美国国家公共电台 NPR--Could a bill passed by the previous Congress make it easier to save for retirement?

Could a bill passed by the previous Congress make it easier to save for retirement¹?

Transcript²

The spending bill President Biden signed into law includes provisions meant to help workers save more for retirement. A look at how retirement plans are changing and who stands to benefit the most.

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:

Over the holidays, President Biden signed a $1.7 trillion spending bill, and it includes provisions that are meant to help U.S. workers set aside more money for retirement. NPR's Arezou Rezvani has been looking at the finer details and joins us now to talk about what's changing. Hi, Arezou.

AREZOU REZVANI, BYLINE³: Hi, Rob.

SCHMITZ: So tell us, what are some of the more notable changes coming down the pike?

REZVANI: So there are several. One big change requires many employers to automatically enroll⁴ employees in retirement plans, like 401(k)s, unless employees opt⁵ out. Contributions will increase by 1% each year until hitting a maximum of 15%. For certain low- to middle-income workers who make up to $71,000 a year, they may receive a matching contribution from the federal government of up to $1,000. And for those saddled with student loan payments, under the new bill, those payments now count as retirement contributions and qualify for an employer's matching contribution. And then there's also a big change for those with a bigger nest egg. The bill would eventually allow retirees to wait until age 75 before taking required minimum annual distributions, and that's up from 72 years old.

SCHMITZ: So I assume that if you're going to wait until you're 75 before you take the required minimum distribution, that there is some sort of incentive⁶ for doing so. Why would someone want to wait to get that money?

REZVANI: Yeah, that's right. So as opposed to many of the other measures, this one is designed to help people who already have more money set aside. And it's part of what's been a big push in recent years to delay those required distributions because of taxes. Monique Morrissey, an economist⁷ with the Economic Policy Institute, she put it this way.

MONIQUE MORRISSEY: Delaying the time when you need to take out required minimum distributions from your 401(k)s helps higher-income people because people who can afford to wait until they're 75 to spend the money are people who are really hoarding⁸ the money. And likely, a lot of that money will be inherited by their children, who then also get a tax break.

REZVANI: So tax breaks - that's what it's all about there.

SCHMITZ: Got it. Well, why is the government doing this at all?

REZVANI: Well, the picture of retirement in America is pretty grim. Currently, about half of U.S. workers do not have access to any retirement plan at work. And there's typically a legitimate⁹ reason for it. Many can't afford it. Or they have to pay down debts. And while many of the provisions we just talked about are meant to help those who have access to plans, experts say this is also a major step forward, bringing more people into the fold.

SCHMITZ: And what about those who do have retirement savings¹⁰? How are they doing?

REZVANI: You know, the picture is kind of troubling there, too. The median balance in a worker's retirement account by age 65 is only about $88,000, according to the investment company Vanguard. That means living on about $730 a month for the next 10 years of retirement. And this helps explain why more Americans are working well past the typical age of retirement. The Bureau of Labor¹¹ Statistics estimates that by 2030, the number of people 75 and older who will be working or looking for work will basically double. Now, these changes will cost the government and the taxpayer¹², an overhaul¹³ like this always does. But the alternative of having an aging population unable to support itself has its own costs down the line.

SCHMITZ: That's NPR's Arezou Rezvani talking to us about the forthcoming changes to retirement plans. Thanks, Arezou.

REZVANI: Thanks, Rob.

(SOUNDBITE OF UKDD AND SLUG'S "OVERBOARD")

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

5 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

6 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

7 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

8 hoarding   

n.贮藏；积蓄；临时围墙；囤积v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• After the war, they were shot for hoarding. 战后他们因囤积而被枪决。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Actually he had two unused ones which he was hoarding up. 其实他还藏了两片没有用呢。 来自英汉文学

9 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

10 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

11 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

12 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

13 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。