2. “
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What do youwant America’s financial future
to look like, 40 years from now,
and what needs to happen today
so that we can have that future?
This is what we asked college students in 2009. Since then, thousands
of young people responded with their dreams and their thoughts on
how to get there. They worked with their peers to research issues at
hand, wrote academic papers to communicate their findings, produced
public service announcements to raise awareness, and shared
their data-driven ideas with business community and policymakers
in Washington, D.C. They offered their voices through surveys,
testimonials, blogs, and events.
Millennials did not learn to save for retirement at the kitchen table
or in school, but they have witnessed the Great Recession and have
seen their grandparents and parents struggle to pay bills in retirement.
Burdened by their own enormous financial difficulties, Millennials
understand the importance of participating in conversations about their
financial future. And now, they are working to make this dialogue a
national conversation.
But they need your help.
Your investment in iOme will work to engage Millennials across America
and give them an opportunity to help determine how to improve their
financial security in retirement. Your investment is tax-deductible. Make
a commitment to support iOme today.
MISSION
iOme works to raise
awareness about
financial security in
retirement and its impact
on the future social and
economic well-being of
our society.
VISION
iOme will be recognized
as a hub of conversation,
information, and insight
on financial security in
retirement and its impact
on the future social and
economic well-being of
our society.
Contact us
Online:
www.iomechallenge.org
Email:
info@iomechallenge.org
Phone:
920.264.0809
Mail:
2221 S. Webster Avenue
No. 195
Green Bay, WI 54301
or
2 N. LaSalle Street
Suite 1400
Chicago, IL 60602
iOme is a 501c3 not-for-
profit organization and your
donation is tax-deductible!
Recent studies indicate:
36%
of American
families have
less than $1,000
in retirement
savings
72%
of Millennials
concerned with
the financial
situation in
the US
59%
of Millennials say
they would be
motivated to learn
more about saving
and investing for
retirement
FinancialPreparedness?
3. ??
70%of iOme
participants are saving
for retirement! The
national average in
this age group is 55%.
In 2014, more
than 23,000
people watched
iOme Money Smart
Week Videos.
“
In 2014, iOme
received an Award
from the Governor
of Wisconsin in
recognition of
our work.
Impact
Participants in iOme programs
come from all walks of life and
from all parts of the United States.
They are students at private and
public, small and large, Ivy League
and community colleges. They
represent more than 15 majors
and all socio-economic and
racial groups. 81% of them have
annual income of less than $15,000
and 57% of participants have
been women.
Furthermore, because of
participation in our programs…
90% of college participants
indicate that their understanding
of the importance of personal
savings has significantly (64%) or
moderately (26%) increased.
87% are much more (58%) or
moderately more (29%) likely to
save for retirement.
82% report an increase in their
understanding of the national
impact of personal savings.
78% report an increase in their
understanding of the impact that
personal economic decisions can
have on their lives.
46% are likely to consider working
in the financial services industry.
Who are “The Millennials?”
Millennials, or Generation Y, represent the demographic cohort that followed the
Generation X. Although there are no precise dates when this generation starts and ends,
researchers have used birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the early 2000s.
I participated in
iOme Challenge
through my class at
Virginia Tech. At that
time, I already knew
the importance of
saving for retirement
because I watched
my grandmother
struggle with finances in her later years.
She married a poor farmer who was
16-years her senior. She acted as the
quintessential farmer’s wife, worked
very little outside the home, and did
not save enough. Out of necessity, she
worked through her 60s and 70s, and
when she finally retired she could not
afford heating oil or new hearing aids
and had to move out of her home. Her
situation left an imprint on me, but it
wasn’t until I became involved with
iOme that I realized how few people save
adequately for retirement. iOme gave me
an opportunity to do something about
this. I have been able to engage my peers
to come up with solutions and speak with
decision-makers in Washington. I actually
felt like our generation’s ideas were
being heard by those in power…this is
something that could not have happened
without iOme.
Allison Perdue Meeder
iOme Challenge Winner ‘11-12
Allison’s Story...
