Who Benefits from Pension Enhancements?

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory Koedel ◽  
Shawn Ni ◽  
Michael Podgursky
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Pension System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pension Funds ◽  
Retirement Benefits ◽  
Teacher Retirement ◽  
Front End ◽  
Pension Costs ◽  
Public Workers ◽  
Young Teachers

During the late 1990s public pension funds across the United States accrued large actuarial surpluses. The seemingly flush conditions of the pension funds led legislators in most states to substantially improve retirement benefits for public workers, including teachers. In this study we examine the benefit enhancements to the teacher pension system in Missouri. The enhancements resulted in large windfall gains for teachers who were close to retirement when the legislation was enacted. By contrast, novice teachers, and teachers who had not yet entered the labor force, were made worse off. The reason is that front-end contribution rates have been raised for current teachers to offset past liabilities accrued from the enhancements. Total teacher retirement compensation, net of contribution costs, is lower for young teachers today as a result of the enhancement legislation. Given sharp increases in pension costs in other states, this finding may generalize to young teachers in many other plans.

Financialisation and the Pension System: Lessons from the United States and the Netherlands

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 554-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natascha van der Zwan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Pension System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pension Funds ◽  
The State ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Private Pensions ◽  
Labour Unions ◽  
Pension Systems

Financialisation and the Pension System: Lessons from the United States and the Netherlands The articles explores the financialisation of private pensions in the United States and the Netherlands. It proposes two distinct arguments. First, the article shows that both the American and the Dutch pension systems stand out internationally for their high degrees of capitalisation and the absence of substantive investment restrictions for pension funds. The article posits that both pension systems are highly financialised, yet the process of financialisation has proceeded along different historical paths and within different institutional contexts. Secondly, the article maintains that the financialisation of pension systems is accompanied by its own political dynamics. In both political economies, different groups of actors (employers, labour unions, financial professionals) have made claims over the growing concentration of pension assets. Here, particular emphasis is given to the role of the state. It shows how since the mid-1970s, both American and Dutch pension funds have altered their investment strategies, abandoning public debt as the dominant investment category. The article explains this change in terms of the rising popularity of modern portfolio theory and the immense growth of pension capital in need of new investment options. As austerity politics have made governments more dependent on financial markets, pension funds have become more assertive in leveraging their assets and demanding political reform which are in the interest of the financial industries. Financialisation has thus fundamentally altered the balance of power between the state and financial market actors.

A Comprehensive Review of the Evolution of Accounting Standards for State and Local Government Pensions and Other Postemployment Benefits in The United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-77
Author(s):  
Dale L. Flesher ◽  
Craig Foltin ◽  
Gary John Previts ◽  
Mary S. Stone
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pension Funds ◽  
Defined Benefit ◽  
Defined Contribution ◽  
Defined Contribution Plans ◽  
State And Local Government ◽  
State And Local

ABSTRACT Both the business media and the popular press have emphasized the underfunding problems associated with pension funds that are set aside for state and local government workers, a group that also includes teachers and professors at state-affiliated colleges and universities. The realization that pension funds are typically underfunded stems from the fact that the accounting standards associated with state and local government employee pension funds have led to greater transparency since 2011. This paper examines, explains, and interprets the historical development over the last 70 years of accounting standards for state and local government pension funds in the United States. Changing accounting standards, along with economic and social change, have led to consequences such as employers transforming their pension programs to avoid substantial costs and significant liabilities, for example by changing from defined benefit to defined contribution plans.

scholarly journals Models of the pension system: international experience and local practice

2020 ◽  
pp. 43-51
Author(s):  
O. Cheberyako ◽  
V. Bykova
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Social Insurance ◽  
Pension System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Private Pensions ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
National Models

The article substantiates the nature of the national models of the pension system and its structure in accordance with the concept of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The basis of the national models of pension system are two well-known models of social security: Bismarck and Beveridge Social Insurance Systems. Thus, authors prepared the comparison of this models. The features of pension system in the countries of Europe (Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Poland), the United States and Chile are analysed. The analysis of the national models of the pension system in Asian countries identifies three institutional patterns: the statist pension system (Taiwan and China), the dualist pension system (Japan and Korea) and individualist pension system (Hong Kong and Singapore). Based on trends of development of pension provision in foreign countries, authors determine the main tasks and ways to improve the domestic system, namely, introduction mandatory funded pension system and reforming the voluntary private pensions insurance.

Targeting within universalism

2020 ◽  
pp. 095892872091897
Author(s):  
Olivier Jacques ◽  
Alain Noël
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Pension System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Means Testing ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Working Age Population ◽  
The Welfare State

The idea of targeting within universalism has been evoked frequently, usually as a best of both worlds’ strategy. The approach remains difficult to identify, however, because targeting is usually measured as the opposite of universalism. This article proposes to consider targeting and universalism as two distinct dimensions of the welfare state, the opposite of universalism being more usefully understood as residualism, and not as pro-poor targeting. Four welfare state possibilities then emerge, combining a position on the universalism/residualism axis and one on the pro-poor/pro-rich axis: universalism (France, for instance), targeting within universalism (Denmark), targeting within residualism (the United States) and pro-rich residualism (Japan). We show that targeting within universalism entails pro-poor targeting without means testing, a combination that can be achieved with limits on the earnings-relatedness of the pension system and generous transfers to the working age population. Thus understood, targeting within universalism proves to be an effective redistributive strategy, better to redistribute than mere targeting, and less costly than universalism pure and simple.

