The Next Egg - A Next Economy Approach To Retirement

Rethinking the Socially Responsible Retirement Plan

Join LIFT Economy and the Next Egg community as we imagine together what new strategies for personal security might look like in the Next Economy.

Join our Mighty Networks subscription to get access to previous and upcoming webinars and resources around how to develop a socially responsible retirement plan by examining our relationship to retirement and other personal security strategies and systems in the first place.

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America's retirement investment system is broken.

There's $44 trillion in US retirement accounts, and it's mostly locked up in Wall Street mutual funds, pension funds, and insurance funds that subsidize extractive multinational corporations and build wealth for the already ultra wealthy. At the same time, we know that folks have been seeking solutions to this crisis through the forms of “green” retirement plans, fossil fuel free 401ks, and IRA divesting.

Where The Next Egg began: We launched in 2019 as a collaboration between the Sustainable Economies Law Center, LIFT Economy, and Michael Shuman with the goal of giving people the power to self-direct their 401(k)s and IRAs, so that we can invest our money in building vibrant communities. We shared resources and built a community of peers for shared learning and mutual support. By joining The Next Egg, you gain access to our past resources, conversations, and webinars.

We’ve learned so much. In 2021, The Next Egg’s leadership team began to critique some of the cultural/societal norms that exist (especially in the US) about retirement. You can read about that here, where we identified unsafe assumptions about savings, retirement, and investment. As was true in 2021, The Next Egg leadership still questions the assumptions that many Americans hold about savings and retirement. And we still believe that the United States, and the world collectively, would be far better off with the kind of “next economy” that is suggested in that 2021 post.

The Next Egg community today: While we want more dramatic economic change, in the meantime, we decided to keep this community of practice in existence, keep trying, and above all continue to uphold a vision of radical repair and healing. Members of The Next Egg have a variety of different situations and perspectives – which we welcome! Some folks are seeking to reduce the harm caused by their retirement savings, some folks are willing and able to forgo some – or any – financial returns in order to invest in solidarity economy initiatives, while still others care little about the financial savings for “retirement” and instead seek to age surrounded by community and other forms of support and resilience.

We welcome all of these efforts and perspectives!

We are spending 2025-2026 growing and strengthening our strategic partnerships to grow this movement. Reach out to erin (at) lifteconomy (dot) com if you’d like to engage with us!

Check Out Our FREE Resource Library!

Since our founding in 2019, we have compiled an extensive amount of research, toolkits, webinars, and other resources around reimagining retirement. Check out our free resource library here and feel free to share in your network and communities!

Sign Up For Our Newsletter for Free Resources & More!

Sign up for the quarterly Next Egg newsletter to receive free resources and tips to support your journey to divest from harmful personal security structures.

Invest With Your Values

In 2023, LIFT Economy officially assumed management of The Next Egg. We are excited for the next chapter of this project and look forward to reimagining retirement and personal security strategies in community with you all.

Frequently Asked Questions:

The Next Egg seeks to support millions of people to divest $32 trillion of retirement money out of Wall Street and into just and vibrant communities. We envision a world wherein preparing for a resilient elderhood is possible for everyone, no matter their class background, and that it does not entail participating in economic extraction.
While many retirement companies are now offering a “sustainable 401k” or “green 401k” option, the truth of the matter is that 401(k) and IRA options are irreparably broken in our existing economic system. We invite you to learn more about why in this resource from the Sustainable Economies Law Center.
You can join the Next Egg community during this season of transition and exploration by visiting here.
We’ve compiled a Resource Library of Next Egg resources here, including research, toolkits, and webinars from the last 4+ years of our work around reimagining retirement.
We also invite you to check out the blog posts below, information about the Next Egg on our website, and to subscribe to the LIFT Economy newsletter for more updates!