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Wellness July 6, 2026

Benefits by moment: Reaching employees before the crisis, not after

9 life transitions that should trigger a coverage check-in

Benefits often matter most when employees are least prepared to navigate them.

Securian Financial’s Affordability Trap research shows that life changes can shift benefits from optional to protective. Employees anticipating career advancement, retirement planning or a home purchase may begin thinking differently about financial security, health coverage stability, disability protection and life insurance.1

For employers, the opportunity is to make benefits guidance more timely, helping employees recognize when a life change may affect their coverage, their financial exposure or the decisions they need to revisit. 

Employees need more than a broader selection of benefits, they need timely guidance when life changes happen.

Key takeaways

  • Employers and brokers should consider moving from annual enrollment reminders to timely, life-moment benefits check-ins that improve employee understanding, benefit utilization and confidence.
  • Life transitions can serve as practical triggers to prompt one clear next step, such as reviewing coverage, updating beneficiaries, modeling total cost or contacting a benefits advisor.
  • Employees do not experience benefits by category. They experience them by life moment. Timely, integrated guidance can matter more than adding more options.

Take the next step

Learn how Securian Financial can help you design benefits communication strategies that support employees when life changes. Contact our group insurance sales team to learn more.

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The 9 life transitions checklist: Why they matter and key questions

Use the questions below as a planning checklist. Each life transition can signal a need for a coverage check-in that helps employees connect the moment, the risk and the right next step.

9 life transitions: 1. First benefits enrollment or early-career milestone, 2. Age milestone or coverage milestone, 3. Career advancement or income increase, 4. Marriage, partnership or household change, 5. Home purchase or major financial commitment, 6. Growing a family through birth, adoption or fostering, 7. Becoming a caregiver, 8. Serious illness, injury or hospitalization, 9. Retirement planning or pre-retirement transition
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First benefits enrollment or early-career milestone

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Why it matters: Early-career employees may be managing new expenses, limited savings and unfamiliar benefit decisions. Research shows Gen Z employees often value stability, flexibility and well-being from the start, not only lifestyle perks.1

Key questions:

  • Are we helping employees compare total cost, not just premium?
  • Do they understand how medical coverage, HSA or FSA options, disability insurance, life insurance and supplemental health insurance can work together?
  • Are we showing a simple scenario that explains what could happen financially after an accident, illness or hospitalization?
  • Do employees know where to go for coverage, claims and benefits questions after enrollment?
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Age or coverage milestone

Why it matters: Age milestones can change how employees think about health care, family responsibilities, retirement, savings and protection. In the research, reaching an age milestone was the most common life event that shifted benefit priorities at 22%.1

Key questions:

  • Are we using milestone ages to prompt coverage check-ins?
  • Should employees revisit preventive care, supplemental health insurance, disability insurance or life insurance?
  • Are retirement planning, HSA or FSA strategy, financial well-being or caregiving needs becoming more relevant?
  • Are we making the message feel timely, not generic?
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22%

Changed benefit priorities after reaching an age milestone.1

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Career advancement or income increase

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Why it matters: Higher income can increase the financial impact of lost earnings. Career growth often shifts attention to retirement, long-term financial security, health coverage stability and income protection.

Key questions:

  • Do disability coverage limits reflect current income?
  • Should life insurance be reviewed for household dependency, lifestyle or debt?
  • Are retirement contributions, HSA contributions or other savings decisions prompted?
  • Are beneficiary designations current?
Number four

Marriage, partnership or household change

Why it matters: Shared financial responsibilities often make benefits more important for protecting the household. Life insurance, medical coverage, disability protection and beneficiary decisions may need updating.

Key questions:

  • Are employees reminded to update dependents and beneficiaries?
  • Do they know spouse, partner or dependent coverage options where available?
  • Should life insurance, disability insurance, medical coverage or supplemental health insurance be reviewed based on shared expenses?
  • Is a household change a clear trigger for a coverage check-in?
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Number five

Home purchase or major financial commitment

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28%

Changed benefit priorities after purchasing a home.1

Why it matters: A mortgage or major financial obligation can make income and cash-flow protection more urgent. Home purchase was cited by 28% of employees as an anticipated life change.1

Key questions:

  • Are employees prompted to review life insurance when taking on a mortgage or large debt?
  • Could disability insurance help protect household income if the employee cannot work?
  • Would critical illness, accident insurance or hospital indemnity help with out-of-pocket exposure?
  • Are we connecting this moment to emergency savings and financial well-being education?
Number six

