America Is Facing a Retirement Crisis

America is in the midst of a crisis when it comes to retirement planning! Only 16 percent of Americans are very confident about having enough money for a comfortable retirement. Worse, fewer than half of all Americans have even tried to calculate how much money they will need to have saved by the time they retire in order to live comfortably in their golden years. This crisis is compounded by the looming transition of the baby boomers into retirement. It is one of the most serious public policy issues of our time. The time for definitive and decisive action is now!

Hearing What Thought Leaders Are Thinking

The American Retirement Initiative hosts summits that unite key retirement thought leaders to exchange ideas and create solutions to one of the greatest challenges of our time.

We Are Facilitating a National Dialogue

Our Summit Program Committee has designed a powerful and impactful program that will enable you to hear from many of the nation's leading experts on retirement planning issues.

Some of our recent summit speakers have included:

• Michael Davis, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor will lead a panel that focuses on the questions: what is the fiduciary role of the retirement plan sponsor and what is the best way to facilitate greater savings among employees?  Where do we draw the line separating guidance and advice?

• Thomas J. McInerney, Senior Advisor at the Boston Consulting Group will lead a panel of private sector and non-profit leaders, discussing what industry can do to improve retirement savings rates.

• The AARP Public Policy Institute will unveil its latest research that sheds light on how the financial services industry is addressing the challenges of serving investors who show signs of diminished capacity to transact business.

• Jim Mumford, First Deputy Commissioner of the Iowa Insurance Division will lead a panel discussing suitability standards for retirement products.  When is an investment suitable for retirement savers?  Are there products that are inherently unsuitable for retirement?  The panel will discuss these complex issues and more.
  

We Are Sounding a Call to Action

• Identifying key voices around substantive retirement issues.

• Expanding the platform through which their research is showcased.

• Providing a forum where thought leaders on this important topic can engage in an exchange of ideas regarding best practices and to find ways to improve employee benefit programs.