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Category: In the News

  • In the NewsAugust 29, 2023

    Pension Underfunding Burdens Will Fall On Future North Dakota Public Employees

    In a new Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes about the impact of North Dakota’s decision to close their main public employee pension plan due to underfunding. While legislators may see closing the plan as a quick fix, examples from other states such as Alaska and Michigan show that the consequences of this […]

  • In the NewsAugust 14, 2023

    19 Steps Forward In The Retirement Security Struggle

    In a new Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes about a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, Older Workers: Retirement Account Disparities Have Increased by Income and Persisted by Race Over Time. The analysis finds that many Americans are losing ground when it comes to building retirement savings, despite policy efforts to improve workers’ savings. […]

  • In the NewsJuly 18, 2023

    Social Security’s Finances: Reality Versus Common Misconceptions

    In a Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes time is on the side of those who save early, and this is just as true for Congress and Social Security as it is for an office worker putting savings into their 401(k). The options for strengthening Social Security’s finances only become more expensive the […]

  • In the NewsJune 1, 2023

    Should We Worry About Public Worker Financial Anxiety?

    In a Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes financial stress is particularly high among public service workers, which shouldn’t be surprising given that government wage growth lags behind the private sector. In fact, a new report from MissionSquare Research Institute found that a whopping 88 percent of public service employees expressed concern about their personal finances and financial […]

  • In the NewsMay 18, 2023

    Retirement Benefit Changes Could Help Fix Alaska’s Teacher Retention Problem

    In a Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes that demonstrated way to keep teachers over their careers is to offer them a defined benefit (DB) pension. While there is a high degree of churn in the early years, as new teachers decide whether education is the right career for them, once teachers stay […]

  • In the NewsApril 27, 2023

    Closing Pensions For Public Workers Has Proven A Mistake

    In a Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes that state leaders have learned the hard way that ending pension benefits comes with little to be gained and a big price to pay. More specifically, states that shifted new employees from defined benefit pensions to defined contribution or cash balance plans experienced increased costs […]

  • In the NewsApril 24, 2023

    JP Morgan Analysis Says Corporate Defined Benefit Pension Plans Deserve A Fresh Look

    In a Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes Corporate retirement plan sponsors reevaluating their benefit packages have a variety of retirement products available to them, including defined benefit pension plans. In fact, some companies may already have an existing “frozen” or closed pension plan on their balance sheet. In fact, a JP Morgan […]

  • In the NewsMarch 27, 2023

    There’s A New Retirement Normal For Public Employees: Supplemental Savings

    In a Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes that one segment of the workforce has been on stable ground when it comes to retirement: the state and local government workforce. Today, the vast majority of state and local workers have a defined benefit (DB) pension, and nearly three-fourths of public employees participate in […]

  • In the NewsFebruary 22, 2023

    Do Americans Need A Retirement Reboot?

    In a Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan interview veteran financial journalist Mark Miller about his new book, Retirement Reboot: Commonsense Financial Strategies for Getting Back on Track . The book serves as a guide for the millions of Americans who just aren’t financially prepared for retirement. He offers insight on how to make […]