Growing a family through birth, adoption or fostering

Why it matters: A growing family increases day-to-day expenses, long-term planning and who depends on the employee. In the study, 35% of employees said life insurance became or would become a priority when they had their first child.1

Key questions:

  • Are employees prompted to add dependents on time?
  • Are they reminded to update beneficiaries?
  • Should life insurance, disability insurance, medical coverage and supplemental health insurance be reviewed together?
  • Do they understand parental leave, hospital indemnity, child care, adoption, fostering or family support resources where available?
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35%

Changed benefit priorities after having a child.1

Number seven

Becoming a caregiver

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Why it matters: Caregiving can affect time, finances, mental well-being and work performance.1 Different generations face distinct caregiving pressures, including millennials balancing debt and caregiving and Gen X protecting peak earnings while supporting aging parents.

Key questions:

  • Are employees aware of caregiver leave, elder care support, flexible work options and employee assistance program resources where available?
  • Could financial well-being, mental health support, disability insurance or life insurance become more relevant?
  • Are we reaching employees supporting aging parents, partners, adult children or other family members?
  • Are caregiving resources positioned as part of workforce stability?
Number eight

Serious illness, injury or hospitalization

Why it matters: Health events often reveal whether employees understand and can use their coverage. Serious illness or injury was cited by 20% of employees as shifting benefit priorities.1

Key questions:

  • Can employees quickly find claims guidance and care navigation when needed?
  • Do they know whether accident insurance, critical illness or hospital indemnity may apply after a medical event?
  • Could disability coverage, leave benefits, mental health resources or financial counseling be relevant?
  • Are follow-up reminders built into the employee experience so benefits are not forgotten?
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20%

Changed benefit priorities after serious illness or injury.1

Number nine

Retirement planning or pre-retirement transition

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33%

Anticipate retirement planning in the next five years.2

Why it matters: Retirement planning involves health costs, coverage changes and income protection. It was the second most anticipated life change in the research at 33%.1

Key questions:

  • Are near-retirees prompted to review health coverage options and retirement income strategy?
  • Should life insurance be revisited for dependents, debt or legacy goals?
  • Are HSA or FSA strategy, long-term care where available, financial well-being and beneficiaries part of the conversation?
  • Do employees understand how benefits may change before, during and after retirement?

How to use the life transitions checklist

When to use it: Use this checklist during renewal or open enrollment planning, benefits communication strategy, broker consultations and quarterly benefits reviews.

How to use it: For each life transition, identify the likely employee need, the risk that may now be higher, the benefits that should be reviewed together and the one clear action employees should take.

Who it is for: Employers can use it to improve benefit relevance, utilization and employee understanding. Brokers can use it as a client discussion tool to identify where communication may be too enrollment-centered. Employees benefit when guidance reaches them before a coverage gap becomes urgent.

A simple model for every coverage check-in

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Anticipate the moment

Use available HRIS data and employee signals, such as new dependents, address changes, leave requests, age milestones, promotions or retirement activity to identify likely transitions.

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Translate the risk

Explain what changed in plain language: income dependency, out-of-pocket exposure, caregiving pressure, household debt, health cost risk or retirement readiness.

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Connect the relevant benefits

Show how relevant benefits work together instead of presenting medical, life, disability, supplemental health insurance and financial well-being as separate decisions.

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Activate one next step

Give employees one clear action, such as reviewing coverage, updating beneficiaries, modeling cost, confirming dependent coverage, filing a claim or speaking with a benefits specialist.

Practical tips to put this into action

  • Build life-moment triggers into HR, payroll, benefits platform or communication workflows.
  • Use simple scenarios that show how benefits may work together after common life events.
  • Personalize messages by moment, not just by employee segment.
  • Make is easy to access human support when the decision is complex or emotional.
  • Track actions that show progress, such as beneficiary updates, dependent enrollments, coverage check-ins, claims submissions and use of decision-support tools.
  • Coordinate with legal, compliance and vendor partners to align communications with plan rules and privacy requirements.

Helping employees take the next step

A coverage check-in does not need to be complicated. It simply needs to be timely, relevant and clear. When employers connect the moment to the risk and the risk to a next step, benefits become easier for employees to understand, choose and use before protection is tested.

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  1. The Benefits Affordability Trap, Securian Financial’s 4th Annual Workplace Benefits Study.

Additional articles

DOFU 7-2026

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