Can you feel it? A slight change in the air. A crispness that you don’t remember being there last week. It’s true! Autumn is coming in two days and we’re ending the month with plenty-o-updates. So grab a milkshake (we take ours malted) and settle in:

• Research docket and wealth gap surprises with Morningstar’s Aron Szapiro

• State Auto IRA metrics – 36,000 new funded accounts in one month

• A closer look at … Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York

• Can friction benefit retirement savers? Yes! Behavioral scientist Lindsay Juarez explains

• Hot Sauce! Fresh research and some brain expanders

• And, Pix of the week

• 2021 – a few favorite moments

• State stats: one year view

• States in action -- Connecticut and New Mexico! ... and

• PIX of the week … tropical holiday style

We talk with NEST's Will Sandbrook about universal workplace savings, emergency savings and the progress of NEST in the UK. We share States' legislative updates: Colorado, Missouri, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. And check out program states rollout updates for CalSavers, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and Vermont.