Non-governmental coverage of retirement benefits as part of the national socio-economic policy

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 449-466
Author(s):  
L.D. Kapranova
Keyword(s):  
Russian Federation ◽  
Pension System ◽  
Pension Funds ◽  
Pension Plans ◽  
Fund Raising ◽  
Real Economy ◽  
Investment Portfolio ◽  
Retirement Benefits ◽  
The Real ◽  
The Russian Federation

Subject. The article examines the existing non-governmental system of retirement benefits and non-governmental pension funds, key trends and issues in the Russian Federation. Objectives. I analyze key performance indicators of non-governmental pension funds and detect the main development challenges. I also study the composition and mix of their investment portfolio, growth in pension savings and their return. Methods. The study relies upon methods of logic, statistical, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and graphical methods for representing results of the analysis. Results. I discovered that more people opt for non-governmental pension plans in the Russian Federation. I analyzed the comprehensive investment portfolio of a non-governmental pension fund and found a growth in deposited funds and their return. Non-governmental funds’ investment portfolio now include more investment in the real economy. Non-governmental pension funds may become a source of financing the real economy to implement long-terms infrastructure projects through PPP. Conclusions and Relevance. Continuing their development, non-governmental pension funds are called on to increase the standard of living and ensure the sustainability of the pension system. The stability of the national economy, growing income of the population and trust in financial institutions are cornerstones for reinforcing the non-governmental pension system. The fact that the funded part of retirement pension has been frozen impedes the development of non-governmental pension funds, since the influx of financial resources is restricted. Long-term savings people make in non-governmental funds may streamline investments in the economy. Currently, the fund raising program for non-governmental pensions funds is insufficiently implemented, with efforts to revitalize it being ineffective.

scholarly journals PECULIARITIES OF INHERITANCE OF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 46-48
Author(s):  
Oksana V. Kochkina ◽  
◽  
Irina A. Firsova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Pension System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Foreign Experience ◽  
Retirement Accounts ◽  
Similarities And Differences

The article examines the foreign experience of the system of pension provision of the population of the United States of America; focuses on the problems of women’s pension provision; describes the two most popular ways of saving pension accounts; pays attention to their similarities and differences. The article also presents the order of inheritance of accounts, discusses the features that beneficiaries face when exercising their right of inheritance. The presented experience can be useful and will serve as an auxiliary element in the development of the Russian pension system.

scholarly journals Impact Of Retirement Benefit Act (RBA) On Investment Returns To Pension Funds In Kenya

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Jepchoge Rono ◽  
Julius Kibet Bitok ◽  
Gordon N Asamoah
Keyword(s):  
Pension System ◽  
Pension Reform ◽  
Pension Funds ◽  
Insurance Fund ◽  
Retirement Benefits ◽  
Fund Managers ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Investment Returns ◽  
Mean Differences ◽  
The Impact

This study focused on the analysis of the impact of RBA guidelines on the return on investments of both pension funds under management and those for pension schemes. A random sample of 175 fund trustees and a census of 13 fund managers from registered fund management companies participated in the survey. The questionnaire was administered through the drop-and-pick method. Data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) and summarized in descriptive statistics, such as mean, standard deviation, frequencies, percentages, and t-tests for mean differences were used. The study determined that annual investment return for retirement benefits schemes in the past three years ranged between 10 and 27.52%, sometimes falling below the annual inflation.  The Kenya pension funds are in compliance with the prescribed broad guidelines with regard to maximum percentages of total asset value of fund by the RBA Act. They are, however, moderately in compliance with the regulations requiring that that they maintain an actuarial solvency of 80% and above. The overall weighted returns before the implementation of RBA Guidelines was low (average scale of 1.9) while the weighted returns after the implementation of RBA Guidelines was high, at an average scale of 3.7. An analysis of the trend, however, showed that long-run performance has slowed down. The highest growth was realized for mortgage and cash returns as opposed to rights issues and bonus shares. There is need to fashion out the appropriate mix of reforms suitable for Kenya that will ensure the long-run sustainability of its pension systems. The challenge is for the country to adopt a unified, harmonized, and transparent regulatory framework that will integrate the pension system in order to ensure sustainability in its financing and mobilizing of adequate funds to cater for the ever-increasing population of beneficiaries in this regard, comprehensive pension reform policy with wider target radar and one that will consolidate and harmonize the various legislations touching on retirement benefits industry in line with Retirement Benefits Act. The Regulator needs to implement measures to ensure pension funds are insulated from inflationary and other risks.  An effective way is to institute a pension risk insurance fund that will underwrite and compensate such losses as will be prescribed. Further, there is need for a systematic indexation of benefits to inflation. RBA should strengthen its compliance and enforcement function in order to ensure that it appropriately deals with emerging present and future regulatory challenges.

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