Implementing new ways to help Americans to start saving early on in life was the focus of Atlanta's roundtable, where Mayor Shirley Franklin, pictured at right, voiced her support for programs similar to the federally-sponsored child saving accounts recently launched in the U.K.
Jan 01 2006
By colby.farber
In January 2006, the Initiative on Financial Security (IFS) traveled to the Institute’s birthplace to co-host a roundtable on savings innovations with Norman R. Bobins, President and CEO of LaSalle Bank and an IFS Advisory Board member. The event featured three members of the Illinois Congressional delegation—Rep. Judy Biggert (R) and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D), and Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D).
Dec 09 2005
By colby.farber
A group of policymakers, experts, and business leaders gathered at the Aspen Institute on December 9 to discuss the Tax Reform Panel's recommendations and their implications for savings in America.
Dec 05 2004
By colby.farber
With the debate over retirement security heating up, the Initiative on Financial Security (IFS) hosted a bipartisan roundtable on Capitol Hill exploring how Congress can expand retirement savings incentives for low and moderate income households.
Dec 01 2004
By colby.farber
The Initiative on Financial Security brought "Washington to Wall Street" for a unique conversation in early December 2004. Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI) and Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ) discussed their legislation introducing universal children's accounts with an audience primarily made up of financial services industry professionals. Proposed in 2004, “KIDS Accounts” would be funded for all children in the U.S. with a government endowment at birth and could be used once the child reaches eighteen to pay for higher education, a down payment on a home or to fund a retirement account. The conversation ranged from whether such accounts are good policy to the nuts and bolts of account structure to strategies to increase financial literacy.
Mar 01 2004
By colby.farber
What is the role of government in helping more Americans save more money? The Institute's Initiative on Financial Security put this question to policy and business leaders with four members of Congress on Capitol Hill in March 2004. Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ) asked how, if tax credits often drive saving, policy can support workers whose tax liabilities are too low to yield benefits. Representative George Miller (D-CA) questioned basic assumptions - whether current policies push individuals to save or to consume. Representative Rob Portman (R-OH) spoke of "an impending crisis," warning, "We need to do something right now about retirement," while Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) urged that employers need better ways to help their employees save.
