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  • November 27, 2023

    No Quick Fix: Closing a Public Pension Plan Leads to Unexpected Challenges

    No Quick Fix: Closing a Public Pension Plan Leads to Unexpected Challenges tracks the experience of five states that shifted new employees away from defined benefit (DB) pensions to defined contribution (DC) or cash balance plans. Among states that switched to a DC plan, costs rose, negative cash flow grew, and employee turnover increased. Additionally, […]

  • April 27, 2023

    Alaska Teacher Recruitment and Retention Study: Options and Analysis Supporting Retirement Plan Design

    A report delivered to the Alaska Department of Education reviews the impacts of various retirement benefit offerings on the recruitment and retention of Alaska’s public education employees. Alaska Teacher Recruitment and Retention Study: Options and Analysis Supporting Retirement Plan Design, finds that switching Alaska’s public employees from defined benefit pension plans to 401(k)-style defined contribution […]

  • December 21, 2022

    Pensionomics 2023: Measuring the Economic Impact of Defined Benefit Pension Expenditures

    Economic gains attributable to private and public sector defined benefit pensions in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic were substantial, according to Pensionomics 2023: Measuring the Economic Impact of Defined Benefit Pension Expenditures. This report calculates the national economic impacts of U.S pension plans, as well as the impact of state and local plans on […]

  • November 18, 2022

    The Real Deal for the Public Sector: Retirement Income Adequacy Study

    Retirement is growing more challenging for public sector workers, according to a new report by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) and Aon, The Real Deal for the Public Sector: Retirement Income Adequacy Among U.S. Public Sector Employees. This research finds that state and local employees in a typical public defined benefit (DB) pension […]

  • September 28, 2022

    Examining the Experiences of Public Pension Plans Since the Great Recession

    This report finds that state and local government retirement systems on the whole successfully navigated the 2007 to 2009 Global Financial Crisis. Moreover, public retirement systems across the nation have adapted in the years since the recession by taking actions to ensure continued long-term resiliency. Examining the Experiences of Public Pension Plans Since the Great […]

  • May 18, 2022

    The Missing Middle: How Tax Incentives for Retirement Savings Leave Middle-Class Families Behind

    This report documents how current tax incentives fail to promote adequate retirement security for the middle class. It considers the impact of factors including marginal tax rates, retirement plan participation, and income distribution on retirement saving levels. The Missing Middle: How Tax Incentives For Retirement Savings Leave Middle Class Families Behind also offers potential solutions […]

  • February 28, 2022

    Americans’ Views of Public School Teachers and Personnel in the Wake of COVID-19

    A new national survey finds deep public concern about the K-12 public school workforce. Americans’ Views of Public School Teachers and Personnel in the Wake of COVID-19 finds that eighty-three percent of Americans express concerns about public school staff shortages, while 81 percent are worried about workforce burnout. Conducted by Greenwald Research, this new national […]

  • January 6, 2022

    A Better Bang for the Buck 3.0

    This analysis finds that defined benefit (DB) pension plans offer substantial cost advantages over 401(k)-style defined contribution (DC) accounts. A typical pension has a 49 percent cost advantage as compared to a typical DC account, with the cost advantages stemming from longevity risk pooling, higher investment returns, and optimally balanced investment portfolios. A Better Bang […]