U.S. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) highlighted the urgency of the declining savings rate at an Aspen IFS roundtable in Kansas City, MO, in February 2007. “This is not just some little, insignificant issue that we’ve gathered here to talk about,” Cleaver said. “This is a national security issue.”
The roundtable was hosted by Mark Ernst, Chairman and CEO of H&R Block and a member of the Aspen IFS Advisory Board, and the discussion explored various opportunities to encourage savings among households, including the tax refund moment. Various organizations around the table, including the Family Conservancy, El Centro, and The Urban League discussed their efforts to improve savings, investment and ownership among families in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Cleaver, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, and Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes were honorary co-hosts of the event, which began with a video introduction from Sebelius, Blunt and Barnes. The discussion was moderated by Aspen IFS Executive Director Lisa Mensah.
