January 2025

US. Pensions Got a Boost From Strong Markets in 2024, But They’re Still In Trouble

A solid year for the U.S. stock markets resulted in better-than-expected returns for state and local pensions last year. However, that boost may not be enough to pull them out of trouble. Pensions notched an average annual return of 10.3% in 2024, higher than the projected 6.87%, according to a new report from Equable Institute, a think tank focused on pension research.12 Yet public pension returns still lagged behind the gains of the broader equity markets–the S&P 500 rose more than 23% in 2024. The...

Finally, U.S. pension plans reach fully funded status

For the first time in 17 years, at the close of 2024 pension plans sponsored by large U.S. companies were fully funded to meet future financial obligations. That’s according to Willis Towers Watson’s latest funded-status analysis, which examined pension plan data for 361 Fortune 1000 companies with a calendar fiscal year. The analysis estimated that, in the aggregate, those companies’ plans were 100% funded. The companies’ combined pension obligations declined by 8%, from an estimated $1.25 trillion at the end of 2023...

Pension Income Contributed $1.5T to US Economic Output in 2022

More than $680 billion in pension benefits were paid to 26.3 million beneficiaries in 2022, according to new research from the National Institute on Retirement Security’s “Pensionomics 2025” report, which quantified the economic impact of defined benefit pension expenditures. “Virtually every state and local economy across the country benefits from the spending of pension checks,” wrote the report’s authors, NRIS Executive Director Dan Doonan and Ilana Boivie, an assistant director of strategic resources for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers....

US. 9 Ways Retirement Will Be Different in 2025

Retirement is not static. Even when the kids are gone and the career is done, your lifestyle and expectations are constantly evolving. So are your finances. Areas key to retirees’ economic life, from Social Security payments and Medicare costs to the way we contribute to and withdraw from savings plans, will see changes in 2025. Here are nine things to know about your retirement money in the year to come. 1. Social Security payments Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) boosts benefits in 2025 by 2.5...

December 2024

Gen Xers Feel Unprepared for Retirement — 11 Things They Need To Do Right Away

Generation X is next in line to retire after boomers, and some have already begun. However, more than half of Gen Xers (52%) don’t feel prepared for retirement, according to a recent Northwestern Mutual study. While being so close to retirement may seem like it’s too late to take any significant action, financial experts explain that’s not the case. Here are 11 things Gen Xers who feel unprepared for retirement should do right away. Create a Financial Plan Though it’s tempting to try and land on a number...

Here’s What Retirement on a Pension Looks Like in America

The pursuit of happiness in retirement is a lot easier with a pension. Retirees with regular paychecks report higher levels of satisfaction than those who rely on 401(k)s to supplement their Social Security, studies have shown. The security of a lifelong income is a source of comfort and happiness, those with pensions say. While 401(k)s can generate more wealth, retirees say navigating all the investing, tax and withdrawal strategies can add to their stress when they are trying to lower it. Pensions do have drawbacks....

How would a U.S. government shutdown affect Social Security pensions?

Pensions are one of the major concerns of citizens around the world. From retirement, permanent disability or even in the tragic reality of receiving a widow’s benefit for the death of a spouse. Therefore, these retributions granted by the State are, without a doubt, one of the main reasons for society to pay taxes and enjoy an income that balances its purchasing power with increases in goods and services. Therefore, in the matter of the United States, despite hopes that a funding agreement would...

US Pension Plans Set to Increase Contributions in 2025

Approximately 58% of pension funds in the U.S.—including public, corporate and multi-employer plans—reported that their funded status increased in 2024, according to a survey of pension fund professionals commissioned by Ortec Finance. Approximately 30% of plans reported that their funding status is unchanged, while 12% said their funding status decreased this year. While funded status is generally increasing, more than two-thirds (68%) of respondents said they will or are likely to increase contributions this year. According to Ortec Finance, of the...

La edad de jubilación completa del Seguro Social en EEUU aumentará en 2025

La Administración del Seguro Social de Estados Unidos implementará un nuevo aumento en la edad de jubilación completa (FRA) a partir de 2025. Este cambio afectará principalmente a las personas nacidas en 1959, quienes deberán esperar hasta los 66 años y 10 meses para acceder a sus beneficios completos. La modificación es parte de una serie de incrementos graduales en la edad de jubilación, iniciados tras una reforma legislativa en 1983 con el objetivo de ajustar el sistema a la mayor esperanza de vida de los estadounidenses. La...

US. Indiana to Replace BlackRock in Pension Funds Due to ESG Investing Policies

The Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS) voted to replace BlackRock as a manager in its portfolio, due to the investment giant’s alleged use of ESG investment policies and its engagement using “an ESG focused agenda.” In a press release from Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliott, who also serves as a member of the INPRS Board of Trustees, Elliott said lauded the board’s decision to remove BlackRock, describing the firm as an “ESG violator.” Elliott said: “Today, I and other INPRS board members...