Benefits are complicated. Understanding them shouldn't be.
Darling Benefits Insights was founded on a simple belief: when people understand their benefits, they make better decisions — for themselves, their families, and their organizations.
12,000+
Newsletter subscribers
500+
Articles published
6
Years of publishing
4.8★
Average reader rating
Why we exist
In 2019, Kimberly Darling was an HR director at a mid-size technology company when she realized something troubling: the benefits package she'd spent months negotiating was barely being used. Employees didn't understand their HSA. They were leaving FSA money on the table. They had no idea their EAP covered therapy.
The problem wasn't the benefits. It was the communication. Dense plan documents, jargon-heavy summaries, and a once-a-year open enrollment window weren't enough. People needed clear, ongoing guidance — written for humans, not HR administrators.
Darling Benefits Insights launched in 2020 to fill that gap. Today we publish research, guides, and analysis for both HR professionals who design benefits programs and the employees who rely on them. We believe that benefits literacy is a form of financial wellness — and that everyone deserves access to it.
Clarity first
We translate complex benefits language into plain English. If a concept can be explained simply, we explain it simply.
Earned trust
We cite our sources, acknowledge uncertainty, and never publish sponsored content disguised as editorial.
Universal access
Benefits knowledge shouldn't be locked behind a paywall. Our core content is always free.
Real-world impact
We measure success by whether our readers make better decisions — not by pageviews or engagement metrics.
The people behind the publication
A small, focused team of writers, researchers, and HR practitioners who care deeply about getting this right.
Kimberly Darling
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Former HR director with 15 years of experience designing benefits programs at companies ranging from 50 to 5,000 employees. Kimberly founded Darling Benefits Insights after realizing that the industry's communication problem was bigger than any one company could solve alone.
Shea Roberts
Director of Communications
Shea brings a decade of benefits communications experience to the team, helping HR professionals craft messaging that actually reaches employees. She specializes in open enrollment strategy and year-round benefits engagement campaigns.
Lisa Walker
Senior Editor, HR Strategy
Lisa covers the strategic side of HR — how organizations design, communicate, and evolve their benefits programs to attract and retain talent. With a background in organizational psychology, she brings a people-first lens to every story.
Colleen Darling
Staff Writer & Research Lead
Colleen writes from the employee's point of view — breaking down HSAs, FSAs, COBRA, and open enrollment in language that anyone can act on. She also leads the publication's original research initiatives, including the annual Benefits Literacy Report.
Read what we publish
Every week we send a briefing to 12,000+ HR professionals and employees. No noise — just the insights that matter.