Working for the American worker’s retirement is extremely rewarding and non-stop. February has brought a lot of opportunities to educate in many different directions. From working on Capitol Hill in D.C. to testifying in Washington state, to meeting with individual state legislators in numerous states throughout the country, the work never slows…and I love it. What a great opportunity to educate and help others understand the importance of choice and advice when it comes to supplemental plans in the retirement industry.
The Summit!
On top of everything going on, I am most excited to get together with each of you at this year’s NTSA Summit in sunny San Diego…this weekend!!!
It is finally here. After almost a full year of planning and preparation, it is time to see all of you again to learn and grow together. I am so happy to be a part of an industry that deeply cares about the individuals we serve in school districts and other organizations throughout the country.
The Summit will be an action-packed three days of education, growth, fun, and friendship. I am excited to see many of you that I have not seen face-to-face since last year, meet new members who are eager to learn, join, and volunteer to help move the industry forward, and catch up with those of you have been extremely involved throughout the year.
Lastly on the Summit, I want to express a huge THANK YOU to our committee for all of the volunteer hours they have put in planning and preparing for the best NTSA Summit ever. We are excited and anxious to get things underway starting Saturday night.
Educator Access
With all of that planning going on, the industry has not slowed down and is doing everything to keep us on our toes as we continue to focus on giving educators access to trusted advisors of their choice.
Illinois. This state continues to sit on the top of our watchlist. The legislators in Illinois are focused on improving the retirement options for educators in the state and we are actively working with them to ensure that choice and access to an advisor is at the top of their list. A couple of bills have surfaced that cause us alarm that would decrease teachers’ access to a trusted advisor of their choice. We are actively working in the state to ensure that the legislators understand the unintended consequences certain bills will have.
Washington (state), Michigan, Georgia, Rhode Island, and rumbling in a couple of other states, have started the process of studying their retirement plan options for small businesses as well as discussing them concerning the not-for-profit industry. We are staying close and working directly with legislators to ensure that they understand the benefit of providing an opportunity for all employees in their respective states.
Federal. There is a current attack on employer-sponsored retirement plans nationally. We are actively meeting on Capitol Hill to protect the American worker’s retirement programs throughout the country.
The options that are being presented can provide opportunities for many that fall within the coverage gap of those who do not have an employer-sponsored plan through which to contribute. Creating a private/public partnership is our goal, and it will be achieved. We look forward to protecting the American worker as we support retirement legislation that supports the recently enacted SECURE and SECURE 2.0 Acts.
Not Slowing Down!
As I said, things are not slowing down, at all! What an amazing time to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves. I am currently flying to Utah for two reasons before heading on to San Diego for our Summit.
There is a bill in the Utah Legislature that will add a match to the state employees’ 401(k) plan. We fully support this idea and are excited to work with the state legislators to help them understand how important it is to match all supplemental plan contributions instead of just focus on one plan. Looking forward to finding a way to yes as we provide what is best for Utah educators.
My second reason is for the opportunity to dance with my beautiful state champion daughter in drill. Remember to never lose focus on the things that are most important. It is these moments for me that make all the tough ones worth every second. Congratulations baby girl (as if she ever reads dad’s articles, haha!).
So excited to see you all in the coming days. Come prepared to learn, grow, and volunteer as we better our industry and work toward the next best opportunity to serve and support educators throughout the country.
Thank you for your support and confidence as we move forward!
Wowcast Is back!
Listen to the first episode of Wowcast 2.0, which features Randy Aranowitz and me talking all things NTSA, including the upcoming Summit.
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