Tax Foundation: How Well Funded are Pension Plans in Your State?

April 5, 2017

According to preliminary 2015 data, state and local pension debt now exceeds a combined $1.5 trillion. Strong returns on investment (averaging 17 percent in 2014) have helped to reduce the debt, but the message is still clear: many states are facing a pension crisis.

View the article: Tax Foundation: How Well Funded are Pension Plans in Your State?

Commentary

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Commentary: America’s Public Pension System Remains Mired in Crisis

January 28, 2021

This op-ed by Kevin O’Connor originally appeared in Morning Consult on January 28, 2021. Thousands of Americans will lose their pension plan benefits if lawmakers fail to act. Over the past several years, we have seen pension investments shift from relatively safe holdings toward riskier assets. Although investing in assets such as hedge funds, private […]

DOL Final Rule Limits Proxy Voting by Retirement Plan Fiduciaries

December 15, 2020 | (SHRM)

This article originally appeared in SHRM on December 15, 2020. Retirement plan fiduciaries will be barred from casting corporate-shareholder proxy votes in favor of social or political positions that don’t advance the financial interests of retirement plan participants, under a Department of Labor (DOL) final rule released on Dec. 11. These matters are often referred to as […]

The Department of Labor ‘s New Rule is a Much-Needed Step Toward Ensuring Fiduciary Obligations

December 11, 2020

Today the Department of Labor took a much-needed step toward ensuring positive, long-overdue reforms to the role that proxy advisory firms play in ERISA-backed pension fund management through their finalized rule titled, “Fiduciary Duties Regarding Proxy Voting and Shareholder Rights.” . Following the rule’s release, Chris Burnham of the Institute for Pension Fund Integrity said, […]