myRA ("my retirement account") is a type of Roth IRA account sponsored by the United States Treasury and administered by Comerica. Richard Ludlow was the executive director of the program for the U.S. Treasury. A simplified retirement plan aimed at those who can afford only small monthly contributions, MyRA was a component of the U.S. government's "Opportunity for All" plan, which has a goal of "ensuring middle class Americans feel secure in their jobs, homes and budgets." In July 2017, the Treasury Department announced that the program would be phased out. Deposits are no longer accepted as of December 4, 2017 History The myRA program was announced on January 28, 2014, by President Barack Obama during the 2014 State of the Union Address, stating: The President signed the memo in a public ceremony at U.S. Steel's Irvin plant in the Pittsburgh suburb of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania on January 28, 2014. In late 2014, a pilot version of the program launched with approximately 60 employers participating, allowing for testing and feedback. Approximately 3,000 myRA accounts were opened during the pilot phase, and average individual contributions during the pilot were around $20-$50 per month. On December 15, 2014, the United States Treasury published the final regulations governing the myRA accounts. The Treasury finally declared the program ready to use and available across the country in November 2015. In July 2017, the Treasury Department announced that the program would be phased out in the following months due to lack of participation relative to the costs of maintaining it. At the time, there were 20,000 myRA accounts, and the median account balance was $500. There were also 10,000 myRA accounts with zero balances. As of that date, myRA participants had contributed $34 million to their myRA accounts since the program's inception. The Treasury Department notified MyRA account holders of the phase out of myRA and encouraged account holder to move their myRA account balances to a Roth IRA. The Treasury Department had spent an average of $23 million per year to maintain the program since its inception. Deposits are no longer accepted as of December 4, 2017 Program specifics The myRA was a "new type of saving bond that we can set up without legislation" guaranteed to have a decent return, by holding an "add on" Treasury security in a Roth IRA, with contributions after taxes and lifetime growth to be tax free. The