With inflation at its highest level in three years, 55% of Americans say their financial situation is deteriorating, according to a Gallup poll. Another 19% rate their financial situation as poor — the most in nearly 15 years. At the end of last year, Americans added $73 billion to their credit card debt, doubling the amount they had added the same quarter a year earlier, according to WalletHub.
That financial stress isn’t limited to consumers. Just 37% of small business owners surveyed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the first quarter of the year expected to increase investment, down from 44% at the end of 2025. And only 28% said the nation’s economy is in good health — the lowest first quarter number since 2023.
Those realities are contributing to a spike in website traffic for digital financial wellness providers. Everfi, a fintech company that provides digital financial wellness tools to 400 financial institutions, reports monthly unique visits to its website are double what they were in 2025. GreenPath Financial Wellness, a nonprofit that helps people improve their financial health, has also seen unprecedented volume in 2026, says Nicole Mellor, director of partner experience. She says she’s never seen anything quite like it in her 22 years with GreenPath.
“Life is hard, and it’s only getting harder for a lot of people,” Mellor says. “Groceries, gas, small pay increases, increased costs for things like education or just cost of living, and it has led people to be in a position where they are reaching out and saying, ‘What are my options?’”
Because of that demand, GreenPath and other digital financial wellness providers are also seeing an increase in the number of financial institutions that want to partner with them to provide products and services to their own customers or members. “It has grown year over year, and is growing almost at an exponential rate even within the past three years,” Mellor says.
Roughly 90% of the 560 financial institutions GreenPath partners with are credit unions, including $3.3 billion Premier America Credit Union, based in Chatsworth, California. Alfredo Martinez, the credit union’s financial inclusion and education officer, says every financial institution is taking a more holistic approach to finances in this economy. “That’s the buzzword — financial wellness, financial well-being for all,” he says.
Premier America Credit Union also partners with Everfi. But unlike GreenPath, Everfi works with more banks than credit unions. Elizabeth Figoni, senior vice president of growth, says banks now account for two-thirds of Everfi’s financial institution clients. “We’ve seen an uptick just based on the need of the communities and the expectation to have this as a resource,” she says. “It’s become more and more table stakes that they have this to offer.”
With 114 branches in the Carolinas and assets totaling $12.9 billion, First Bancorp, based in Southern Pines, North Carolina, is an Everfi client. Its subsidiary First Bank started bringing financial wellness services into the communities it serves in 2018, when it launched First at Work. Under that program, First Bank team members went to speak to the employees of their business customers about financial wellness right in their workplaces.
First Bank has built on that program by creating a section on their website that features a hybrid of their own digital financial tools and Everfi’s financial wellness courses, says Zachary Adams, the bank’s retail market manager and senior vice president. “We’re making it available so that when someone wants to look something up, we’re there to help them without having it be too much trouble for them,” he says.
It’s a Process
While financial wellness may mean different things to different people, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has actually defined it. The CFPB says a person has achieved financial well-being when they have control over their day-to-day finances; the capacity to absorb a financial shock; are on track to meet their financial goals and have the financial freedom to make choices that allow them to enjoy life.
Getting to that point is different for all consumers. But the lessons start with financial education that puts people on the path to financial literacy. GreenPath and Everfi provide education on a range of topics that are available on their websites and those of their bank and credit union clients.
“So, things like how credit works, how interest accrues, things that impact your credit score — we’re giving our partners tools like this so they can also plug them in, maybe when somebody is going for a loan application or maybe when somebody is in collections,” Mellor says. “Because that’s how financial literacy really grows. You don’t get it from being like, ‘Oh, it’s 7 p.m., let me increase my financial literacy.’ You get it from, ‘I’m in a situation and I need something, and somebody’s here to provide me that just-in-time information that I need.’”
Everfi’s Figoni says once a person has that financial literacy, they can achieve more of their financial goals. “We talk about financial capability as the next step,” she says. “So, how are you applying that knowledge to real decisions? And do you have the knowledge, the behaviors and the attitudinal growth and change to make the best decisions for your individual situation?”
But the lessons available aren’t just for consumers. First Bank’s website features a full financial education section on running a business. It includes lessons on small business essentials, managing cash flow, growth and more. For both its consumer and business education sections, First Bank’s offerings don’t just include articles, but interactive features such as courses, calculators and quizzes.
Adams says this allows the bank to scale the education and make it more personalized. “There’s probably something in there for everyone, and the digital delivery is just kind of the way of the world these days,” he says. “It’s on demand, at their own pace.”
The Value of Trust
Along with all of its digital offerings, GreenPath provides more than 100,000 hours of personal financial counseling over the phone to consumers each year, many of whom find out about the service through their financial institution, says Mellor. “People don’t like talking about money,” she says. “You’re going to somebody that your credit union [or] your bank trusts, but who can be unbiased.”
And with traditional financial institutions facing increasing competition from nonbanks, Everfi’s Figoni says more banks and credit unions are starting to realize that type of service is a true differentiator. “I think it’s a trust accelerator, and trust is so critical right now in a very competitive market,” she says.
Martinez believes strongly that financial wellness offers community-based financial institutions like Premier America Credit Union an opportunity to set themselves apart. “For me, it’s interesting to see where certain institutions stake their flag and what that exactly means. And not only that, but how do they execute it? Through what solutions or what providers?” he says. “So, I’m paying attention to all financial institutions — banks, credit unions, neobanks — and how they deliver financial wellness.”
Adams believes First Bank’s digital financial tools only help strengthen relationships with existing customers. He says it also gives the bank the opportunity to attract new customers, because the tools on the website are free and available to everyone.
“And hopefully, if people are getting stuff that they like about it, and they want to learn more about us through the process, that brings them through our doors and gets them to see our teams and have some further conversations,” he says.
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