”
4. • Ally Bank
• American Library Association
• American Society of Pension Professionals
and Actuaries (ASPPA)
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
• Defined Contribution Institutional Investment
Association (DCIIA)
• Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Money
Smart Week
• Financial Planning Association (FPA)
• Jump$tart Coalition of Illinois
• Life Tuner/AARP
• National Association of Government Defined
Contribution Administrators (NAGDCA)
• Plan Administrators Inc. (PAi)
• Sage
• The Prudential Insurance Company of
America
• Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement
(WISER)
We have also been fortunate to receive support
and encouragements from the faculty members
at the University of Chicago, Yale University, Ohio
State University, University of Illinois, University of
Tennessee, University of Georgia, St. Norbert College,
Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Michigan Tech,
La Grange College, Washington University in St. Louis,
and dozens of others.
We have also held conversations and engaged with
individuals from the U.S. Department of Labor, The
Federal Reserve Board, Social Security Administration,
The White House Council of Economic Advisors, The
White House Domestic Policy and National Economic
Councils, United States Senators John Cornyn (Texas),
Mike Enzi (Wyoming), Herb Kohl (Wisconsin), Carl
Levin (Michigan), Debbie Stabenow (Michigan)
and the United States Representatives Diane Black
(Tennessee), Randy Neugebauer (Texas), Reid Ribble
(Wisconsin), and Fred Upton (Michigan).
Collaboration
To make our dream of a national conversation on
financial security in retirement possible and to give
our generation a powerful voice, we have worked
with various organizations to spread our message.
Some of these organizations include:
Working together
towarda BETTER
and brighter future!
Pictured left to right: Tao Guo, Patrick
Payne, Phyllis Borzi (Assistant Secretary
at the Employee Benefits Security
Administration, U.S. Department of
Labor), Adi Redzic (iOme’s Executive
Director), and Nhat Ho. Guo, Payne,
and Ho are the 2013-14 iOme winning
team students from Texas Tech.
From left to right (sitting): Michael
Davis, former Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Labor with iOme
Challenge winning team from Virginia
Tech: Dr. Hyrum Smith, Paula Craun
Martin, Allison Perdue Meeder, Matt
Maranowski, and Jaime Kerr. Not
pictured: Aliya Wong (U.S. Chamber
of Commerce) and Dallas Salisbury
(Employee Benefits Research Institute).
5. INDIVIDUAL & FOUNDATION GIVING LEVELS
Invest in iOme today. Every gift counts and each donor will be recognized in the iOme Honor Roll of Donors and our Annual
Report. Donors who contribute $5,000 or more will receive copies of the Annual Challenge winning papers and invitations
to attend events, meet our Millennials, and to contribute questions to our Annual Study. Foundations will also be recognized
with their logos on our website, social media, and press releases.
Beyond the benefits, whether you decide to ENGAGE, INSPIRE, INNOVATE, EMPOWER, or LEAD, your investment in iOme will
allow a generation of young people to have a voice in their financial future.
Join our Giving Community today!
Giving Communities:
Good Things Happen When You Invest!
PLATINUMGOLD
SILVERBRONZECOPPER
100K 50K 25K 10K 5K
BENEFITS
Copy of Annual Challenge Winning Entry Essay and Video
Receive mention as a sponsor in all materials and press-releases
Your organization’s logo is displayed on our website, social media & newsletters
Your organization’s logo / name is showcased on our print materials
Your organization is invited to send representatives to iOme events
Your organization can include one question in our national study
Your organization can include up to 5 questions in our national study
Your organization named as a lead sponsor of one of our programs
Your organzation can include up to 10 questions in our national study
Your organization will be offered naming rights to one of our programs
Your organization is invited to suggest a question for our Annual Challenge
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These contributions are for a three year commitment:
Example: Gold is 3 years at $50,000 = $150,000 overall.
