The Defined Benefit

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  • Working People Need Access to Guaranteed Income in Retirement
    retirement age public pensions

    We’ve written a lot on this blog about how 401(k)s and other defined contribution plans fail to provide adequate retirement savings for most working people. There is now plenty of evidence that most workers will not save anywhere close to…

  • Public Pensions Can Meet Their Obligations
    Attacks on pensions promote retirement inequality

    Full funding of public pensions is one of the most hotly debated subjects in state legislatures across the nation. It’s generally accepted that public pensions should aim to be 100 percent funded. However, does full funding actually relate to the…

  • Municipal Pensions Under Attack in Michigan
    Michigan Pensions Protest

    Last week, companion bills were introduced in the Michigan House and Senate that would attack pensions and retiree healthcare for current and retired local government employees. Earlier this year, Michigan’s governor convened a task force on Responsible Retirement Reform for…

  • Tax Reform & Public Pensions: Minor Provision Causes Major Trouble
    tax reform

    This week the U.S. Senate is busy debating its tax reform plan. Republican leaders in the Senate plan to hold a vote on Thursday and hope to pass their tax reform bill. They would then have a conference committee with…

  • Kentucky and Public Pensions: An Update
    Kentucky public pensions

    As we’ve discussed before, public pensions in Kentucky have been the subject of much debate this year. Kentucky has some of the most poorly funded pension systems in the country, the result of years of underfunding by the state government.…

  • Thankful for Pensions and Retirement Security
    Thankful for pensions

    On Thursday, Americans will gather with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving. It is the time of year to reflect on what we are thankful for and to give thanks to those who make our communities stronger. We at NPPC…

  • Strong Investment Returns Prove Pension Plans Work
    financial stress testing

    Last month the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassed 23,000 for the first time ever and closed at a record high. In the ninth year of an economic expansion following the devastating effects of the Great Recession, the financial markets have…

  • Josh McGee: Trying to Discredit Defined Benefit Pensions
    Arnold-Texas-Tracker

    During its legislative session this year, the Texas Senate confirmed Josh McGee as the Chairman of the Texas Pension Review Board. This should concern everyone who cares about the retirement security of public employees in Texas because McGee is also…

  • The “Pension Crisis” is a Myth, Part Six
    The pension crisis is a myth

    Since the Great Recession in 2008, warnings of an impending pension crisis have been splashed across the business pages of newspapers across the country. Despite these boisterous decrees, America’s public pension funds are stable. We explore the roots behind the…

  • Votes for Pensions: Election Day 2017
    Votes for Pensions

    Today is Election Day in cities and states across the United States. While this is considered an off-off-year election, there are still important votes happening today, some of which will have a considerable impact on public pensions. Here’s a quick…

  • Teachers Are Best Served by Traditional Pensions
    teacher pensions

    The first public pension plan for teachers was established in Manhattan in 1894. In the 1910s, six states established teacher pension plans. More states followed suit and now the overwhelming majority of public school teachers in the United States participate…

  • Haunted House of Pension Horrors: 2017 Edition
    Haunted House of Pension Horrors

    Beware, friends, of the frights that lay ahead: it’s once again time to enter the Haunted House of Pension Horrors. In our annual tradition, we will take you through the spooky and blood-chilling attacks on the retirement security of working…