The Defined Benefit

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  • The Fundamentals of Retirement Planning

    Nearly two-thirds of Americans can’t pass a rudimentary financial literacy test. This illiteracy extends to retirement: when quizzed on their retirement income knowledge, 80% of Americans ages 60-75 failed. Fortunately, in our increasingly digital age, the information needed to educate…

  • Defined Benefit vs Defined Contribution: The Basics

    Many Americans believe that a retirement security crisis is looming. According to a recent survey, 88 percent of Americans agree that the nation faces a retirement crisis. Many Americans also believe that one of the benefits of a lifetime of…

  • Pew Misleads States By Pushing Cash Balance Plans
    Pew Research Center misleads states

    The Pew Charitable Trusts are a widely respected source of information on a great number of subjects. Pew provides objective, non-partisan analysis on issues ranging from religion & public life to the health of the oceans. Unfortunately, one division of…

  • The “Pension Crisis” is a Myth, Part Three
    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…

  • Public universities offer superior retirement for professors
    university professor retirement

    University professors are typically regarded as having one of the most desirable jobs in the country. Pay is usually high, benefits are good, and if they have tenure, then professors have excellent job security. Despite these benefits, professors still rely…

  • Public Pensions Are Under Attack in Iowa
    Iowa public pensions

    Iowa is fortunate to have a strong public pension system. The Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS) provides pensions to teachers, firefighters, and other public employees throughout the Hawkeye State. In fact, one in ten Iowans is a member of…

  • The Assault on the Retirement Security of Federal Employees Continues
    Assault on retirement security of federal employees

    As we’ve discussed before, President Trump proposed devastating cuts to the retirement benefits of federal employees in his 2018 budget request. This far-reaching and unnecessary attack would undermine the retirement security of current and future federal employees. While Trump sticks…

  • The “Pension Crisis” is a Myth, Part Two
    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…

  • Michigan Weakens the Retirement Security of Its Public School Employees
    Retirement security

    Yesterday Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed legislation– SB 401– that weakens the retirement security of the state’s public school employees. This newly-signed legislation continues a long running saga of attacks on the pension benefits of Michigan’s public employees. While SB…

  • The “Pension Crisis” is a Myth, Part One
    public pensions

    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…

  • Everyone Suffers When Pensions Are Cut

    When pension benefits are cut, public employees and retirees are hurt. In the past decade, every state has made changes to its public pension systems, some more significant than others. Teachers, firefighters, and other public employees have been asked to…

  • Raising the Cap on 401(k)s Won’t Solve Retirement Crisis
    Retirement savings

    As we discussed last week, the evidence continues to grow that 401(k)s and other defined contribution plans do not provide a secure retirement for working families. Despite this mounting evidence, some have pushed for more contributions to 401(k)-style plans, as…