Blogs & Newsletters
Widow Wins “Benefits” – but From an Unexpected Source
One of the PRC’s favorite slogans is “persistence pays off.” And that strategy sure paid off for 73-year-old Elaine Silverberg who—after fighting for 13 years to get the widow’s benefits she believed she was owed from her late husband’s pension plan—finally received the money. Just not from the pension plan. While her late husband’s pension […]
DOL Introduces Lost and Found Database
By Jane Smith Looking for your retirement benefits from a former employer? The Department of Labor has developed a searchable online database that may make it easier for former employees to find their earned benefits. The Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database is a resource for employees who separated from employment and still have earned retirement […]
Saving Paper Copy Pays Off for Pension Counseling Project Client
A recent victory by the Trellis Project—Mid America Region demonstrates how important retaining paper copies of plan documents can be. In this case, John, a 79-year-old former employee of a large corporation, contacted Trellis because he was denied pension benefits. The corporation and its plan said there was no record of his employment — even […]
Happy Valentine’s Day from the Pension Rights Center
Though it’s a terrible time to try to get a dinner reservation, Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to let those around you know how much you appreciate them. And, wow, do we appreciate all of you! Thanks to your support, we’re able to put the retirement income needs of workers and retirees front and […]
NY Times Interviews Economist Alicia Munnell on Her Announced Retirement
By Karen Friedman For twenty-seven years, Alicia Munnell, the renowned economist and the Director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (CRR), has conducted nonpartisan research that has documented the strengths and inequities in the retirement system. Alicia and her academic colleagues at CRR, have authored important papers and briefs that have influenced […]
Paying Tribute to Jimmy Carter, Pension Champion
By Karen Friedman When Jimmy Carter was elected President in 1976, I was a young whipper snapper living in an old, disheveled group house in Washington D.C. When I think back on that time, I fondly remember that his Administration—dedicated to energy conservation, peace and human rights—inspired me and many of my friends to become […]
PRC News, Fall 2024
The Pension Rights Center wishes you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving! Celebration of the 48th Anniversary of the Pension Rights Center On October 16th, more than 125 friends and colleagues joined the Pension Rights Center to celebrate our 48th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The event, […]
Boeing Workers Nix Tentative Contract, Demand Pension Restoration
By David Brandolph American workers are increasingly demanding that their employers restore their traditional defined benefit pension plan, making the issue a principal ask in collective bargaining. The latest example of how highly workers value pensions was the overwhelming (64%) rejection by members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) in Seattle, […]
Pension Rights Center Mourns Death of Board of Directors Member Ian Lanoff
The board and staff of the Pension Right Center were saddened by the death on September 29 of our long-time friend, colleague and esteemed board member, Ian D. Lanoff. He was 82. “Ian’s passing is an enormous loss not only to those who knew him, but to millions of Americans who will never know his […]
Vanguard’s Rosy 401k Study Doesn’t Reflect Reality for Most Americans
By David Brandolph A recent study from Vanguard found that the employees participating in the 401k plans that the large financial institution serves as recordkeeper increased their contributions to record levels in 2023, and automatic plan enrollment is boosting participation for younger and lower income workers. According to Vanguard, from 2014 to 2023, contribution rates for […]
Labor Day: Time to Honor Workers and Strive for Their Secure Retirement
By David Brandolph On this Labor Day, the Pension Rights Center rededicates itself to preserving and enhancing the retirement income security of American workers who, through their toil and perseverance, built our country and keep it running. Today, we’re also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the landmark federal private pension law, the Employee Retirement Income […]
More Than One Million Pensions Protected by Butch Lewis Act
By David Brandolph The Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act (BLA) – a law enacted in 2021 to save workers’ and retirees’ pensions in severely financially challenged multiemployer plans – has surpassed a high-water mark of success. Due to a recent flurry of special financial assistance (SFA) approvals, BLA has now facilitated the protection […]
