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New Jersey Taking Small Steps to Pension Reform. Is it too Little too Late?

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America’s pension systems are in trouble. Here’s a little sample of what’s gone wrong:

In light of the pension troubles facing New Jersey, politicians are finally starting to take steps to privatize some of the state’s retirement system. But is it too little too late? The Wall Street Journal’s Joseph De Avila and Heather Gillers write:

Some New Jersey lawmakers are pushing an overhaul of the state’s pension system, one of the most deeply indebted retirement systems in the U.S., as payments are expected to more than double by 2023.

A bill introduced by the state Senate’s Democratic leadership would shift new state workers and teachers, as well as those with less than five years of experience, into a hybrid retirement plan that combines a pension with something like a 401(k) plan.

“The pension system is in a crisis,” said New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, who co-sponsored the legislation. “It’s crowding out any investment we want to make.”

New Jersey isn’t alone. Pension funds across the country are by some estimates $4 trillion short, putting pressure on municipal budgets and forcing tough decisions.

he proposal of a hybrid plan in a Democratic stronghold shows how popular the idea of sharing investment risk with public workers has become. At least 11 major public plans since 2008 have made changes tying at least part of their workers’ retirement benefits to market performance, according to the National Association of State Retirement Administrators.

Read more here.

Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.

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E.J. Smith

Editor-in-Chief
E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zilldjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@youngresearch.com.