Save Yourself! Funding Your Future

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice about preparing financially for your future, what would it be?

We posed that question to several individuals who serve the Church in various ways and captured their stories. The bottom line: It's never too late to start saving—and no amount is too small. The most important thing is simply to begin and stay the course.

“I would tell my younger self, ‘Scott, you should have started 10 years earlier!’” The Rt. Rev. J. Scott Barker, Diocese of Nebraska, said. “Keep it regular, build a habit, raise it a little as you get a chance and over time. It will build and compound, and the results will be remarkable over your years of service.”

Listen to Bishop Barker and others tell their savings stories. Discover the importance of saving from people who are just like you.

Start “Planning” Now!

The best news is that the Church Pension Group (CPG) offers easy ways to start saving today for tomorrow:

• The Episcopal Church Lay Employees’ Defined Contribution Retirement Plan (Lay DC Plan) offers eligible lay employees retirement savings accounts funded with employer and employee contributions.
• The Episcopal Church Retirement Savings Plan (RSVP) allows eligible clergy and lay employees, particularly those enrolled in a defined benefit pension plan, to invest their own savings for retirement along with contributions made by their employer.

Contributions to your retirement plans come right out of your paycheck, which makes it easy to follow through on your resolve to start saving earlier, save more, and save consistently. Fidelity Investments, recordkeeper of both the Lay DC Plan and the RSVP, offers information and tools to support retirement savings planning. CPG offers self-paced eLearning courses, complimentary one-on-one discussions with a financial education specialist, retirement readiness workshops, and other resources to keep you on track.

“I would tell my younger self that playing the lottery is not a plan for retirement and that you really need to sock away some funds early so that you’ll have them in the long run. I did a lot of saving when I was younger, but in hindsight, I wish I had done a bit more,” Linda Riley Mitchell, Chief Financial Officer, The Episcopal Diocese of Texas, said.

Take some time to visit Why I Save, then pat yourself on the back. You just took a stride toward taking charge of your financial future. Don’t wait, save more today.

Share Your Story

Would you like others to benefit from your words of wisdom about your own savings journey? Email your contact information to corpcomm@cpg.org with “Why I Save” in the subject line. If we videotape your testimonial, we might post it!