FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lexington, KY, August 9, 2021—NAGDCA conducted a brief survey of a sample of leading record keepers to learn the focus of their 2021 National Retirement Security Month (NRSM) campaigns for the public sector plan sponsors they serve. NAGDCA is the premier professional association for plan administrators and services providers of government-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans. National Retirement Security Month is a NAGDCA-conceived focused effort to raise awareness of the need to adequately prepare for retirement that first received bipartisan Senate resolution in 2006.

Record keepers serving more than 22,500 sponsors of state, county, city, and local government plans were queried about the focus of their 2021 NRSM campaigns, specifically in light of the challenges precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Following are the results:

  • 100% of respondents provide NRSM campaigns for the public sector plan sponsors they serve; 60% provide customized campaigns.
  • 100% of respondents use their NRSM campaign to explicitly address the need to save beyond defined benefit, mandatory defined contribution, and, where applicable, social security to enable a financially secure retirement.
  • 80% of respondents have included an enhanced focus on financial wellness topics in their campaigns to address increased challenges induced by the pandemic and to support current financial wellbeing.
  • Of the respondents providing an enhanced focus on financial wellness topics, 60% are covering budgeting, emergency fund, debt reduction, setting/achieving retirement savings goals, and decumulation strategies; 20% are covering all of these topics with the exception of decumulation strategies.
  • 40% of respondents are addressing pandemic-related legislative changes regarding plan withdrawals and loans in their 2021 NRSM campaigns; 20% are also addressing required minimum distributions.

Additionally, record keepers noted the importance of using their 2021 NRSM campaigns to “get back on track” with retirement planning and financial wellness following the difficult first year of the pandemic; and that the pandemic and related legislation has reinforced the need to address financial wellness and retirement readiness holistically.

“We’re thrilled with these results as they validate and robustly support NAGDCA’s original intention for National Retirement Security Month, which was to develop a focused effort to raise awareness for the importance of saving adequately for retirement,” stated NAGDCA Executive Director Matt Petersen. “We’re especially heartened to see that these record keepers—which serve thousands of public sector plans and millions of public sector workers—are focused on hammering home for participants the importance of defined contribution plans in the complex, and rapidly changing landscape of public sector retirement. While contributing to these plans remains optional for many, they are an immensely important vehicle for achieving financial security in retirement—especially for younger workers with less robust traditional pension plans and those public sector workers without access to social security benefits,” Matt concluded.

About NAGDCA

The National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators is the premier professional association for plan administrators and services providers of government-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans. NAGDCA provides education, information, and training in all aspects of public plan administration to support members in creating plans that enable secure retirement outcomes for their participants. To encourage a grassroots movement for societal change around retirement, NAGDCA conceived and introduced National Retirement Security Week to Congress. Resolution for the creation of National Retirement Security Week was passed by the Senate in 2006 and continues with bipartisan support annually. To learn more about NAGDCA, visit https://www.nagdca.org/.

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