In the News • October 5, 2015
“A secure retirement seems like a distant dream for too many Wisconsinites. Social Security alone isn’t enough to retire on – the average benefit for most Wisconsinites is about $1,300 a month. Across the country, millions of people are at risk of running out of savings after they retire. The nation is facing a vast […]
In the News • September 19, 2015
“Teacher pensions are in trouble. The latest figures show that states and districts are half a trillion dollars behind in their commitments to fully fund the retirement benefits they promised teachers. That’s a huge sum affecting some 3.5 million current educators. But not all pension payouts are equal. In fact, just 20 percent of teachers […]
In the News • September 17, 2015
“The retirement security problems facing so many Americans are much more acute among minority groups. Income disparity is an important cause, but recent research also shows that some of the gap could be due to differences in investing patterns. A growing number of advocates feel that having more African-Americans involved in financial planning could help. “We’re […]
In the News • September 9, 2015
“The 2008 financial crisis hurt retirement savings, but we found public defined benefit pensions in red states and blue states that survived the market’s free-fall in reasonable shape. Surprisingly, one of those well-funded plans is the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. What distinguishes financially sound pensions from others? It’s simple: mandated, adequate contributions. “Adequate” means contributions from both employees […]
In the News • August 21, 2015
“Amid the nationwide panic over the rising costs of public employee pensions, one proposed solution is nearly universal: States and municipalities should shutter their traditional defined benefit plans and place all new employees in a 401(k)-style defined contribution plan instead. That’s the idea in a proposed California ballot initiative we reported on last week. The measure, […]
In the News • August 13, 2015
Read the article at Bloomberg Business.
In the News • August 3, 2015
“Hoosiers are in slightly better shape for retirement than most other people in the country, according to a new report. But that’s not saying much. Only about half of Indiana’s private-sector workers participate in retirement plans, and the average amount saved is too low, according to a study released Thursday by the National Institute on Retirement […]
In the News • August 2, 2015
“Living in a low-cost state could backfire as a long-term retirement strategy, says a report by the National Institute for Retirement Security. While much of good retirement planning begins decades ahead, a young worker who moves to a low-cost state could end up harming him- or herself later on since wages also tend to be […]
In the News • July 30, 2015
“Millions of Americans are ill-prepared to retire. But a lot depends on where you live. Retirement security is a combination of having enough savings and pension income to cover costs associated with aging, especially medical bills. As older workers continue to postpone retirement, job market conditions also play a critical factor. Those characteristics vary widely […]