June 15, 2019

The Retirement Piggy Bank

We’ve all heard the advice to save money for retirement. But one piece of advice that seems to be missing is how much money we should be setting aside. An expert answers that question, along with more advice. Then, recent research has found that there may be harmful chemicals in certain food packaging. A scientist shares advice on what to look out for.

Episode Segments:

Saving for Retirement Joshua Gotbaum Guest Scholar in the Economic Studies Program at The Brookings Institution, and Chair of the Maryland Small Business Retirement Security Board said the retirement industry has spent decades largely sidestepping perhaps the biggest question most Americans have about retirement planning: how much of their earnings should they be saving? He cited research from the Employee Benefits Research Institute that recommends saving at least 10% of each paycheck. He stressed that Millennials should begin saving in earnest as soon as they enter the workforce.
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Toxic Containers A recent investigation by the Food and Drug Administration found toxic per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in a wide variety of produce, meats and processed foods. David Andrews, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Environmental Working Group outlined the health dangers. He said food packaging is a major source of the chemicals, along with contaminated water and soil used to grown the food. He would like to see greatly increased government regulation and monitoring of the chemicals.
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Car Seat Sleeping Safety Rachel Moon, MD, Pediatrician and Researcher at the University of Virginia Children's Hospital was the lead author of a study that found that babies are dying in car seats when the child is out of the car and sleeping. When looking at infant deaths in sitting devices, like car seats and strollers, her team found that more than two-thirds occurred while in car seats. In those cases, parents were using the car seats as directed less than 10% of the time. She stressed the importance of educating parents to use a crib or bassinet when they are at home.
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