One of the key conversations employers should have during open enrollment is how they can help employees secure their financial futures from the package of benefits they offer. It can be a key factor in how employees view the organization and their future in it.

A point of emphasis should be the advantages of health savings accounts (HSAs) and how they fit into a carefully planned, multi-pronged retirement strategy that combines government-sponsored Social Security and Medicare and employer-sponsored plans such as 401(k)s.

HSAs have unique savings and tax advantages that make them an important factor in developing a retirement strategy. Like a 401(k), employee contributions and any employer fundings are made with pre-tax dollars. Both are owned by the account holder, are portable and earnings over the life of the accounts are not taxable. The big difference is that money withdrawn from an HSA for IRS-qualified medical expenses is tax-free, whereas 401(k) withdrawals are taxed as regular income.