Underfunded Pensions, Pension Dumping, and Retirement Security


Book Description

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) provides a comprehensive federal scheme for the regulation of employee pension and welfare benefit plans offered by employers. ERISA contains various provisions intended to protect the rights of plan participants and beneficiaries in employee benefit plans. The Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) is a federal corporation created by ERISA. It currently protects the pensions of nearly 44 million American workers and retirees in more than 29,000 private single-employer and multiemployer defined benefit pension plans. PBGC receives no funds from general tax revenues. Operations are financed by insurance premiums set by Congress and paid by sponsors of defined benefit plans, investment income, assets from pension plans trusteed by PBGC, and recoveries from the companies formerly responsible for the plans. Although the PBGC's liabilities are not explicitly backed by the full faith and credit of the federal government, Congress could face political pressure to bail out the PBGC at taxpayer expense should the agency become financially insolvent. Bradley Belt, former executive director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), testified before Congress in October, 2004: "I am particularly concerned with the temptation, and indeed, growing tendency, to use the pension insurance fund as a means to obtain an interest-free and risk-free loan to enable companies to restructure. Unfortunately, the current calculation appears to be that shifting pension liabilities onto other premium payers or potentially taxpayers is the path of least resistance rather than a last resort."




Pension Ponzi


Book Description

The vast majority of Canadians are blissfully unaware that every man, woman and child in Canada now owes a $35,000 share of government debt and must pay this back, with interest! Make no mistake, this debt will change our country and affect every single Canadian in the decades to come. You may think you have planned for your retirement and are safe, but the government must find a way to recover this borrowed money, and they can only do that by raising your taxes and reducing your hard-earned benefits. How did this debt come about, and why can't we simply pay it off? Pension Ponzi lays the blame squarely at the feet of the politicians who refused to stand up to Canada's public sector unions. The fact is Canada's public sector, which accounts for 20% of the workforce, has been grossly overpaid relative to their counterparts in the private sector with cushy pensions paid for with your taxes and new debt. There is no denying that the country does not have the financial resources to ensure that the next generation of Canadians will have the same standard of living as the ones before it-or to support our growing seniors population. Meeting our public sector pension obligations will break the current social safety net that is a pillar of the Canadian way. Can you escape this bleak future? Can you afford to live longer? Nationally-recognized pension expert Bill Tufts and award-winning journalist Lee Fairbanks explore how this catastrophe came about and then suggest ways that government can fix what's broken, and how you as an individual can protect yourself from the financial calamity that is about to engulf Canada.




Keeping the Promise of Social Security in Latin America


Book Description

Empirical analysis of two decades of pioneering pension and social security reform in Latin America and the Caribbean shows that much has been achieved, but that critical challenges remain. In tackling this unfinished agenda, a great deal can be learned from the reform experience of countries in the region. 'Keeping the Promise,' produced by the chief economist's office for the Latin America and Caribbean region at the World Bank, evaluates policy reforms in 12 countries, points to successes and shortcomings, and proposes priorities and options for future reform.




State and Local Pension Fund Management


Book Description

Intense media coverage of the public pension funding crisis continues to fuel heightened awareness in and debate over public pension benefits. With over $3 trillion in assets currently under management, the ramifications of poor oversight are severe. It is important that practitioners, researchers, and taxpayers be well-advised regarding any concer




Who Stole My Pension?


Book Description

It's estimated that there are over 50 million pensioners--in the United States alone. Like the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Germany and many other countries around the world are all in big trouble when it comes to the solvency of their pension funds. Who Stole My Pension? was written to give them guidance, resources, and tools so they can take action... and stop the looting. We are in the early stages of the greatest retirement crisis in the history of our nation and, indeed, the entire world. According to the World Health Organization, nearly two billion people around the world are expected to be over age 60 by 2050, a figure that's more than triple what it was in 2000. For better or for worse, never before have there been more elderly people living on planet Earth. One thing is. certain: Doing nothing--sitting back, confident your pension check is "in the mail"--is not an option. That's a risk you can't afford to take. According to Edward Siedle, a former attorney with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and America's leading expert in pension looting, "In the decades to come, we will witness hundreds of millions of elders worldwide, including America's Baby Boomers, slipping into poverty. Too frail to work, too poor to retire will become the "new normal" for many of the aged." Kiyosaki, who like Siedle saw this crisis looming years ago, complements the facts and stats Siedle puts forth with strategies on how retirees can take control--not only their pensions, but their financial futures. Kiyosaki writes about the fact that his father, a highly educated man he calls his poor dad, wasn't poor until he lost his job, his paycheck--and his pension. "His PHD couldn't save him," says Kiyosaki, who has dedicated his life to teaching and financial literacy advocacy. In Who Stole My Pension? the authors focus on the most misunderstood and ignored cause of the pension crisis: mismanagement of pensions and investments. The culprits that are looting the pensions of public school teachers, firefighters, police, as well as private sector workers, are on Wall Street. The Wall Street casinos charging high fees for gambling in risky hedge funds and other speculative investments, outrageous investment-industry conflicts of interest, and outright violations of the law. Who Stole My Pension? is an in-depth assessment of the pension crisis that the world is facing today and what millions around the world--employees who expected to have pension income at retirement--can do about it. The authors recount a history of pension failures, inexperienced boards, gambling, looting and other horror stories--with a focus on action steps workers and retirees can take to quickly determine if a pension is being mismanaged as well as the concrete steps they can take to end decades of pension mismanagement. They detail critical questions retirees can ask--and guidance regarding how to act on what they learn.







Fundamentals of Private Pensions


Book Description

For almost five decades, Fundamentals of Private Pensions has been the most authoritative text and reference book on private pensions in the world. The revised and updated Eighth Edition adds to past knowledge while providing exciting new perspectives on the provision of retirement income. This new edition is organized into six main sections dealing with a variety of separable pension issues. Section I provides an introductory discussion on the historical evolution of the pension movement and how pensions fit into the patchwork of the whole retirement income security system in the United States. It includes a discussion about the economics of the tax incentives that have played a role in stimulating pension offerings and in the structure of the benefits provided. Section 2 lays out the regulatory environment in which private pension plans operate. Section 3 investigates the various forms of retirement plans that are available to workers to determine how they are structured in practical terms. Section 4 focuses on the economics of pensions. Several of the chapters in this section update and refine material from the prior. New chapters in this volume describe the conversion of some traditional pensions to new hybrid forms, including cash balance and pension equity plans, and the growing phenomenon of phased retirement and the issues raised for employer-sponsored pensions. Section 5 explores the funding and accounting environments in which private employer-sponsored retirement plans operate. The concluding section investigates the handling of assets in employer-sponsored plans and their valuation as well as the insurance provision behind the benefit promises implied by the plans. This latest edition of Fundamentals of Private Pensions will prove invaluable reading for both academics and professionals working in the area of pensions and pension management.




Restructuring Retirement Risks


Book Description

Highlighting retirement security as a major policy concern, this book addresses the question 'What are the risks & rewards in pensions, & what paths can stakeholders chose to solve these problems?'. It deals with employees' needs & expectations, employers' intentions & realizations, & policymakers' efforts to resolve the many challenges.







Rescuing Retirement


Book Description

In Rescuing Retirement, Teresa Ghilarducci and Tony James offer a comprehensive yet simple plan to help workers save for retirement, increase retirement savings by earning higher returns, and guarantee lifelong income for everyone. It offers a practical guide to the future of secure retirement.