(Des Moines) Save the date and save for your financial future. That is the message from the Principal Financial Group ®, the nation´s 401(k) leader [1] and total retirement solutions innovator, as it asks employers to designate Friday, Sept. 8, 2006, as National 401(k) Day-a day to inspire their employees to save more in their employer-sponsored retirement plan. The celebration is sponsored by the Profit Sharing/401k Council of America (PSCA) to spotlight the importance of employer sponsored profit sharing and 401(k) plans. The Principal ® has helped sponsor the annual celebration for the past five years.
"National 401(k) Day is a terrific opportunity to provide some focused time on the critical task of saving for retirement and where better to do it than at the worksite," said Daniel J. Houston, executive vice president, The Principal. "If the employer can set aside one day, and the employee maybe 10 - 20 minutes out of that day-that is time enough to make a change that could impact their financial security for the rest of their lives."
Houston said celebrating 401(k) Day not only benefits employees by encouraging them to increase their savings, it benefits the employer as well. "Employers who participate show their employees they care about their financial futures. The celebration also helps workers better appreciate the value of this important benefit from their employer," said Houston.
The Principal makes it easy for its retirement plan clients to celebrate National 401(k) Day with their employees by making available a special toolkit which includes an action planner, posters, tips for saving, a retirement calculation worksheet and much more to promote the importance of the employer-sponsored retirement plan and its impact on saving successfully for retirement. The kit is also available in Spanish. In addition, The Principal is promoting National 401(k) Day to all employers via its web site, www.principal.com
The PSCA also offers materials to employers at no cost to help them stage a celebration at www.401kday.org
About The Principal Financial Group
The Principal Financial Group (The Principal ®) [2] is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance, and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $206.0 billion in assets under management [3] and serves some 16.3 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com .
[1] The May 2005 "Bundled 401(k) Buyer's Guide" published by Treasury & Risk Management lists The Principal as the 401(k) leader based on the total number of plans administered.
[2] "The Principal Financial Group" and "The Principal" are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.
[3] As of June 30, 2006