Month: November 2013
Lord, won’t you buy me a new pension plan
Lord, won’t you buy me a new pension plan My 401(k) savings fit in a tin can I need me some money so I can survive Or I’ll be living in my old Porsche when I’m 65 The foregoing is excerpted from a speech given by Karen Friedman, Executive Vice President and Policy Director of […]
Coalition working to expand retirement security for uncovered
A coalition of large retirement industry players, including the AARP, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, Service Employees International Union and Pension Rights Center, have banded together to find new ways to build retirement security for even the lowest-income workers.
Speech by Karen Friedman to the Texas Municipal Retirement System (November 19, 2013)
On November 19, 2013, PRC’s Karen Friedman delivered the keynote speech at the Texas Municipal Retirement System’s annual meeting in Austin, TX. Below are her remarks. Hello, I’m Karen Friedman, the Executive Vice President and Policy Director of the Pension Rights Center. Before I begin today, I wanted to tell you that, in anticipation […]
When your pension sponsor talks ‘de-risking’ – watch out
A growing number of employers are making plans to “de-risk” their pension plans. That’s jargon for reducing the financial risk posed to corporate balance sheets by pension plans – but if you have a defined-benefit pension and you start hearing that term tossed around, pay careful attention. Less risk for employers can mean more risk […]
PRC response to an RFI on the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program (November 15, 2013)
The Center submitted comments [PDF] to the California State Treasurer in response to a Request for Information on the state’s new California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program. Related: PRC Letter to the Editor in the Sacramento Bee, supporting the California Secure Choice plan (03/23/2013 — scroll down to the 7th letter) Article: A crucial step […]
What to do if your pension is frozen
If you are among the few who still have a traditional defined-benefit pension plan we wish you luck. In the coming months your employer—as part of an effort to “de-risk” the plan—is likely going to offer you a lump-sum payout, an annuity, or freeze the plan.
Retired union workers facing ‘unprecedented’ pension cuts
Hundreds of thousands of retired union workers are facing pension cuts that could slash their monthly payments in half — or even more.
Pilfering Your Pension [audio]
PRC Executive Vice President and Policy Director Karen Friedman appeared on the Heartland Labor Forum to discuss the retirement income crisis and the threat of unprecedented cuts to earned pension benefits. Segment begins at approximately 35:00 in the program.
Corporate pension execs wary of derisking fallout
Corporate executives are bracing for regulatory judgment calls on how they handle derisking through lump-sum payments and annuity purchases, lobbyists say.
ERISA at 40 – The past puts pension law in perspective
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”), the law governing private retirement plans, has changed quite a bit since it was signed into law in 1974. There have been numerous amendments, court cases, regulatory actions and other developments. ERISA has had such an impact on Americans’ everyday lives that it has become a field of […]
Pension Camelot?
A member of one of America’s most prominent families is taking on a crucial public policy issue: retirement. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the eldest daughter of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, has joined the board of the Washington-based Pension Rights Center, a nonprofit that advocates for pension security.
