Symetra Is Investing in People Not Just Policies
Symetra is bringing financial literacy to underserved communities through a bold partnership with Operation HOPE. With hands-on coaching and real resources, they’re proving that dignity, empowerment, and economic mobility can all start with a simple conversation.
In a small community center tucked away in Greater Hartford, Connecticut, something quietly revolutionary is happening. A single mom sits across from a financial coach, untangling years of debt. A recent immigrant learns how to build credit. A retired veteran finally understands how to make his fixed income stretch. These aren’t headlines—but they should be. Because they’re part of a larger movement powered by a company you might not expect.
Symetra, a financial services company best known for life insurance and employee benefits, isn’t just focused on balance sheets and portfolios. In fact, they're betting on something far more powerful than compound interest: hope.
Earlier this year, Symetra partnered with Operation HOPE, the nation's leading nonprofit in financial literacy, to launch the Symetra Hope Inside program. With a $350,000 commitment spread over three years, this initiative isn’t a PR stunt—it’s a lifeline. The program will offer budgeting workshops, debt counseling, credit-building tools, and financial coaching to more than 700 people in underserved communities. Over 2,000 meaningful moments of education and empowerment are expected during its initial run.
For Symetra, this is more than a donation. It’s a declaration.
“We believe financial literacy is essential to creating long-term, generational financial health and security,” said Sharmila Swenson, Symetra’s Vice President of Public Affairs & Social Impact. And she’s right. Because behind every number is a name—and behind every name is a future waiting to be written with dignity and purpose.
John Hope Bryant, the charismatic founder and CEO of Operation HOPE, has long preached that financial literacy isn’t just about money. “It’s about dignity and empowerment,” he says. And that mission—to restore dignity through education—is exactly why Symetra chose to align itself with HOPE’s boots-on-the-ground model.
The Hope Inside model is simple but effective: place trained financial wellbeing coaches in trusted local spaces—community centers, churches, or banks—and offer one-on-one guidance, free of charge. There’s no sales pitch. No catch. Just knowledge and support.
And while financial education might not grab headlines like big mergers or IPOs, it has the power to quietly change lives. One budget. One credit score. One conversation at a time.
This partnership is part of Symetra’s broader social impact initiative launched in 2022, which commits the company to positive change across sustainability, community engagement, and responsible governance. But what sets Symetra apart is that they’re not waiting for others to lead. They're showing what it looks like when a financial institution puts people first—not just policyholders.
So while Wall Street debates the future of interest rates, Symetra is investing in something more stable: the human spirit. And in Hartford, hope is now a financial asset.
About Symetra
Symetra is a financial services company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. With over 65 years of experience, the company offers a wide range of retirement, benefits, and life insurance products aimed at helping individuals and businesses build financially secure futures. Symetra is committed to innovation, integrity, and inclusion—not only in the products they offer but also in the impact they make.
To learn more about Symetra, visit www.symetra.com.