This week we talk with our friend Geoffrey Sanzenbacher about his new book, The Six Facts that Matter: Understanding Inequality in the United States. Geoff (Dr. Geoff, to you!) is an econ professor and Research Fellow at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. In addition to working with students, Geoff researches the role of cognitive decline in late-life finances, the retirement savings decision, and the transition from defined benefit to defined contribution pensions.

Can you feel it? A slight change in the air. A crispness that you don’t remember being there last week. It’s true! Autumn is coming in two days and we’re ending the month with plenty-o-updates. So grab a milkshake (we take ours malted) and settle in:

• Research docket and wealth gap surprises with Morningstar’s Aron Szapiro

• State Auto IRA metrics – 36,000 new funded accounts in one month

• A closer look at … Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York

• Can friction benefit retirement savers? Yes! Behavioral scientist Lindsay Juarez explains

• Hot Sauce! Fresh research and some brain expanders

• And, Pix of the week

We are ruthless in our search for truth! … about what’s going on in the world of retirement studies and public policy. Join us as we chat with Morningstar’s Aron Szapiro about fresh research and counter-intuitive findings on topics ranging from the retirement landscape to the racial wealth gap. The goods start here.