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Guaranteed Income

The Green Mountain State and the Centennial State are going to partner in establishing VT Saves, the state-run program that will provide retirement plan coverage for private-sector employees in Vermont whose employers do not.  On June 1, 2023, Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed into law a measure creating... READ MORE
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on April 8 that Central States is returning approximately $127 million in excess funds it received through the PBGC’s Special Financial Assistance (SFA) program.  The Central States pension plan, at the... READ MORE
Increasing private-sector retirement plan coverage in a shifting retirement landscape is a major factor behind legislation that would establish Rhode Island Secure Choice, says Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa. The measure would provide retirement plan coverage for private-sector... READ MORE
Add private-sector employees in Alaska and Wisconsin to those covered by state-run plans if their employers do not offer a retirement plan. Maybe.  That is, if the governments of both states enact bills that would create state-run retirement savings plans for private-sector employees who do not... READ MORE
The Social Security Administration (SSA) on March 29 announced that it is slashing the default overpayment withholding rate for Social Security beneficiaries from 100% to 10% or $10, whichever is greater.  The change went into effect on March 25, 2024. But it applies to new overpayments, not those... READ MORE
It’s the latest iteration of the auto revolution (enrollment, escalation, portability). While not directly related to 401(k)s, an idea for automatic adjustments involves retirement income—specifically, Social Security. Alicia Munnell and William Arnone, two familiar names in retirement plan... READ MORE
Washington is the latest state to run a retirement program that will provide coverage for private-sector employees whose employers do not. On March 27, Pat Sullivan, Executive Director of Legislative Affairs in Inslee’s office, issued an announcement that SB 6069 was among the bills the Gov. Jay... READ MORE
Editor’s Note: This is Part II of a two-part series highlighting some trends involving private-sector pension plans in the early part of 2024. Part I is here. According to the U.S. Pension Risk Transfer (PRT) report Aon released March 20, there was a surge in PRT activity in the fourth quarter of... READ MORE
Editor’s Note: This is Part I of a two-part series highlighting some trends involving private-sector pension plans in the early part of 2024.  The winter doldrums were anything but this year, at least as far as pension funds are concerned. At the very least, regarding funding, shedding liabilities... READ MORE
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has updated a variety of interest rates used in determining the value of benefits, premiums, and penalties.  Variable Rate Premiums  The PBGC has adjusted the interest rates used in determining the value of vested benefits for purposes of variable... READ MORE
Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley on March 20 outlined steps the Social Security Administration (SSA) will be taking to address overpayments and underpayments. The announcement came during his testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Aging regarding the current state of the Social... READ MORE
Automatic enrollment of eligible employees in the Hawaii Retirement Savings Program is closer to being put in place.  Sen. Sharon Moriwaki (D-Waikiki) introduced SB2553 on Jan. 19, 2024. Under the bill, employees would no longer be required to opt in to participate in the Hawaii Retirement Savings... READ MORE
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) Director Gordon Hartogensis defended PBGC actions and said that it is “providing crucial pension relief” in a March 20 appearance before the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions. The subcommittee, part of the House Education and... READ MORE
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) on March 12 issued the interest assumptions under the asset allocation regulation for plans with valuation dates in the second quarter of 2024. The assumptions are contained in a final rule that amends the PBGC’s regulation on Allocation of Assets in... READ MORE
I’m not sure how old I was when I first saw “Night of the Living Dead”—but I have long been intrigued by stories of a zombie apocalypse—where mindless beings inexplicably rise from the dead, with no memory of their past, just a relentless (and apparently insatiable) hunger for…well, “us.” That is... READ MORE
It wasn’t high costs or 401(k)s—necessarily—that ended the corporate pension plan’s reign, but rather ERISA itself. A recent paper from John Langbein, Yale Law School’s Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law and Legal History, argued that the 1974 landmark law’s structure made defined benefit (DB)... READ MORE
Add the Evergreen State to those that provide retirement plan coverage for private-sector employees whose employers do not. Well, soon.  "In the beginning of March, Washington joined the 15 other states that had previously adopted state auto-IRA language, to provide the best opportunity for small... READ MORE
Snow may have rained down in much of the country in abundance, but February was a hot month for private-sector pension plans, according to recent analyses. October Three, Wilshire and Aon report good news for private-sector DB plans in February. How hot? In its report, Wilshire quotes Managing... READ MORE
Home and community-based services employees would be able to participate in Minnesota Secure Choice if a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives is enacted.  Rep. Kelly Moller (DFL-40A) introduced HF 4248 on Feb. 26. The legislation would amend the law creating the Minnesota Secure... READ MORE
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has issued information about the updated thresholds for the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) for 2024.  The updated information is contained in an annual report the CRS issues concerning the WEP and the GPO. Both... READ MORE

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