Viewpoints
Opinion

Access Without Adequacy? New York’s Retirement Mandate

What the Secure Choice requires—and whether it delivers
Access Without Adequacy? New York’s Retirement Mandate
An old man rests on his cane on the ferry in New York, on April 17, 2025. Daniel Perron/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
Li Li
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Commentary

New York is shifting retirement policy from employer discretion to legal requirement—and for thousands of small businesses, the 2026 deadlines are fast approaching. Under the state’s Secure Choice Savings Program, private-sector employers that have operated for at least two years and employ 10 or more workers in New York must facilitate a state-run Roth IRA if they do not already sponsor a qualified plan.

Li Li
Li Li
Author
Li Li, CFA, CIPM, CFP®, is an adjunct professor in the M.S. in Financial Planning program at New York University and a wealth management advisor at Forest Hill Financial Group. She studied economics at Rutgers University and the University of California–San Diego, has taught economics at Pace University, and previously served as a strategist and analyst at AT&T. She can be reached at [email protected]