Our Story

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What do you want 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. 195Green Bay, WI 54301

or 2 N. LaSalle Street

Suite 1400Chicago, 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?

??

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.

ImpactParticipants 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 MeederiOme Challenge Winner ‘11-12

Allison’s Story...

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• 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).

CollaborationTo 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).

INDIVIDUAL & FOUNDATION GIVING LEVELSInvest 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!

PLAT

INUM

GOLDSIL

VERBR

ONZECO

PPER

100K 50K 25K 10K 5K

BEN

EFIT

S

Copy of Annual Challenge Winning Entry Essay and VideoReceive mention as a sponsor in all materials and press-releasesYour organization’s logo is displayed on our website, social media & newslettersYour organization’s logo / name is showcased on our print materialsYour organization is invited to send representatives to iOme eventsYour organization can include one question in our national studyYour organization can include up to 5 questions in our national studyYour organization named as a lead sponsor of one of our programsYour organzation can include up to 10 questions in our national studyYour organization will be offered naming rights to one of our programsYour 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!

donationsaccepted

2221 S. Webster Avenue No. 195 Green Bay, WI 543012 N. LaSalle Street Suite 1400 Chicago, IL 60602

By Mail: www.iomechallenge.org/donate Online:

Classroom Module Faculty members interested in utilizing the Annual Challenge as a part of theircourse 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 ChallengeOur 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 YAs 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.

Data

iOmeAw

aren

ess

Engagement Research

Education

Eve

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Conversation Ideas

List

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Empowerment

“ ”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 SchwartzThe 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 FinanceYale 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 & EconomicsSt. Norbert College

Martin MerzerThe 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.”

www.iomechallenge.org | info@iomechallenge.org | 920.264.0809 2221 S. Webster Avenue No. 195, Green Bay, WI 54301 | 2 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60602