We recently had a chance to join the Honorable Kathleen Kennedy Townsend at some important, innovation-oriented meetings in Washington DC, including the Georgetown Center for Retirement Initiatives’ gathering of states, and NAST. Join us we meet one on one to capture three retirement security priorities and other key nuggets.

Happy National Financial Literacy Month. In the U.S. April kicks off a national focus on financial education and financial inclusion. We are all about that! We hope it’s starting to look like spring where you are. Snag something delicious and settle in for:

• Five things we just heard – part 2 (the end)

• Fresh state metrics

• Updates from Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, Hawaii, Missouri, and some Global updates

• In the world of state-sponsored retirement programs, how much does culture matter? Expert Joel Metlen weighs in

We hear all the time about other countries’ innovative ways to improve financial security. Sometimes, we can adopt similar solutions, but other times, those ideas simply won’t work here in the United States. There are a lot of reasons for that - legal, logistical, and political - but one you can’t ignore is culture.