WASHINGTON DC. — Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley unveiled the American Savings Act, major new national retirement security legislation. The American Savings Act would give every worker without access to a retirement savings plan through their employer the ability to save for retirement through their own, personal retirement savings account modeled on the same high-quality retirement savings plan already used by federal workers and members of Congress.
As our economy has changed and workers switch jobs more frequently over the course of their careers, fewer and fewer workers now have access to a traditional company-sponsored pension. Retirement savings must make up the difference, but 68 million Americans currently do not have access to a retirement savings plan through their employer, and these trends will only intensify with the rise of the sharing economy.
La Ley de Ahorros Estadounidenses daría a cualquier trabajador que actualmente no esté cubierto por un plan de ahorros para la jubilación patrocinado por el empleador, acceso a un nuevo tipo de cuenta de ahorros para la jubilación que sería universal, portátil, simple y personal: la Cuenta de Ahorros Estadounidenses.
“It shouldn’t matter whether you work part-time or full-time, as an employee or as a contractor, or for a huge corporation or a tiny business: every American worker deserves access to a financially secure retirement,” said Merkley. “With private-sector pensions becoming rarer and rarer, Social Security and retirement savings are more important to retirement security than ever, which is exactly why we must strengthen Social Security and expand high-quality retirement savings options to all workers. This plan helps millions of American workers to save easily and automatically for retirement with tax benefits, rock-bottom fees and the same types of high-quality investment options already enjoyed by federal workers and members of Congress.”
Today, the Center for American Progress Action Fund also released a report detailing the tremendous impact that a retirement savings system similar to the one proposed in the American Savings Act could have on Americans’ financial security. A full copy of that report can be found aquí.
“El Thrift Savings Plan es utilizado por millones de empleados federales, incluidos miembros del Congreso, para ayudar a garantizar una jubilación segura, y por una buena razón. El TSP ofrece opciones de inversión simples, fáciles de entender y sensatas, y tarifas bajas”, dijo david madland, investigador principal de CAP Action y asesor principal del American Worker Project de CAP Action. “Cuando los trabajadores no tienen acceso a un plan de retiro en su lugar de trabajo, ya sea porque su empleador no lo ofrece o por la naturaleza de su trabajo, es poco probable que ahorren para el retiro. Ampliar el acceso a un plan estilo TSP podría ayudar a apuntalar nuestro sistema de jubilación privado, que actualmente no satisface las necesidades de una parte importante de nuestra fuerza laboral, y ofrecer una jubilación más segura a millones de estadounidenses”.
Because employers using ASAs would simply need to send employees’ ASA savings to the federal government alongside the employee tax withholdings that they already process, the American Savings Act offers a high-quality option for small businesses without added paperwork or hassle. “The Main Street Alliance member businesses applaud Senator Merkley’s leadership on this important issue,” said Amanda Ballantyne, National Director, The Main Street Alliance. “We look forward to working together to ensure that the American Dream of retiring comfortably after a lifetime of work is within reach for small business owners and their employees.”
La legislación también cuenta con el apoyo de AARP y UNITE HERE.
AARP Oregon State Director Jerry Cohen said, “AARP applauds Senator Merkley’s introduction of the American Savings Act, because this legislation recognizes the serious gap in retirement readiness facing this nation, as well as the many important efforts underway in many states, including Oregon, to ensure tens of millions of workers who have no access to a workplace retirement savings plan can begin to save for their retirement.”
Detalles de la Ley de Ahorros Estadounidenses
La Ley de Ahorros Estadounidenses establecería un nuevo plan de cuenta de ahorro universal, la Cuenta de Ahorros Estadounidense, que brinda a todos los trabajadores estadounidenses que no tienen un plan patrocinado por el empleador acceso a los mismos tipos de inversiones de ahorro para la jubilación que ya están disponibles para los empleados federales.
¿Cómo funcionaría?
Si su empleador aún no ofrece un plan de jubilación, se le otorgará automáticamente su propia cuenta de ahorro estadounidense (ASA). Inicialmente, su empleador pondrá 3% de sus ganancias en su cuenta con cada cheque de pago, pero puede optar por ajustar su contribución a tan solo 2% de sus ingresos, o hasta $18,000 por año, o optar por no participar por completo.
ASAs will have the same investment options as federal employees get through the TSP plan, with similar rock-bottom costs. ASAs are simple for employers, who simply need to send employees’ ASA savings to the federal government alongside employee tax withholdings. Workers will control their own accounts directly through a website.
Las contribuciones a una ASA serían deducibles de impuestos, y los participantes podrían transferir cualquier IRA anterior a su ASA o transferir los fondos de su ASA a un plan 401(k) o 403(b) patrocinado por el empleador. Una junta directiva independiente administrará la inversión de los fondos.
¿Cuáles son los beneficios de una cuenta de ahorro estadounidense?
- Universal: It doesn’t matter whether you work part-time or full-time, how many employers you have, whether you work as a contractor, whether you work for a tiny company or a huge corporation: everyone can get a retirement account.
- Portable: You have one ASA for life. It will follow you when you change jobs or move with no extra steps or paperwork.
- Simple: Small businesses can offer retirement accounts without hassle or added cost.
- Personal: You get to decide how much to put in the accounts and choose among a number of straightforward investment options, to make sure your ASA is right for you.
Para obtener más información sobre la Ley de Ahorros Estadounidenses, visite merkley.senate.gov/retirement.
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