: Compound interest means that even small increases now will grow significantly over the years.

Maya’s understanding grows, but she still wonders, for the first time, these concepts feel clear, practical, and personal. But Maya still wonders “How often should I review my retirement contributions?”

Taking confident action

That’s when Maya turns to the AI money coach on nudge. With impartial answers at her fingertips, she can ask the questions on her mind and get the information she needs, free of product, or provider bias. The money coach helps her:

• Deepen her knowledge on retirement planning and tax advantages
• Understand where and why to review her retirement contributions.
• Explore scenarios that show how different choices might play out
• Connect her new knowledge with timely actions, like adjusting her contributions to capture the full employer match.
• Directly access her benefits portal so she can take action with her retirement plan provider.
• Continue learning about this topic by signposting her to an upcoming live masterclass, hosted on the nudge platform.

With her new understanding, Maya moves from awareness to confident action – taking steps that make her retirement plan work harder for her.

Ongoing, personalized financial education

Over the next few months, Maya keeps receiving personalized nudges that meet her in the moments that matter. She learns how her retirement plan fits alongside her emergency savings, why reviewing contributions regularly is important, and how small, steady changes reduce long-term stress.

Each step builds her knowledge, skills, and confidence and reinforces the value of her employee benefits.

The future

A year later, Maya gets a promotion, and a salary increase. At the same time, she receives a timely nudge prompting her to check whether her retirement contributions still make sense.

By taking action on these prompts, Maya ensures she’s continuing to capture the full value of her retirement plan. What once felt overwhelming is now a source of reassurance. She feels more prepared for the future and more connected to her employer as she builds the life she wants.

Why this matters

Maya’s journey reflects a common challenge. Employers spend 20–30% of compensation on benefits, yet only 37% of employees understand them. Education helps employees understand their benefits and move beyond awareness to take confident action.

However, even with progress, Maya’s not yet “retirement ready.” Ongoing, personalized support is what ensures employees make the most of their benefits and truly prepare for the future.

Find out more about the role of financial guidance in benefit utilization.