Transform Tomorrow: Awakening the Super Saver In Pursuit of Retirement Readiness

Praise for Transform Tomorrow

"A compelling call to action for a renewed American focus on savings and retirement preparation! Living comfortably longer, as my father told me, can be the ultimate payback for a life of thrift, and he proved it for 29 retired years until he passed just before his 94th birthday. This book should light the fire in the public to embrace thrift, savings, and retirement planning."
Dallas L. Salisbury, President and CEO, Employee Benefit Research Institute

"Transform Tomorrow is a passionate call to action for all Americans to elevate the task of retirement planning into their daily lives! It is a wake–up call for plan sponsors; policymakers; the retirement industry; and, of course, employees who participate in 401(k) plans. We all need to learn and adopt the habits of Super Savers!"
Vince Giovinazzo, CEO, Retirement Plan Advisory Group and 401(k) Advisors

"Stig Nybo′s excellent treatise, Transform Tomorrow, provides a crucial component in the national debate on retirement readiness, namely perspective. His insights, gleaned from years of seeing the retirement issue played out from the inside, should be a must–read for policymakers as they tackle one of the most important social and financial issues facing the country today."
Peter Starr, President and CEO, Chatham Partners

"This book addresses the need for a Retirement Readiness Campaign that helps people know what they need to know, shows them how to use the tools they need to use the information, and motivates them to action. We hope the ′Transform Tomorrow Campaign′ moves quickly to assist the millions of Americans who are waiting for help to understand the complicated choices ahead and avoid financial potholes in old age."
Cindy Hounsell, President, Women′s Institute for a Secure Retirement

"Transform Tomorrow is a book that all Americans, especially those entering the work force, should read. In a consumption–driven society, the message that Stig Nybo delivers should have all of us questioning our short– and long–term goals lifestyle, health, and financial. Early in the book, Stig′s reference to past Public Service Announcements sets the stage for how wholesale change in the U.S. can actually become reality. Transform Tomorrow lays out a blueprint that will allow Americans to retire with financial security and dignity."
Greg Taylor, President, Qualified Benefits

Foreword Alison Cooke Mintzer vii

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Retirement Readiness: The Super Savers and the Ill–Prepared 1

Chapter 2 A Brief History of Retirement 19

Chapter 3 State of the Union 31

Chapter 4 Rise of the DC Plan 43

Chapter 5 Financial Literacy 57

Chapter 6 Lessons Learned, Changing Outcomes 71

Chapter 7 The Power of Context 85

Chapter 8 Beliefs and Resolve 103

Chapter 9 Tell Me a Story 121

Chapter 10 Join the Dance 133

Chapter 11 Letters to Stakeholders 143

Bibliography 153

Glossary 161

List of Contributors 167

Index 175

About the Authors 185

Stig Nybo is the President of Pension Sales and Distribution at Transamerica Retirement Solutions, a top U.S. retirement plan provider. Transamerica Retirement Solutions serves more than 3 million retirement plan participants. He also serves on the board of the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, a nonprofit corporation and private foundation that is dedicated to conducting research and educating the public on emerging trends surrounding retirement security in the United States.

Liz Alexander, PhD, is a writer, consultant, and business book strategist who teaches strategic communications for The University of Texas at Austin′s Professional Development Center. She is a former freelance journalist and the author of 14 books.