Financial Wellness: Financial Fitness Challenge underway, year-round free financial planning and new financial resources available

The Financial Fitness Challenge, which runs through Sunday, Feb. 22, is underway. Employees and their spouses can participate and earn 25 My Wellness points for meeting the challenge goal and win weekly prizes.

Additionally, Marquette employees have access to free financial planning services from Francis on a year-round basis as part of their Total Rewards. Furthermore, recordings of Francis' recent on-campus financial guidance and retirement planning seminars are now available on the My Financial Health page.

When people think about wellness, physical and emotional health often come to mind first. Increasingly, however, financial wellness is recognized as a critical part of overall well-being, as it directly influences both. Financial stability can reduce stress and, in turn, lessen the likelihood of turning to coping behaviors that do not support physical health.

Financial Fitness Challenge

The Financial Fitness Challenge is part of the My Wellness program and helps participants partake in activities that promote financial wellness. Employees and their spouses who complete at least three activities each week of the challenge earn 25 My Wellness points, and anyone who meets the weekly goal may win weekly prizes. To enroll in the challenge, go to the My Wellness portal and enter your personal username and password. Select challenges from the upper menu or dashboard tile. Under "Available Challenges," select "Get Started" and "Continue."

Free year-round financial planning benefit

The university recognizes the key role financial wellness plays in overall wellness with its various financial wellness resources, including the introduction of free financial wellness and planning services in 2025. Since financial planners with Francis do not sell any products, participants can feel confident that any advice they receive is objective. To schedule an appointment with a financial planner, available in English and Spanish, either visit francisway.com/marquette and click on "Individual Financial Planning," download the free Francis LLC mobile app, or call 866-232-6457.

Retirement and financial planning seminar recordings available

Financial planners from Francis were on campus on Jan. 7 and 8 for the annual Start Small, Retire Big retirement planning event and Midlifer's Money Playbook event, respectively. Participant feedback for these events was extremely positive, and the university is planning on hosting the events again during the first full week of January in 2027. Recordings from the different sessions of this year's events can be found in the "Financial and Retirement Resources from Francis LLC" section of the My Financial Health page.