CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions Highlights New Financial Fitness Program for National Retirement Security Week

MADISON, Wisconsin, Oct. 15 -- CUNA Mutual Group issued the following news release:

As part of National Retirement Security Week, scheduled for the week of Oct. 21, CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions will provide plan participants with a set of tools to help them reflect on their personal savings journeys and make sure they are on target to reach their retirement goals. 2019 marks the seventh year CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions has participated in this national initiative.

The theme for this year's program is "Take Control of Your Financial Fitness Story." The campaign invites employees to address their personal financial challenges and opportunities by exploring the new Financial Fitness program featured on their retirement plan website, BenefitsForYou. The program starts out with a Financial Fitness Checkup(TM) and offers personalized education tracks, representing the full circle of financial wellness topics.

"This campaign, along with the new Financial Fitness program, delivers education topics that our retirement plan participants said they wanted to learn about," said Paul Chong, senior vice president, CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions. They want more resources to help them overcome key financial wellness challenges, including budgeting, managing debt and smart savings practices. So that's what we gave them."

Early usage of the new program validates that retirement plan savers want to learn more about core financial wellness topics, including budgeting and managing debt, which was selected a top education priority by participants in CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions' 2018 Participant Retirement Education Preferences Survey.

The top three content selections for early career users of the new Financial Fitness program, as of August are: 1) Building a Budget, 2) Managing Your Debt, and 3) Living within Your Means. Mid-career readers indicated preference for the following top three choices: 1) Managing Your Debt, 2) Building a Budget and 3) Building an Emergency Fund. And savers approaching retirement were drawn to the following top three selections: 1) Social Security, Medicare and Retirement, 2) Living within Your Means and 3) Determining Retirement Needs.

Chong summarized, "Early usage of this new program tracks with what our savers asked for in our 2018 survey - resources to help them overcome challenges and unlock ways to save more. People want to get their 'financial house' in order, so they can truly control their financial stories."

CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions is promoting this campaign to more than 6,000 sponsors of defined contribution retirement plans across the country, including small and medium-sized business and credit union clients. Employer resource kits include a set of workplace posters, and employee message and announcement talking points to encourage employees to use the new program.

Retirement plan sponsors and advisors can access links to campaign materials directly on their administrative website at BenefitsForYou.

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About National Retirement Security Week

National Retirement Security Week is a national effort to raise public awareness about the importance of saving for retirement. National Retirement Security Week is held every year during the third week of October. The annual event commenced in 2006, when Sens. Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) introduced the first resolution establishing National Save for Retirement Week. Their goals were to elevate public knowledge about retirement savings and to encourage employees to save and participate in their employer-sponsored retirement plans. Over the years, ICMA-RC has partnered with the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators (NAGDCA) to ensure the week is a great success. ICMA-RC and NAGDCA remain committed to educating employers and employees about the growing importance of saving for retirement.

About CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions

CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions designs simple and practical retirement programs that help hard-working Americans save for the future. For more than 50 years, it has been a leading provider of qualified and nonqualified retirement solutions delivering service excellence and customer-focused, best-in-class products. With over $20 billion in assets under administration and more than 6,000 retirement plans in place, the company is helping more than 300,000 hard-working Americans save for the future. Its products, tools and resources work together to help achieve better employee outcomes.

CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions is a division of CUNA Mutual Group and the marketing name for CPI Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc., a CUNA Mutual Group member company. CUNA Mutual Group is the marketing name for CUNA Mutual Holding Company, a mutual insurance holding company, its subsidiaries and affiliates. Annuity insurance products are issued by CMFG Life Insurance Company, located in Madison, Wisconsin. Each insurer is solely responsible for the financial obligations under the policies and contracts it issues.

Securities distributed by CUNA Brokerage Services, Inc. (CBSI), member FINRA/SIPC, a registered broker/dealer, 2000 Heritage Way, Waverly, Iowa 50677, toll-free 866.512.6109. Non-deposit investment and insurance products are not federally insured, involve investment risk, may lose value, and are not obligations of or guaranteed by the financial institution. Representatives offer retirement and investment education but do not provide investment, legal or tax advice. Participants are encouraged to consult their own advisors.