As Responsibility for Retirement Saving Shifts to Employees, Need Grows for Educating Consumers
Washington, DC – As part of America Saves Week 2011, scheduled for February 20 – 27, MetLife, a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, is launching an educational campaign for its employees to help them take steps to build and protect their personal savings. MetLife is a major partner in America Saves Week, a coalition effort led by the Consumer Federation of America’s America Saves campaign and the American Savings Education Council.
“While the responsibility for saving for retirement has shifted to employees, employers and many non-profit organizations provide planning resources to help individuals make investment decisions that are appropriate for them,” said Ken McDonnell, Director, American Savings Education Council. “I encourage all employees to talk with their employer, ask questions, and use on-line tools such as provided by americasavesweek.org.”
Part of the campaign at MetLife is designed to encourage its employees to utilize the company’s consumer education program called Life Advice, which includes a number of key topics such as finances, health and life transitions. The campaign also directs employees to MetLife’s Retirement Toolbox, which includes calculators, fact sheets and other tools to help people make choices to create or protect reliable income for retirement. These resources are also available to the general public at www.metlife.com. The company also urges employees to sign up to become a saver at www.americasaves.org.
“America Saves Week is a great time to consider taking one more small step toward creating more income for retirement,” said Robert E. Sollmann, Jr., executive vice president, Retirement Products, MetLife. “Our goal is to empower people to take action toward their savings goals and make the most out of their assets and their employer-sponsored retirement benefits,” he added. “Every step counts.”
America Saves Week, an annual event first organized in 2007, aims to promote personal savings, improve financial education and provide opportunities to save. Through information, advice and encouragement, educators assist those who wish to pay down debt, build an emergency fund, and save for a home, education or retirement.
America Saves Week is a partnership of America Saves and the American Savings Education Council (ASEC). America Saves, organized by the Consumer Federation of America over a decade ago, is a national campaign to encourage and assist families, especially those with low- and moderate-incomes, to save and build wealth. ASEC, a program of the Employee Benefit Research Institute Education and Research Fund, is a national coalition of public- and private-sector institutions committed to making saving and retirement planning a priority for all Americans.