From Here to Security

“A top leader in the field shows where our nation has been and where we need to go to become a nation of savers. Makes a cogent and powerful case for adopting the payroll-based Automatic IRA and expanding workplace saving―automatically enrolling tens of millions of working households in IRAs and employer plans. A concise, engaging, and informative prescription for bipartisan action to give all Americans greater retirement security and a stake in a faster growing economy.”
―J. Mark Iwry, Nonresident Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution, and former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury

“It’s become fashionable of late to describe the 401(k) plan as a failure. But in his book Bob Reynolds makes it clear that you can’t blame a drought on the well. The 401(k) works fabulously when it’s made available to employees by an employer. Unfortunately, too many Americans still do not have access to a 401(k) at work. The many suggestions outlined in the book would go a long toward fixing this problem and allowing Americans the opportunity to achieve a secure retirement. It’s not the fault of the 401(k) that not enough people have one. Bob Reynolds has laid out the path to getting there.”
―Brian Graff, Chief Executive Officer, American Retirement Association

“An edifying, pragmatic, and important contribution to the retirement security debate. This clear-eyed analysis of where we’ve been and where we’re going should be required reading for policy makers, business executives, and nonprofit leaders―or anyone interested in helping Americans retire with dignity. The bold ideas in this volume―especially proposals for national automatic-IRAs, refundable tax credits for retirement savings, and “birthright retirement accounts”―would, if enacted, be a huge step forward in our quest to build an inclusive savings system that builds financial security for all.”
―Ida Rademacher, Director, The Aspen Institute’s Financial Security Initiative 

“Retirement should be something we look forward to, not be worried about, and effective workplace savings programs are critical to ensuring more Americans start saving and can comfortably retire. My friend Bob Reynolds has a passion for addressing our retirement challenges, and has spent decades helping millions of Americans achieve a secure retirement. I worked closely with him on the Portman-Cardin reforms that expanded retirement savings, and I continue to seek his counsel today. This new book examines America’s retirement system honestly and comprehensively, and makes the case that further strengthening defined contribution retirement plans offers us a way to increase savings, and give more Americans the peace of mind that comes with having a secure retirement.”
―Rob Portman, Senior Senator from Ohio and Member of the Senate Committee on Finance 

“Bob Reynolds is a true leader on retirement policy and an outspoken supporter for providing workplace savings to all Americans. For years, he’s promoted innovative solutions to addressing our retirement crisis, including his continued support for my proposal, the automatic IRA, which would provide a retirement savings opportunity at work for millions of workers that’s in addition to Social Security. I applaud Bob for his relentless drive to ensure that all Americans are financially secure in retirement.”
―Congressman Richard E. Neal, Ranking Member House Ways and Means Committee

“America has an urgent need to get more people better prepared for retirement. Bob Reynolds answers the call by clearly and boldly outlining his ideas to help solve the challenges workers and families across America face as they struggle to save for retirement.”
―Governor Tim Pawlenty, CEO and President, Financial Services Roundtable

“The economics of retirement combine complicated policy questions about finance with complex cultural questions about personal responsibility. Few leaders from any sector can rival the deep expertise that Robert Reynolds brings to bear on these challenging issues. Any reader who cares about the future of the U.S. economy should dig into From Here to Security and learn from his hard-won experience.”
―Arthur Brooks, President, American Enterprise Institute

“Retirement savings are not just about helping secure income for retirees. They are a critical component of our whole economy. They fuel America’s world-leading capital markets and help millions of working families create real wealth. For decades, Bob Reynolds has spoken out for public policies to increase retirement savings and help  all working Americans gain access to savings plans on the job. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Bob on ways to simplify our tax code and ensure that retirement savings are protected and expanded. Because as he points out in this vital book, stronger retirement savings can actually help drive faster growth – our top national goal. From Here to Security lays out clear, practical ways to achieve that.”  
―Congressman Kevin P. Brady (R-TX), Chairman - House Ways & Means Committee

“Retirement security is an essential but often overlooked driver of economic growth. When individuals are given the tools to save for retirement, they’re not only securing their futures, they’re fueling the capital markets that drive our economy. As one of the pioneers of workplace retirement savings, Bob Reynolds has dedicated his career to giving consumers those tools and strengthening the economy for all of us. In From Here to Security he applies his trademark passion and pragmatism to a public policy challenge that is highly technical, deeply personal, and unquestionably consequential for our nation’s future.” 
―Tom Donohue, President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

“Unique insight on how to shape the future to secure Americans’ retirement security: based upon Reynolds’s decades of continuous experimentation and testing, with millions of workers, adjusting and improving methods, programs, communication, at every turn, leading to recommendations that every plan sponsor, participant, retiree, and policy maker should embrace. Reynolds sets out a game plan for the nation to move from the 50 yard line to the goal posts for the touchdown of retirement security.”
―Dallas L. Salisbury, Resident Fellow and President Emeritus, Employee Benefit Research Institute

“Ensuring that all Americans can retire with dignity is an ongoing and ever-evolving policy effort. Drawing on his impressive experience in the retirement savings space, Bob Reynolds provides a thorough accounting of the many retirement challenges facing workers and families, along with thoughtful proposals on improving access, increasing savings, and converting those savings into lifetime income. Mr. Reynold’s book makes the compelling case that retirement security is truly a bipartisan goal worth fighting for―and a goal that has not only powerful economic consequences, but also immense psychological, political, and social value.”
―Ben Cardin, Senior Senator from Maryland and member of the Senate Committee on Finance 

“Saving is vital to any country’s economic health. For households, it builds resilience against life events and creates wealth that can ensure an adequate income in retirement. For any nation, saving provides a vital engine for long-term economic prosperity and stability. Bob Reynolds is to be congratulated on his compelling analysis of these benefits and for highlighting the critical role of workplace plans in encouraging people to save.”
―Adrian Cooper, CEO, Oxford Economics

“Retirement deficits for all U.S. households currently ages 35–64 are simulated to be $4.13 trillion according to EBRI’s Retirement Security Projection Model.® It was clear that a bold plan is needed to both improve the level of deficit reduction overall and focus specifically on those who had already reached age 55. The plan that Bob Reynolds describes in this book is indeed such a plan. If adopted, the Empower Retirement Workplace 4.0 agenda for reforms would make a larger “dent” in America’s savings shortfall than any retirement reform proposal EBRI has analyzed. Some shortfalls would remain, notably among the very poor and among those who require costly long-term nursing home care. These challenges are not easily met through workplace savings alone. But the proposals offered in Bob Reynolds’s book would be a huge step forward for working Americans and for our economy.” 
―Jack VanDerhei, Director of Research, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)

“Retirement security is one of many great and growing challenges we face today. In meeting these challenges, we are all better off when Bob Reynolds brings his voice to the public square. His insight on the public debate helps facilitate the solution-oriented thinking we need.”
―Congressman Peter J Roskam, Chairman, Tax Policy Subcommittee, House Ways and Means Committee