Pass Work & Save, retirement legislation for all ages

AARP Alaska's intern describes, in her own words, what passing Work and Save would mean for her generation.

Ellie Kennedy

The Alaska Work and Save Program, which would provide a retirement savings option for employees at businesses of every size, is an important piece of legislation. Recently, the number of enrolled savers in Work and Save programs has reached over a million across 20 states. If Alaska joins their ranks, college students about to enter the workforce, like me, will be the first to reap its full benefits. As an AARP Alaska intern, I’ve had the unique opportunity to learn about the Work and Save Program and its importance. However, most young adults have no clue what this legislation is and how it has the potential to secure a comfortable retirement. I know I wouldn’t if I didn’t have my internship. On behalf of young Alaskans, here’s why I support the Work and Save Program, SB21.

As a young adult, I feel I can speak for many of us in that we have absolutely no clue on how to save for retirement or even when to start. To us, it's so far in the future that it doesn’t matter right now. It’s also pretty daunting, which causes us to put off learning about it until we’re older. However, as I’m sure many older adults can attest, time flies and the ideal time to start saving can pass in an instant. This legislation would help to guarantee everyone can easily save for retirement. If SB21 passes, I could simply opt into the program when I start my first job, and the rest is taken care of. Plus, my savings would be registered with the state, so I would keep my plan even if I began working for a different company. This would greatly ease my mind and make me feel so much more confident about my future.

With these things in mind, I feel that the Work and Save legislation is important to support. While this program will help workers at every stage of life, my generation will be the first it affects from the start of our career to the end. Like previous generations, young adults like me probably won’t learn when to start saving and how to develop a retirement plan until it’s too late, leaving us in the lurch. Voters like you have the chance to end the cycle of approaching retirement unprepared and set up young Alaskans for success.