I'm sure you've heard the phrase "start off on the right foot."It's a guideline that can be applied to everything in life, fromstarting a new career to getting married. But a lot of times, wemake initial mistakes that lead to others - we're not only on thewrong foot; we're wearing the wrong shoes.

You probably see this with employees in their benefits plans:They are using their benefits wrong from the get go. Instead ofhelping them reach financial milestones, like retirement or to payfor costly health care expenses, benefits end up costing employeesmore or become lost opportunities.

As workplace financial educators, we often see the mistakesemployees make with their benefits after it's too late. Mistakesare common because employees are either unaware of or misunderstandtheir benefits. Here are the five most common mistakes we see.

1. Going for the lowest premiums. Manyemployees think low-premium health care plans are best because theysee an immediate savings. But, in reality, these plans can end upcosting employees more later on if they have a major health issueand out-of-pocket expenses cost more.

2. Setting it and forgetting it. Auto-enrollmentand auto-escalation in company-sponsored retirement plans arevaluable features to both the company and their employees, but theyoften give employees the idea that everything in their plan is onautopilot; they forget to manage their own increases and otheroptions.

3. Using target date funds with other investmentoptions. Employees often misinterpret their allocationbecause they use targetdate funds as one investment option in their portfolio. Buttarget date funds should be used alone or not at all. In thisrecent video, TargetDate Fund Tips on Forbes.com, our planner Erik Carter shares tipson how to use them properly.

4. Buying and selling at wrong times. Employeeswho are actively managing their investments are often trying totime the market but end up losing value because they are buying athigh points, rather than low ones. As much as we would like to "buylow," active trading is a common mistake that often leavesemployees short of retirement goals.

5. Unaware of the benefits they have. Probablyone of the most detrimental mistakes employees make about theirbenefits is not knowing what they have. Many companies now havepreventative health and financial wellness programs that offerincentives, such as tuition reimbursement and life insurance, whichis often less expensive and easier to qualify for through anemployer than individually.

Benefits, in the scheme of everyday life, can help employees notonly meet milestones and pay expenses but also build wealth. Ifyou've seen mistakes that cost employees, share them with us. Asplan providers, you can educate them on common mistakes, so theycan maximize their benefits. If you would like a worksheet you canshare with your clients and their employees, e-mail us at [email protected].