The American Retirement Initiative Hosts Its First American Retirement Summit in Washington, D.C. on November 3, 2011

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Nov 01, 2011, 02:02 ET

Keynote Speaker is U.S. Securities and Exchange Luis A. Aguilar. Deputy Assistant Michael L. Davis will lead a panel on fiduciary issues.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With more than 7,000 Baby Boomers a day turning 65 since the beginning of the year,* the generation that earned its place in history for reshaping the world may now have another less savory distinction: the generation that cannot afford to retire.

"The average American at 65 has nowhere near the financial reserves required to afford them the same quality of living standards they have become used to," said Keith J. Green, founder and president of the American Retirement Initiative (ARI). "In fact, for most retirement-eligible Americans, the key question they have is not 'when' they can retire, but 'if.'"

The American Retirement Initiative (ARI) is a non-partisan, non-profit national forum focused on improving the quality of retirement planning for all Americans. ARI, founded in 2011, showcases the research of the most prominent retirement thought leaders and visionaries, shares news and information on the latest trends in retirement planning, and presents a forum for discussion for thought leaders and policy makers to strategize about how best to improve the retirement planning issues that average Americans care most about. Most importantly, ARI strives to give Americans the insight needed to more effectively plan for the rest of their lives.

ARI will convene its inaugural one-day summit on November 3 in Washington, D.C. focused on how Americans from the private, governmental, nonprofit, and academic sectors can collaborate to dramatically improve the quality and outcomes of retirement education in the United States. Both the Summit's speakers and its participants will come from the private, non-profit, academic, and public sectors.

The November 3 keynote speaker is U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar. Other distinguished participants include:

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Michael L. Davis who will lead a panel on fiduciary responsibility. Panelists include David John from the Heritage Foundation and Michael Blayney from Davis Harman, LLP.
Ryan Wilson from the AARP Public Policy Institute will discuss that organization's latest research on working with older Americans who show signs of diminished capacity.
Delia Passi from Women Certified will discuss the results of her latest survey outline what makes a financial education curriculum more appealing to women consumers.
Thomas J. McInerney of the Boston Consulting Group will moderate a panel of leaders including Mac Hisey from the Berklee College of Music, Chris Powell from Scripps Networks Interactive, Thomas Hampton from SNR Denton, Barbara Perry from Emeriti Health, and Wallace Blankenbaker from the Corporate Executive Board. They will discuss how financial services companies can improve retirement education.