This Week In Club History: Charles Schwab CEO calls for retirement-savings reform

Nov. 11, 2013: Charles Schwab CEO Walter W. Bettinger calls for fundamental reforms in the 401(k) industry at a National Press Club Luncheon. More than 50 million Americans are enrolled in retirement plans, he noted, and individual 401(k)s are now the primary or exclusive vehicle for such savings. These are far riskier than employer-pension plans, which were based on greater resources and expertise. He proposes a customized program for individuals, available through an independent source with fiduciary responsibilities, from which those selling investment products would be excluded.

Nov. 12, 1975: The National Press Foundation holds its first organizational meeting.

Nov. 15, 2011: The 34th Annual Book & Authors Night features more than 80 authors, including Honorary Chair of the event Jim Lehrer, Ron Suskind, White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier and former Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla. Rick Dunham, president of the National Journalism Institute, notes that the Book Fair raises funds for cutting-edge journalism training and helps promote libraries and literacy.

This Week In National Press Club History is brought to you by the History & Heritage Committee, which preserves and revitalizes the Press Club’s history through lobby displays, events, panel discussions and an oral history project.

For information on the Committee and its activities, or to join it, contact Chair Gilbert Klein at [email protected].