Defined Benefit

The official blog of the National Public Pension Coalition

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  • This Week in Pensions: September 2nd, 2016

    Welcome to the latest edition of This Week in Pensions! As we do each week, we have gathered the top stories about pensions and retirement security. This is the news you need to know in the fight for a secure…

  • The Decline of Pensions is Bad for Low-Income Workers

    If you are a regular reader of Defined Benefit, then you already know that we don’t care for defined contribution plans like 401(k)s that have many failings when compared to traditional pensions. One of these failings is that they provide…

  • Does Oklahoma’s Revenue Crisis Threaten Pensions?

    Last month on the blog, we talked about Kansas and how harmful right-wing tax policy there had ruined the state’s budget and threatened public pensions and other critical state services. A similar situation is happening in Oklahoma. Just like in…

  • Chile and the Failure of a Privatized Pension System

    In 1981, during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, Chile radically reformed its pension system. It changed from a traditional public pension system to a system of mandatory individual retirement accounts. These accounts are privately managed by firms selected by…

  • This Week in Pensions: August 19th, 2016

    Welcome to the latest edition of This Week in Pensions! As we do each week, we have gathered the best stories about pensions and retirement security from the previous week. This is the news you need to know in the…

  • How to Reduce Houston’s Pension Liabilities

    Last week the Kinder Institute at Rice University released a report examining the causes of the growth in Houston’s unfunded pension liabilities. The report also proposed several possible changes to reduce the unfunded liability. The report focuses on the combination…

  • Even Major Universities Can’t Beat High 401(k) Fees

    Last week eight major universities were sued by their own employees for failing to curb excessive fees in their retirement plans. In a series of class action lawsuits filed across the country, the plaintiffs allege that the universities failed to…

  • This Week in Pensions: August 12th, 2016
    public pensions

    Welcome to the latest edition of This Week in Pensions! As we do each week, we have gathered the top stories on pensions and retirement security from the previous week. This is the news you need to know in the…

  • How Has Pension Wealth Changed Over Time?
    retirement-graph

    As we’ve written about extensively on this blog, employer-sponsored retirement plans have changed a lot over time. In the private sector, 401(k)s have largely replaced defined benefit pensions and this shift has weakened the retirement security of working families. 401(k)s…

  • Going for the Gold in Retirement

    The Opening Ceremonies for the 2016 Olympic Games were held in Rio de Janeiro last Friday. Four days into the competition, medals have been awarded, dreams have been fulfilled, and millions watching at home have been inspired. Just like the…

  • This Week in Pensions: August 5th, 2016

    Welcome to the latest edition of This Week in Pensions! As we do each week, we have gathered the best stories about pensions and retirement security. This is the news you need to know in the fight for a secure…

  • What Happened to Private Sector Pensions?

    It is one of the most well-known stories about American retirement: the decline of defined benefit pensions in the private sector. At one time, 88 percent of private sector workers who had a workplace retirement plan had a pension. That…