Sequoia taps Origin to provide financial wellness across their ecosystem

In today’s competitive job market, employers are increasingly focused on how to best meet the individual needs of their employees. The winners in this war for talent have taken a highly tailored approach to the employee experience while HR and People teams who aren’t constantly evolving their benefit offerings find themselves at a significant disadvantage.

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‍Sequoia has embodied this since their founding days over 20 years ago. They offer guidance to thousands of companies on how to unlock the full potential of their people programs. Origin has a similar people-first approach: Personal finance is the #1 source of employee stress, and Origin works with employees on an individual level to help them take control of their financial future. Research shows companies that embrace financial wellness see improved retention, increased predictability, and the ability to recruit and retain talent.It seemed natural for us to partner.

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Sequoia is the top platform for holistic benefits management, and Origin is the ultimate solution for personalized financial wellness. Together, we’re unlocking a way to drive employee engagement and appreciation.

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Offering a modern approach to financial wellness 

As of September 2021, Origin is now available to Sequoia customers in the Sequoia mobile app. Origin combines real financial planning professionals with cutting-edge technology to help employees gain control of their finances and plan for the future.Sequoia members have access to Origin’s range of services, including:

• Unlimited 1-on-1 meetings with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
• Individual 401(k) advice 
• An all-in-one dashboard to visualize and manage their finances 
• A personalized strategy to understand equity awards, plus tax guidance
• Customized financial wellness seminars and workshops 

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Unlike other products that may not fit an employees' needs, Origin's professional planners are fiduciaries who only recommend services that meet employees’ goals. This type of comprehensive access means that all employees are guaranteed to receive advice that best fits their needs, no gimmicks. Through this partnership, we also help employees navigate major life events with confidence. Origin can help employees answer questions like:

• How much should I contribute to my 401(k) to reach my retirement goals? 
• What do I do with my equity? 
• How much can I spend on a house if I’m also planning to start a family? 

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Empowering People teams to do their best work

For HR and People teams, they get the advantage of adding a holistic financial wellness program without increasing HR operations. One of the biggest advantages we hear from People teams is how Origin helps employees discover and utilize existing employee benefits. Origin planners offer advice on benefit plan policies, like health insurance, HSAs and FSAs, retirement plan contributions, life insurance, and other perks. We also field HR questions that HR teams legally can’t, like:

• What healthcare plan is best for me? 
• Which fund should I invest in for my 401(k)
• Should I exercise my stock options? 

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Sequoia shared in a blog post that they have heard for years from customers who want assistance in helping employees to better understand their equity awards. Origin gives detailed education about how an individual can exercise them, and strategies of minimizing taxes. At the same time, HR teams avoid any fiduciary risk of explaining equity awards.

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Looking ahead

Through this partnership, thousands of employees can receive high-level financial planning services that most people want but few receive. We’re excited to elevate the benefits offerings of Sequoia’s customers and support the growing needs of these businesses moving forward.