In the News • January 31, 2023
In a Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes that during the unprecedented COVID-19 global health and economic crisis, pension funds remained a stable and reliable source of income for retirees. More specifically, pension plans paid out $612.6 billion in retirement income to nearly 25 million public and private sector retirees in communities across […]
In the News • December 14, 2022
In a Forbes column, Dan Doonan writes that despite economic challenges, public pension plans in the U.S. have remained resilient. In fact, many plans remain at their highest funded levels in years, even with more conservative investment return assumptions. The strength and resiliency of these retirement plans can be attributed, at least in part, to […]
In the News • August 22, 2022
Public pension benefits provide a vital source of retirement security to the retired public employees who earned them during their years of public service. But the impact of public pension benefits goes beyond the retirees, spouses, and other beneficiaries of these plans. These benefit dollars also play a critical role in supporting local economies, especially […]
In the News • July 1, 2022
Saving for retirement is one of the biggest financial challenges most working families will face. People are living longer, which means more years of retirement to pay for. Costs for healthcare and long-term care remain high. Meanwhile, incomes are being squeezed by higher inflation and rising costs for housing, college, and other major life expenses. […]
In the News • May 6, 2022
We’ve all heard the old adage, “A mother’s work is never done.” From surviving sleepless nights with a newborn, to navigating the tumultuous teen years, to gently guiding adult children through life’s challenges, a mother’s job is forever. Another complexity for mothers is safeguarding their family’s financial security while also saving enough for their own […]
In the News • May 6, 2022
Pension benefits are important for providing retirement security to teachers, but their value goes beyond that. Teacher pay often is lower when compared to others with similar educational credentials, and solid benefits can help close that compensation gap. Additionally, pensions act as magnets for keeping career teachers in the classroom. Pension benefits are accumulated over […]
In the News • November 1, 2021
In a new Forbes column, Dan Doonan writes that the United States is not the only nation facing a retirement savings crisis. He says that many advanced, post-industrial democracies are struggling with similar challenges presented by an aging population. And just like in the U.S., these countries may have a variety of different retirement savings […]
In the News • October 7, 2021
In a Forbes column, Dan Doonan writes that there are pragmatic solutions to shore up Social Security’s financing. Two approaches that deserve particular consideration: addressing the “tax max” issue and increasing contributions. Whatever the solution, policymakers must act now. If we get to 2033 without action, retirees across the board will see a 24 percent […]
In the News • September 1, 2021
In a new Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes that most working Americans will continue to struggle to achieve retirement security because the ownership of financial assets is highly concentrated among the wealthiest. He explains that a new analysis, Stark Inequality, examines the role of race in financial asset ownership. Boomer, Gen X, […]