It is an honor to serve all of our Brightside users with Financial Care, which combines personalized support, behavioral science, and vetted solutions to address financial challenges and make it easy to take steps that improve financial health.
Every Brightside user faces a different set of financial needs, priorities, and goals; we meet them where they are to establish comfort in the moments that matter most.
Our Brightside Financial Assistants strive to be trusted partners that support a diverse range of needs, including recovering from financial emergencies and unexpected events, managing all forms of debt including student loans, building savings, creating spending plans, finding ways to lower bills, preparing for retirement – and much more.
Explore these real Brightside user stories and meet a Brightside Financial Assistant at the bottom of this post. (All Brightside user names have been changed to protect privacy.)
Bethany
Bethany fell behind on rent and was facing eviction. Her Brightside Financial Assistant connected her with a grant that covered $5,600 in back rent and provided additional rent support for the next three months.
She and her Financial Assistant reviewed how much money Bethany had coming in and out each month so she could get her finances back on track. She also opened a free Brightside Spending Account to avoid the checking fees her financial institution charged.
“Without the help of Brightside, I would have been homeless.” – Bethany, a Brightside user
Jessica
Jessica came to Brightside for help managing debt. She owed $20,000 on her credit cards on top of student loans.
With the help of her Brightside Financial Assistant, Jessica saved $8,620 by consolidating her credit card debt into a single, lower-interest-rate loan and is following a new debt payoff plan that will save her $3,661 in interest over the life of the loan. Her Financial Assistant also helped her apply for $20,000 in student loan forgiveness.
Jessica’s credit score has increased 30 points since she began working with Brightside, and she’s saving automatically from each paycheck in a free high-yield Brightside Savings Account. She and her Financial Assistant meet weekly to touch base and monitor her progress.
“My Financial Assistant treats me like a genuine friend and tries to help me with whatever situation I’m facing.” – Jessica, a Brightside user
Amy
Amy’s mom needed heart surgery. The hospital required an $8,000 deposit just to schedule the procedure – even with a payment plan in place.
Amy had worked hard to build $3,000 in savings, but it still wasn’t enough to cover her mother’s care. Time was running out and she’d have to use high-interest payday loans if she couldn’t find an alternative. Her Brightside Financial Assistant helped Amy secure the additional $5,000 she needed and reorganized her budget so she can rebuild her savings.
“My mother and I are forever grateful to Carlos, our Financial Assistant!”– Amy, a Brightside user
Alma
Alma’s ex-partner had recently moved out of their apartment, leaving her to pay all the bills. She worked part-time because she couldn’t afford full-time child care for her two kids, but the income she was bringing in was not enough. Then, she unexpectedly needed a car repair. She needed her car to get to and from work, but couldn’t afford to get it fixed.
Brightside helped Alma find the emergency funds she needed for her car and connected her with free daycare for her two kids. She’s now able to go to work full-time, earns more income, and can pay the bills on her own.
“I liked the fact that I was able to be open about my problems and what I was facing. My Financial Assistant did not judge me and made me feel comfortable expressing my feelings.”
– Alma, a Brightside user
Meet a Brightside Financial Assistant
As different as these Brightside users’ challenges are, they all involve a Brightside Financial Assistant who worked hard to understand their needs and barriers to financial health.
Our Financial Assistants are uniquely trained in behavioral science and use proven approaches to make the complex and often overwhelming task of dealing with money simple. They encourage Brightside users to take small steps toward achievable goals, building hope and greatly reducing stress.
They are committed to delivering the best possible experience, including helping Brightside users navigate and use additional employee benefits like legal aid that could help their situation and doing the legwork to help them take action.
When Brightside users come to us in emergency situations, Financial Assistants and support teams work tirelessly to connect them with resources that provide food, secure housing, transportation, and access to other essentials so they don’t have to turn to predatory loans or other financial products that could make them more financially vulnerable.
Financial Assistants are far more than financial experts. They bring a combination of personal support and dedication, trust, empathy, encouragement, real solutions, and hope to Brightside users. This is just part of what makes Financial Care an entirely new approach to improving employee financial health.
To learn more about what Brightside can do for your employees, click here.
