National Retirement Plan Week® 2015: April 13-17
March 17, 2015 by Cathy Weatherford
It’s no secret: too many Americans are under-saved and under-prepared for retirement. But while many Americans have not saved enough – or at all – for their retirement years, the challenges of preparing the next generation of retirees for a financially secure retirement go beyond just dollars and cents. Even for those who have been saving throughout their careers, there isn’t an easy answer to the question, “How do I make my retirement savings last throughout retirement?”
In fact, research from the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) shows that only a third of Baby Boomers are confident their savings will last throughout all their retirement years. This is the lowest mark in four years of studying this generation, which is now nearing or entering their retirement years.
The silver lining is that consumers who take important retirement planning steps, such as calculating a retirement savings goal or developing a retirement plan with the help of a financial professional, are significantly more confident in their prospects for attaining a financially secure retirement. This is where National Retirement Planning Week® can help Americans get on track toward retirement security.
First established in 2002, National Retirement Planning Week® is a national campaign organized to help promote the importance of long-term financial planning and encourage sound retirement planning behaviors. The week is organized by the National Retirement Planning Coalition, a group managed by IRI. Together we work with more than 30 coalition partners – including consumer education organizations, state insurance departments, and the National Association of Fixed Annuities – to develop and disseminate educational resources on retirement planning to consumers across the nation.
Last Year’s Accomplishments
National Retirement Planning Week® 2014 was a resounding success, thanks to the contributions of our coalition partners and participants. The campaign reached more than 109 million readers, television viewers and radio listeners.
This media exposure – valued at more than $188,000 – reinforced our message about the importance of retirement planning. Additionally, the campaign earned more than 4.2 million mentions on social media. Eight Members of Congress recognized the week, joining 19 state insurance departments that participated in the campaign. Nearly 2,000 individuals, companies, and organizations also downloaded participant kits to take part in National Retirement Planning Week® 2014. We look forward to their continued participation in 2015, as we continue to build and grow this valued campaign.
National Retirement Planning Week® 2015
National Retirement Planning Week® 2015 will take place from April 13-17. During this campaign, partner organizations will urge Americans to develop, review and update their retirement plans. The coalition, through the various planned events and activities during National Retirement Planning Week®, will demonstrate that it is possible to “Retire On Your Terms” if comprehensive retirement plans are properly developed and managed. A robust agenda is already in the works for the week. This year’s effort will feature events on Capitol Hill, e-learning events on Social Security and health care in retirement, and more. Also look for coalition partners on the airwaves, bringing the message of National Retirement Planning Week® to consumers nationwide.
RetireOnYourTerms.org
To support its educational efforts, the coalition continues to maintain the website RetireOnYourTerms.org. The consumer-focused website offers Americans the latest resources and educational materials to help focus on long-term financial goals. The site features informational resources on topics such as developing a retirement plan, Social Security, budgeting basics, investing, asset management, longevity risk, and health care. It also features retirement planning tools and calculators to help consumers better understand how long their savings may last during retirement.
Get a Kit & Get Involved
It’s easy to take part in National Retirement Planning Week®. The coalition produces participant kits for organizations and companies of all sizes to join the effort to promote retirement planning. Each kit contains fact sheets, website banners and other promotional material, templates for news releases and newsletter articles, videos, a social media plan for participating via Twitter and Facebook, and more. Those wishing to participate in National Retirement Planning Week® 2015 can visit or RetireOnYourTerms.org to access your resource kit and help spread the message. Please join us for this important effort.
How Can You Participate in National Retirement Planning Week® 2015?
- Access your resource kit at IRIonline.org or RetireOnYourTerms.org
- Issue a press release during the week promoting the importance of retirement planning and savings
- Disseminate retirement planning resources to your employees, customers and other groups that you interact with
- Promote the Coalition’s consumer website: RetireOnYourTerms.org
- Spread the National Retirement Planning Week® message using social media tools such as Twitter (using hashtag #NRPW), Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
- Send out a Public Service Announcement (PSA) to your local media on retirement planning
- Write an op-ed and submit to newspapers in your community