It has been estimated that more than half of Americans are saving too little to support an adequate lifestyle if they plan to retire at age 65. It was economist and recent Nobel prize winner Richard Thaler who suggested a fix: Make payroll retirement savings plans available to everyone and then by add design features to make it easier for workers to make good choices.
The State of Oregon was the first out of the gate to do that. In 2017, it launched OregonSaves, a savings plan that covers private sector workers who do not otherwise have access to a savings plan in their workplace. Eight states have similar programs in the works, including California and Illinois, which are expected to start their versions in 2018. To learn more about OregonSaves, we are joined by its founding executive director, Lisa Massena.