Dr. Mingli Zhong asks important questions about how we can optimize the way we use automatic features in our retirement savings plans and programs. She’s also studying pandemic-related impacts on savers, going beyond top-level results to understand how this economy is differentiating between those of us that kept our jobs, and those of us who didn’t.

Can you believe we are well into spring? We hope yours is awesome. In this edition we’ve got some great stuff to spice up your day:

• The inimitable Andrew Remo of the American Retirement Association on getting more employers into the retirement system
• Fresh state stats!
• Action notes from California, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, Virginia, Arkansas, Hawaii, Nevada and Rhode Island.
• Grant Boyken on Early Withdrawals and State Programs
• Hot Sauce that is super hot – new research from Mingli Zhong, Amanda Umpierrez, Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson, David Morse and Angela Antonelli, NIRS, and EBRI. Plus some non-pensions stuff to enrich your day!
• And … PIX of the Week. From two countries. Just sayin.