CORPORATE GIVING & SPONSORSHIP BENEFITS
ENGAGE
INSPIRE
INNOVATE
EMPOWER
LEAD
$5,000 and above
$10,000 and above
$25,000 and above
$50,000 and above
$100,000 and above
Don’t Forget to Invest!
iOme is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization and your donation is tax-deductable!
donations
accepted
2221 S. Webster Avenue No. 195 Green Bay, WI 54301
2 N. LaSalle Street Suite 1400 Chicago, IL 60602
By Mail:
www.iomechallenge.org/donateOnline:
6. Classroom Module
Faculty members interested in utilizing the
Annual Challenge as a part of their
course can take advantage of our Faculty
Module, designed in collaboration with
faculty members who have participated and
mentored students in our programs in the
past. This Module makes participation in
the Annual Challenge more accessible to a
greater number of students.
Programs
iAM: iOme Ambassadors
iOme Ambassadors engage students across
the country to set up iOme Challenge
chapters on their campus as a platform to
facilitate conversations in their community
on the issues of long-term financial security
and its impact on the society. Ambassadors
host events, plan programs, and execute
campaigns to raise awareness. Their work
is shared with their peers and others across
the country, including decision-makers in
Washington D.C.
The Annual Challenge
Our signature program challenges college
students to compete to find innovative
solutions to long-term financial security
problems of their generation by working with
their peers to research the issues, write a
paper that is both politically and economically
sound, and then use the paper to produce
a Public Service Announcement (PSA). Their
research driven ideas are then shared with
business community and policymakers in
Washington, D.C. and beyond.
Money Smart Week Video Contest
Each year, we select Top 5 Videos from the Challenge and
invite the public to vote. We harness the competitive
spirit of the individual schools and collaborate with The
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Money Smart Week
program to harness the attention of thousands and give
this contest a special attention. In 2014, over 23,000
people viewed the top videos!
Measure of Millennials:
The Study of the Generation Y
As the voice of a generation, we like to ask
a lot of questions and derive our ideas from
data. Therefore, from time to time, we
conduct a national study of a segment of
the Millennials to get their pulse on a variety
of issues.
Da
ta
iOme
Awareness
Engagement
Research
Educa
tion
Event
s
Conversation
Ideas
Lis
tening
Empowerment
7. “
”
What Others Say About iOme
“I am honored to be involved
in iOme where you see students
taking hold of their financial
future and offer sound ideas for
our country to move forward in
economic prosperity. The most
important thing we can do is
empower this next generation
of leaders and that
empowerment is exactly what
iOme proudly provides!”
Laura Schwartz
The White House Director
of Events & Special
Assistant to the President,
Clinton Administration
“Entering the iOme Challenge
is a great way for Millennials to
understand and engage with one
of the most challenging policy
questions facing our nation:
how to ensure their generation’s
economic security in retirement.
If Millennials, who have the
most to lose, aren’t part of this
societal discussion, they will lose
the most.”
James Choi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
of Finance
Yale University
“I am involved with iOme because I want
to help young people to better understand
how to provide for their own futures. College
students face perhaps the most difficult
financial environment in generations, and
most of the pressures they feel are quite
immediate - paying for college, finding a job,
buying a car, looking toward starting a family.
Lifelong financial security to many seems to
be just a dream. But there are things that
young people can do right now that will have
profoundly positive impacts that will last into
retirement. It’s important for those of us with
more life experience and financial knowledge
to help them see a better path.”
Kevin Quinn, Ph. D.
Board Member, iOme
Founding Dean,
Donald J. Schneider School of
Business & Economics
St. Norbert College
Martin Merzer
The Pulitzer Prize
Winner and Retired
Senior Writer at
The Miami Herald
“It’s no secret that we’re all dealing with a variety
of economic challenges, but no group faces more
daunting economic trials -- or will be confronting
these issues for longer periods -- than members
of what has come to be known as the millennial
generation. Surveys find that they’re already deeply
concerned about the nation’s financial situation and
about their own current economic situations. But,
given the inevitability of changes that will lower the
safety nets provided by Social Security and other
government-sponsored retirement programs, it is
absolutely essential that millennials begin thinking
about retirement planning much earlier than was
the case for other generations. That’s why iOme
is so important, so valuable. And that’s why I’m so
pleased to be associated with it.”
