Bread Financial Benefit Spotlight

When Paulette Burks joined Bread Financial Corporate Affairs team in September 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic was at its peak, and she had been laid off by her prior employment, like millions of other Americans. Although it was a stressful period for many reasons, Paulette said the instability she had about her financial situation after six months of unemployment was the most worrisome.

“It was very stressful, partly because I had to manage my money differently while on unemployment, and partly because I wasn’t able to plan ahead and save,” Paulette, a senior sustainability expert at Bread Financial, explained. “When I joined the company, I knew I needed to get my finances back on track to where they were before the pandemic, and I worked hard to do so.”

When I joined the firm, I knew I wanted to get my finances back on track to where they were before to the pandemic, and I also needed to ensure that I was financially prepared for any unexpected problems that could arise in the future.”

Bread Financial’s Paulette Burks is a Senior Sustainability Specialist.

Bread Financial

Bread Financial’s comprehensive associate well-being program, LivingWell, saw the huge opportunity to assist the financial health and wealth of its colleagues and their families in the midst of an uncertain global economy and the inflation that accompanied the epidemic.

“For years, we had been offering a handful of financial wellness resources, including monthly financial education workshops, but we wanted to do more,” said Lindsay Madaras, Bread Financial’s senior manager of associate well-being. “By implementing BrightPlan, our total financial wellness solution, we are now able to give our associates an on-demand library of financial education resources as well as the ability to speak directly with a financial planner who can offer them guidance related to their specific needs at no cost to our associates.”

BrightPlan® has been critical in recovering Paulette’s savings and financial confidence, and since she began using the benefit to keep organized and as a source of advise and reminders, her savings have not only restored, but have expanded by 50%.

“Things are going so well that I’ve started a separate savings account just for travel and activities, and I track my progress on those specific savings goals on a regular basis,” Paulette said. “It has really helped me plan ahead for major expenses.” I may now pay for vacations with cash instead of a credit card.”

In addition to BrightPlan, Bread Financial provides associates with a comprehensive range of financial services, including a 401(k) with corporate match, health savings account, college savings plan, and an associate-driven fund to assist associates in crises. According to Lindsay, these offers demonstrate how caring for colleagues’ well-being and personal financial health has become key components of Bread Financial’s culture.

“I say it all the time: I wish I’d had something like BrightPlan when I was in college.” “It would have set me up for a better future because I would have had so much more financial knowledge,” Paulette explained. “It’s really nice to have that tool in the palm of my hand.”