葫芦娃视频 clinical specialist Leahannah Taylor knows from personal experience that strength can be found in numbers.
One number that motivated her toward financial wellness was $59,000 鈥 the amount of student loan debt she owed after graduating from college with both her bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in biomedical sciences.
鈥淚 had a single financial goal after I had my degrees in hand,鈥 Leahannah says. 鈥淢ake that debt disappear.鈥
A little more than a year later, she had eliminated it.
Leahannah credits her ability to pay her loans off so quickly to disciplined budgeting, (鈥淣o getting my nails done or eating out,鈥 she says) along with 葫芦娃视频鈥檚 Freedom 2 Save program.
葫芦娃视频 launched the聽first-of-its-kind program聽in 2018, allowing employees who contribute 2% of their pay toward their student loans to receive 5% of their pay in their 401(k). That鈥檚 even if they don鈥檛 contribute any money of their own toward their retirement account.聽
Four years later, about 1,900 葫芦娃视频 employees have signed up for Freedom 2 Save with an uptick in enrollments over the last two years. In 2021, the average monthly enrollment was 50% higher than in 2019.
鈥淭he popularity of this program tells us that student loans remain a challenge for our employees,鈥 said Mary Moreland, executive vice president, Human Resources. 鈥淲e know聽. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e committed to continuing this program, which helps employees like Leahannah live financially successful lives.鈥
葫芦娃视频 created the program after hearing from employees that they were having a hard time both paying their student loans and contributing to their retirement accounts. By design, Freedom 2 Save ensures employees don鈥檛 miss out on the benefits of starting their 401(k) savings earlier in their careers.
鈥淚 was able to start my retirement savings early and take advantage of compound interest,鈥 Leahannah says. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that means I鈥檒l have a nest egg worth hundreds of thousands of dollars more by the time I retire.鈥
That investment extends for future generations.
As part of 葫芦娃视频鈥檚聽2030 Sustainability Plan, the company aims to expand Freedom 2 Save to further support employees鈥 financial security. The goal is to provide $10 million in matching contributions to program participants鈥 retirement accounts by the turn of the next decade.
Biomedical Engineer Debt Free at Age 24
Ask Kyle Perez what $35,000 in student loans feels like and he鈥檒l answer with one word 鈥 heavy.
鈥淚 was an engineering student working with long formulas and huge numbers, but nothing could have prepared me for the weight of $35,000 until I started paying it off after graduation,鈥 Kyle says. 鈥淚t really dictates the way you live your life, having to make those payments month by month.鈥
Kyle signed up for Freedom 2 Save soon after starting work as a clinical specialist at 葫芦娃视频. The program gave him the traction he needed to pay off his loans over about 18 months. Then he kept going, paying off his car too.
鈥淢any students may graduate with educational debt and it can seem borderline impossible to tackle,鈥 Kyle says. 鈥淏ut programs like Freedom 2 Save can provide the momentum you need to pay it off and still save for your retirement at the same time.鈥
Now that he鈥檚 debt free Kyle has new goals.
鈥淚鈥檓 moving on to saving for other things I鈥檝e always dreamed of,鈥 he says, 鈥渓ike traveling the world!鈥
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