The brief’s key findings are: The brief’s key findings are: *Since the financial crisis, 17 states have reduced, suspended, or eliminated cost-of-living-adjustments (COLAs) for public employee pensions. *This response was surprising as current employees and retirees tend to be legally...

Public sector defined benefit pension plans are based on final earnings, so those with long careers receive substantial benefits and those who leave early receive little. This pattern of back-loading could reflect an optimal design whereby plan sponsors want to attract and retain workers who...

The brief’s key findings are: *Private sector multiemployer pension plans, which are negotiated by a union with a group of employers, have become a focus of congressional interest. *Multiemployer plans have been hurt by an expansion of benefits during the 1990s and the twin financial crises...

States have begun to respond to their pension challenge by enacting a mix of revenue increases and benefit cuts. These changes will, over time, improve the financial outlook for plans and help ease their impact on other budget priorities. But, to date, the specific nature and magnitude of these...

The financial crisis reduced the value of equities in state and local defined benefit pensions and hurt the funding status of these plans. The impact will become evident only over time, however, because actuaries in the public sector tend to smooth both gains and losses, typically over a...

Municipal bond prices are tumbling and rates rising just as public borrowers face pressure to refinance deals cut during the financial crisis. At the same time, the funded status of public pension plans has declined, and states and localities will have to come up with more money to meet future...

States and localities account for pensions in their financial statements according to standards laid out by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Under these standards, state and local plans generally follow an actuarial model and discount their liabilities by the long-term yield...