What is the Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM (WBI)?
A deep dive into the financial well-being of U.S. employers and employees. The research provides helpful insight into key workplace and employment trends in the small to midsize business marketplace through a steady cadence of surveys with new and recurring themes. WBI also compares employer sentiment with that of employees, offering a holistic perspective.
These insights help employers identify and implement solutions that position their business, their employees, and themselves to achieve greater financial security.
Latest findings
Business owners, decision makers, and business leaders report strong levels of growth. Despite ongoing concerns over high inflation and U.S. economic stability, survey respondents are overall optimistic about the next 12 months. Employees place a high value on benefits beyond health insurance, paid time off, and retirement savings plans, and those who are caregivers show more acute benefit preferences.
Download full report (PDF)Business financial health
Businesses reporting growth have reached an all-time high.
Businesses who describe themselves as growing (%)
- All
- Small businesses
- Large businesses
Employee benefits
While employees most often select one of the “big 3” as their highest priority benefit, they see extreme value in a variety of benefits.
Employees who consider benefits “extremely valuable”
What’s next?
Ensure your business can grow in the long term by offering benefits that matter. Principal can help design a benefits package that's just right for employers and their employees.
View past reports
Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM Wave 3 (PDF)
Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM Wave 2 (PDF)
Methodology
The WBI is recurring research used to track sentiment around repeated financial health measures and timely issues relevant to small and midsize businesses and their employees. Business owners, decision makers, and business leader participants who represent companies with between 2 to 10,000 employees and offer health insurance and/or retirement benefits (n=500) provide information by completing a 15 minute online survey. Research is also conducted with an employee audience of those 18 and older who are employed full time and have an employer who offers health insurance and/or retirement as a sponsored benefit (n=500). Access to sample is provided by Dynata, a third-party research panel provider.
The WBI was transformed in 2020 from an annual survey to a regular pulse survey offering three waves yearly. In March 2022, the employee audience was added to the survey to compare and contrast key sentiment from employers.
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