NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Morgan Stanley today announced further enhancements to its Morgan Stanley at Work Financial Wellness platform. Changes include the addition of digital portal enhancements, student loan refinancing capabilities and financial coaching to its Financial Wellness program for employees of mid-to-large size corporations.
“With more than 50 percent of employees citing financial stress as their biggest concern, there is a strong desire among employers to offer Financial Wellness programs to help reduce employee stress, improve retention and engagement1,” said Brian McDonald, Head of Morgan Stanley at Work. “Our full suite of Financial Wellness offerings provides employees with access to resources covering a broad range of critical financial topics. This type of education enables employees to build a holistic plan to help them make confident decisions to achieve their financial goals.”
The new enhancements to the Financial Wellness program include:
- Digital Portal Experience – includes a new, more robust assessment tool and personalized journeys with engaging content and calculators to help measure an employees’ financial fitness. Employees also now have access to over 100 articles across six important topics (personal finances, retirement, investing, college planning, estate planning and taxes) as well as videos and webinars.
- Student Loan Refinancing2 – access to an independent marketplace for student loan refinancing from Credible to better manage educational loans; as well as educational material and call center support. This benefit is provided as part of the Financial Wellness program and doesn’t require additional setup by employers.
- Financial Coaching – a new phone-based, financial coaching service employees and their families can connect to through My Secure Advantage3, an independent financial coaching service, to obtain information on budgeting, debt management and credit issues.
These enhancements are designed to help employees improve their financial well-being based on their needs and goals. In addition, younger plan participants in the earlier stages of their careers can elect to be served by the Morgan Stanley Access Investing and Morgan Stanley Virtual Advisor channels. As plan participants build their wealth, and their needs become more complex, there is a natural transition to a Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor-based relationship.
Morgan Stanley at Work offers a comprehensive suite of workplace financial solutions and offerings that include Retirement, Financial Wellness and a new premier equity management offering, Shareworks by Morgan Stanley. Together, they provide in-depth financial knowledge, resources and cutting-edge technology to enable employers to empower their employees to utilize their workplace benefits to help reduce financial stress and reach their financial goals.
Morgan Stanley completed the acquisition of Solium Capital Inc. on May 1, 2019 and re-branded the platform Shareworks by Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley at Work and Shareworks by Morgan Stanley are service marks of Morgan Stanley or its affiliates.
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, a global leader, provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, cash management and lending products and services, annuities and insurance, retirement and trust services.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. With offices in more than 41 countries, the Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Credible is a multi-lender marketplace that empowers consumers to discover financial products that are the best fit for their unique circumstances. Credible’s integrations with leading lenders and credit bureaus allow consumers to quickly compare accurate, personalized loan options ― without putting their personal information at risk or affecting their credit score. The Credible marketplace provides an unrivaled customer experience, as reflected by over 2,400 positive Trustpilot reviews and a TrustScore of 4.8/5.
My Secure Advantage, Inc. (MSA) has been leading the charge in financial wellness programs and benefits since 1986. MSA services cover more than 30 million lives, through more than 15,000 employer groups and helping several thousand employees every month. Through the Firm’s unique perspective and collective experience completing over one million consultations, it understand the challenges and solutions needed to provide a scalable platform that enables members to achieve sustainable behavior change.
1Employee Financial Wellness Study, Conducted by the Financial Health Network on behalf of Morgan Stanley. Data comes from a survey of 1,000 U.S. workers employed full-time for companies with more than 500 employees. The survey was conducted on behalf of the Financial Health Network in November and December 2018 by Greenwald & Associates, with strategic contributions and financial support from Morgan Stanley.
2Morgan Stanley does not receive financial incentives for employee engagement with Credible. The products or services referenced herein are provided by Credible Labs Inc. (“Credible”), an unaffiliated party. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC ("Morgan Stanley") nor its affiliates are the provider of such products or services and will not have any input or responsibility concerning an individual’s eligibility for, or the terms and conditions associated with, these products or services. Neither Morgan Stanley nor its affiliates shall be responsible for content of any advice, guidance or services provided by Credible..
3Guidance provided through My Secure Advantage is not endorsed by Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley does not receive financial incentives for employee engagement with My Secure Advantage. Financial Coaching, provided by My Secure Advantage, in partnership with Morgan Stanley Financial Wellness is for informational and educational purposes only. The products or services referenced herein are provided by My Secure Advantage, an unaffiliated party. The views, opinions, guidance or advice provided by My Secure Advantage and/or their financial coaches (who are not Morgan Stanley employees) are solely those of their own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, or its affiliates.
Certain content on Morgan Stanley Financial Wellness Portal including, but not limited to, calculators is being provided to Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) pursuant to an agreement with Financial Fitness Group (“FFG”).
A Morgan Stanley Access Investing (“Morgan Stanley ACCESS INVESTING”) account is a discretionary investment advisory account.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates, Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning, charitable giving, philanthropic planning and other legal matters.
Investment, insurance and annuity products offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC are: NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NOT BANK GUARANTEED NOT A BANK DEPOSIT | NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a business of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Investments and services are offered by either Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC or Solium Financial Services LLC. Both are members of SIPC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Morgan Stanley.
©2019 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.
CRC 2719777 9/2019