We met Sean Hanna in a friend’s living room ahead of a wedding early in this millenium. Sean was and is the founding publisher of InvestmentWires – including 401kwire.com, mutualfundwire.com, and a new publication – CeFiWire.com – focused on institutional investors and Web3 tech.

As nature gets ready for its last hurrah before winter sets in here in the Northern Hemisphere, we have a bit of news to share. So, pull up a cushion and a blanket, grab a hot cocoa, and enjoy some perspectives, from a warmer place:

• What the Smallest Employers Want - with Gusto's Steve Abbott

• State Auto IRA metrics

• Key updates from California, Colorado, New Mexico and Maine

• News! - a shift is coming at Massena Associates, and we are excited to share!

• Hot Sauce, Cool Stuff: this week's must reads

• Pix of the week – retirement security ruminations from the land of George Washington, in excellent company.

Oh goodness, is that a school bus we just saw rounding the corner? And yet it will be 89 degrees out this afternoon and we’ll be tempted to sit in the backyard pretending It’s June 1, not September 1.

Next week we go back to our regular bi-weekly schedule, starting with an amazing interview with CalSavers’ Katie Selenski on September 8. We’ve also got more behavioral insights from you and a load of states’ updates.

However, in this edition, you can exhale and grab one last lemonade. We are going to ease you into Fall slowly, with very lite fare:

• A very light story that’s only a little bit about retirement savings

• Fresh state metrics cuz, wow!

• States calendars – mark them down

• Some cool Hot Sauce!

• And a pic of the week, just to close us out