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- BUSINESS, Page 51Business NotesRETIREMENTShop Till You Drop
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- Spend Today and Retire Tomorrow may sound like a reckless
- attitude toward the future, but it could be a painless way to
- set something aside for the golden years. Launched last week in
- surburban Washington, START lets people have their nest egg and
- spend it too. To enter the plan, a consumer pays a one-time
- enrollment fee of $25. Whenever a member buys something from a
- participating company, 1% of the purchase price is put into
- escrow. Once the escrow balance reaches $100, members can open
- up a START Plus annuity account. Each account receives a 1%
- contribution on the first $1,000 spent, 3% on amounts between
- $1,000 and $2,000, and 6% on subsequent purchases for the
- balance of the year. Says START chairman Larry Andreini: "For
- years, companies have offered pension plans to make employees
- loyal, so why not take that concept to the logical next step and
- offer customers essentially a pension plan?" Among the companies
- that have signed on so far: Hertz, MCI, Eddie Bauer and Club
- Med.
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