{"id":890200,"date":"2026-10-22T01:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T01:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/890200\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T01:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T01:32:12","slug":"vermont-saves-tops-10-million-as-more-workers-sign-up-for-retirement-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/890200\/","title":{"rendered":"Vermont Saves tops $10 million as more workers sign up for retirement program"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak stopped by businesses at the Essex Experience to hear directly from owners about their experience with Vermont Saves.<\/p>\n

\"Yunier<\/a>ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. \u2014<\/p>\n

Vermont workers have saved more than $10 million through Vermont Saves, a state retirement program designed to help employees without access to a retirement plan through their jobs.<\/p>\n

The milestone comes as Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak visited businesses during National Retirement Security Week to highlight the program’s growth.<\/p>\n

Nearly 8,500 workers are saving through Vermont Saves, with close to 3,000 employers enrolled statewide. A year ago, workers had saved approximately $3.5 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the Essex Experience, two businesses are seeing the program’s impact firsthand.<\/p>\n

Meredith Mann, CEO of Magic Mann Cannabis Dispensary<\/a>, said about 70% of her 32 employees have chosen to participate.<\/p>\n

The program lets workers save part of their paychecks in a retirement account without requiring employers to contribute.<\/p>\n

Mann said offering additional benefits matters, particularly in the cannabis industry, where businesses face unique financial and regulatory challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want our kids to stay here and to come back here and to be in Vermont,\u201d Mann said. \u201cSo, anything that gives incentive for them to stay or come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vermont Cider Lab<\/a> co-owner Chris Line said the program has helped introduce retirement savings to younger employees, including college students and seasonal workers.<\/p>\n

Eligible employees are automatically enrolled but can choose to opt out or change their contributions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you want to stay a part of it or not, it’s completely up to you,\u201d Line said. \u201cBut at least it forces people to look into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vermont Saves was signed into law in 2023. A pilot program began in October 2024, followed by statewide enrollment that December.<\/p>\n

Businesses with at least two employees that have been operating for at least two years and do not already offer a qualifying retirement plan are generally required to register.<\/p>\n

Pieciak said automatic enrollment can help workers start saving for retirement instead of putting it off.<\/p>\n

Full Breakdown:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak stopped by businesses at the Essex Experience to hear directly from owners about their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":890201,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[28,306349,162,373241,125049,147,530,1048,10196,373242,373245,373243,373244],"class_list":["post-890200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-essex-junction","tag-investment","tag-magic-mann","tag-mike-pieciak","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-retirement-savings","tag-small-businesses","tag-vermont-cider-lab","tag-vermont-retirement-program","tag-vermont-saves","tag-vermont-state-treasurer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=890200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/890201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=890200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=890200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=890200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}