Sunny Day Fund is powering Iowa's brand new Economic Mobility Accounts, delivered via the workplace. Whether you're an employer in Iowa that can take advantage of the program, or want to bring a similar program to your state, we ask for your support 🙏.
Let's get to it!
Iowa's New Workplace Savings Benefit: IEMA Program Webinars
Iowa just launched something bold: the Iowa Economic Mobility Account (IEMA) program powered by Sunny Day Fund is an Iowa-sponsored, Iowa-matched workplace savings benefit that helps employees save for emergencies and pre-retirement goals like buying a car or starting a family.
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) is hosting two webinars covering how the IEMA program works, how employers can take advantage, what role Sunny Day Fund plays in administering the Saver experience, and how the state match works - with plenty of time for Q&A. Pick whichever works, or join both:
- Session 1: Tuesday, August 11 at 12:00 PM CT - Register Here
- Session 2: Tuesday, August 18 at 12:00 PM CT - Register Here
If you know a colleague or employer partner who'd benefit from hearing about this, please pass it along. We'd love to see you there!
Last Call for Sid's Chat with Dan Ockey
If you missed it last time, here's your nudge. Dan Ockey and Sid are unpacking what we see as the four keys to real financial progress at work: making saving automatic, teaching practical money skills, building confidence through small wins, and giving employees a real path to keep going. - Save your Spot with Dan & Sid
Catch Rachel at NFCC Connect 2026
For low-to-moderate income households, a single unexpected expense can turn financial stability into a crisis overnight. As those pressures keep evolving, so do the solutions that help people build real, lasting resilience.
That's exactly what Rachel will dig into at National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) Connect 2026 in Washington, D.C. this August. She's joining fellow leaders from the counseling and philanthropy sectors on the "Financial Shocks & Emergency Savings" panel to talk through scalable strategies that help consumers build savings while managing debt and everyday financial pressure. If you're headed to D.C., come find Rachel and her fellow panelist Christopher Camaione-Lind, moderated by Scott Fulford for a conversation about bridging the gap between financial vulnerability and long-term security. - Register Here
Latest TIAA Institute Study: Emergency Savings Tops Pre-Retirement Milestone
Here's a finding every HR and benefits leader should sit with: a new TIAA Institute study asked non-retirees what they most want to achieve before retirement, and the top answer wasn't paying off the mortgage or building a portfolio. It was simply having enough saved to cover an unexpected expense. 62% put it first, ahead of paying off non-mortgage debt (43%), securing health insurance (41%), paying off a mortgage (39%), and hitting a specific saving amount (32%).
This is the whole point. Employees can't build retirement security if every surprise expense forces them to raid their 401(k), rack up debt, or fall behind. Emergency savings and retirement savings aren't competing priorities; they're the same journey. Give people a dedicated emergency fund and they stay invested, skip the hardship withdrawals, and keep contributing. Resilience doesn't start at retirement. It starts now.
For employers in healthcare, university systems, non-profits, and municipalities who lean on TIAA - we hope you'll take note and find time with us soon. - Explore the Full Study
Credit to researchers: Surya Kolluri, David Richardson, and Anne Ollen at TIAA, and Ryan Tully and Emily Sprague at Ipsos