The Defined Benefit

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  • Don’t call it a comeback: We’ve been here for years.

    LL Cool J’s iconic 1991 hit, Mama Said Knock You Out, famously begins with the line: “Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years.” Cool J later explained the lyrics related to his career, which many critics claimed…

  • Back to School, Back to Advocating for Teachers’ Pensions!

    As the school year kicks off classrooms nationwide will be filled with eager students and dedicated teachers ready to inspire the next generation. While students may be returning to a familiar routine, we know that our educators never truly left…

  • Someone to Answer the Call: Pensions are Crucial to Bolstering Public Safety

    Every day, we rely on some of our most visible public employees–firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical responders–to ensure our safety. We often take for granted that a trained professional will answer our call for help or that a team…

  • Did You Know NFL Players Earn a Pension?

    Summer is ending, and for some, this is tragic news. Soon, it will be time to bust out the leaf blowers and the snow shovels. However, as football season approaches, this is a time of pure joy for football fans. …

  • Creating a Fake Crisis: When Pension Opponents Stir the Pot

    Earlier this summer, the conservative editorial magazine National Review published a piece authored by Dominic Pina entitled Republicans Need to Promise Now: No State Pension Bailouts. The politics and policy story in this notorious right-wing publication (founded by noted segregationist…

  • Going for the Gold in Retirement

    The 2024 Summer Olympic Games are in full swing in Paris, France. Just a week into the games, Simone Biles has become the most decorated Olympic gymnast in history with the U.S. women’s gymnastics team’s gold medal performance. She is…

  • Bringing Pensions Back!

    Contrary to what you might hear from pension opponents, pensions are making a comeback. Once considered a relic of the past, traditional defined benefit (DB) pensions are experiencing a resurgence as states and cities across the country reinstate and bolster…

  • The Inequity Trap: How 401(k)s Drive Earning Gaps Between Workers

    A new study from Vanguard outlines a predictable yet troubling reality: The vast majority of employer contributions to 401(k) plans benefit higher-income employees rather than their working-class counterparts. The study, conducted by economists from MIT, Yale, and the U.S. Census…

  • High Pension Stakes in the Great Lakes State
    mackinac bridge

    Michigan has a pension problem. The complicated history between the state legislature and the state’s defined benefit pension systems has contributed to public sector employee shortages, including education, public safety, public works, and other state and local government positions. But…

  • 2024 State Legislative Highlights

    Many state legislatures have come to a close, and it is apparent that the conversation around pensions is on the upswing. After years of attacks on, reforms to, and closures of state pension systems have ultimately led to worker retention…

  • The Value of Public Pensions: Why They Matter for Younger Workers

    Anti-pension opponents and lawmakers often repeat some versions of the refrain ‘Young workers aren’t interested in pensions.’ But who are they asking? Is this anecdote grounded in data? Do young people even know the difference between a pension and a…