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Launched in 2016 by the Illinois Office of Tourism, the Illinois Made program promotes authentic travel experiences throughout the state and encourages visitors to discover hidden gems off the beaten path. Small businesses play a vital role in making Illinois a welcoming and unique destination for visitors year-round, and highlighting them is a great way to experience all Illinois has to offer.

•  Café Tola, a fusion of culinary delights, reaches its pinnacle at this Lakeview family-owned business. It exudes vibrant Mexican charm and offers an enticing menu featuring homemade empanadas and exceptionally delicious coffee. This delightful fare is served daily in a cozy, compact space located on Southport Avenue.
• Atrévete Confections offers an opportunity to satisfy your sweet tooth in Montgomery, Illinois, with magnificent croissants, gateaux, cheesecakes and signature confections. 
•  Yeni’s Palarte Mexican Ice Cream in Peoria Heights, Illinois, offers an array of ice cream and smoothies, including keto-friendly, dairy-free and water-based options.

Attractions

• Come to The National Museum of Mexican Art, where you can immerse yourself in the richness of Mexican art and culture in Chicago. 
• The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture is hosting a pop-up exhibit titled Resistencia y Libertá that celebrates the community expression of Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba music through fashion.
• The Mexican Cultural Center DuPage encourages and promotes Mexican heritage through cultural, ethnic and civic activities designed to educate the City of West Chicago's Mexican community and the community at large.

Road Trip Itineraries for National Hispanic Heritage Month

• The first itinerary, "Immersed in Hispanic Cultural Heritage," showcases various ways to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Chicago and Rockford over three days, covering 89 miles of travel.
• The second itinerary, “Community Treasures with a Latino Flavor,” offers ways to celebrate Latin food, culture, and local businesses in Peoria and the Quad Cities over three days, covering 104 miles of travel.

For the complete list of experiences around Illinois to discover around National Hispanic Heritage Month, click here.

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SPRINGFIELD – Workers in Illinois who participate in the Secure Choice retirement savings program have set aside more than $90 million of their own money for their retirement, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said today.

The accomplishment signals a growing recognition that workers understand Social Security will not provide enough income after their working days are over and reflects data that shows workers are more likely to save for retirement if they can do so through workplace payroll deductions.

“While each person has their own American dream, each dream includes a retirement with dignity and confidence,” Frerichs said. “Secure Choice can help accomplish both.”

The Illinois General Assembly created Secure Choice in 2015 and declared employers must either offer a retirement savings program or participate in Secure Choice. In doing so, lawmakers assured employers they would not be responsible for investment decisions and barred them from contributing to a worker’s account. Lawmakers also assured workers that their accounts would travel with them if they changed employers.

Lawmakers also created a seven-member board to oversee the program; determined that investments would be managed by the private sector; and assigned implementation of the savings program to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office. Based on recommendations from the board, and with consultations with lawmakers, the program launched in 2018.

Today, 109,000 workers, many of whom never thought they could save for retirement, have worked with 7,400 employers to set aside $91 million.

Enrollment was apportioned by employer size so as not to overwhelm employers. Wave one in 2018 included employers with 500 or more employees. Wave two in 2019 included employers with 100-499 employees and another wave that same year included employers with 25-99 employees. The deadline for wave four, employers with 16 or more employees, was Nov. 1, 2022. The deadline for wave five, employers with five or more employees, is Nov. 1, 2023. Eligible employers can register or report an exemption at www.ilsecurechoice.com any time before their applicable deadline.

Secure Choice is critical because 40 percent of Illinois’ private-sector workers do not have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan and 23 percent of retirees rely upon Social Security for 90 percent of their retirement income. The employer component is key because workers are 15 times more likely to save for retirement if they can do so through payroll deductions, according to an AARP study.

The default option for program participants is to enroll in a target-date Roth IRA with a five percent contribution rate. Participants can choose to change their contribution level or fund option at any time. Accounts are owned by individual participants and are portable from job-to-job. Investments are held in a separate trust outside the Illinois Treasury.

“This is a program that’s easy to implement and anything I can do to help my employees both professionally and personally is a win-win.” said Keely Selko, Office Manager at the Dearborn in Chicago, an early Secure Choice participating employer.

About the Illinois Treasurer

As Illinois State Treasurer, Michael Frerichs (FRAIR'-iks) is the state’s Chief Investment and Banking Officer and actively manages approximately $52 billion. The portfolio includes $26 billion in state funds, $17 billion in retirement and college savings plans and $9 billion on behalf of local and state governments. Frerichs’ office protects consumers by safeguarding more than $3.5 billion in unclaimed property, encouraging savings plans for college or trade school, increasing financial education among all ages, assisting people with disabilities to save without losing government benefits, and removing barriers to a secure retirement. The Treasurer’s Office predates Illinois incorporation in 1818. Voters in 1848 chose to make it an elected office.

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Latinos make solid and consistent contributions to Illinois’ population and labor force.

Were it not for Latinos, the state’s population and workforce would have contracted. The group contributed more than $97 billion to Chicago’s economy from 2010-2018, according to the recently released 2022 Chicago Metro Latino GDP Report. READ MORE AT CHICAGO REPORTER