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Is anyone else experiencing some serious deja vu? Michigan Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof has been tossing around the idea of closing the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS) pension plan and moving new hires to a defined contribution…
Should I stay or should I go? This question is more than just the refrain from the insanely catchy 1982 hit by The Clash. It’s also a daily quandary facing Oklahoma’s underpaid educators. Shawn P. Sheehan, Oklahoma’s 2016 Teacher of…
Long-time readers of Defined Benefit are familiar with John Arnold, the money behind many attacks on public pensions. Loyal readers have also heard about the Pew Research Center, which uses Arnold’s money to promote flawed anti-pension research, and the Retirement…
When a state closes a public pension system, the consequences are widely felt. Unfunded liabilities skyrocket and plan costs rise. Defined contribution 401(k) plans cost 91% more than pensions, with the burden falling on taxpayers. No one feels these consequences…
This week is National Retirement Planning Week.  During this week, the financial services industry encourages Americans to focus on setting aside what they’ll ultimately need for a secure retirement.  Unfortunately, many Americans will only be able to save for retirement…
Today we commemorate the life and achievements of Cesar Chavez – one of our country’s preeminent social justice champions. Born on March 31, 1927 in Yuma, Arizona, Chavez spent his life fighting for better treatment, fair pay and improved working…
For school districts, fire departments, and other government entities across the nation, public pensions are an important tool for recruiting and retaining high-quality public employees. In Oklahoma, defined benefit pensions for teachers are especially valuable given the ongoing teacher shortage…
It’s no secret that there is a retirement savings crisis in the United States. Financial planners frequently warn that Americans are not saving enough for retirement. Stagnating wages and the gradual disappearance of pensions in the private sector make it…
If you’re a devoted reader of Defined Benefit, then you know there is one way to ensure a pension plan is well-funded: employees and employers alike must make contributions to the plan annually – and in full. State employees like…
Roughly half of private sector workers do not have access to a retirement plan through their employer. For most of these workers, that means they will have little to retire on, except for Social Security. A half-dozen states have taken…
A report released today finds that three-fourths of Americans- both Democrats and Republicans- are concerned about their ability to retire securely. Unfortunately, this lack of retirement preparedness affects some communities more profoundly than others. Black households earn significantly less income…
What happens when a state abandons its defined benefit pension for a riskier, 401(K)-style plan? Taxpayers lose – According to the National Institute on Retirement Security, “for a given level of retirement income, a typical 401(k) plan costs 91% more…