PRC News E-Newsletter

Below is our most recent PRC News E-newsletter.

December 22, 2008

As 2008 comes to an end, the Pension Rights Center would like to send you our best wishes, thank you for your support, and give you an update on what we've been up to this year. 

The current financial crisis has made the Center's work more important than ever. For many, a pension is the difference between living in poverty and being able to pay basic expenses.  By supporting the Pension Rights Center and its work, you will help ensure that the voices of workers, retirees and their families will continue to be heard in the public policy process, and that individuals will continue to get the help they need to receive the pensions they have earned.

This year, the Pension Rights Center has ...

  • Expanded PensionHelp America to link people in all parts of the country to counseling projects, government agencies, and pension professionals that can help them find answers to their pension questions and problems.
  • Provided training and technical assistance to the Pension Counseling and Information Program, which now covers 27 states. The Program's six regional counseling projects have recovered more than $85 million dollars in retirement benefits for countless individuals.
  • Advocated on behalf of workers, retirees and their families by commenting on proposed government agency regulations that will affect millions of Americans, on issues ranging from 401(k) investment options to funding notices for multiemployer pension plans.
  • Testified at congressional hearings on the importance of 401(k) fee disclosure and in support of pension protections for workers and retirees when their companies go into bankruptcy.
  • Joined forces with other organizations to end unfair provisions in pension laws that uniquely affect women. These inequities, initially identified by the Center's Women's Pension Project, often result in poverty among older women.
  • Connected individuals with their legislators by facilitating communication with members of Congress.  Through a new feature on the PRC web site, individuals can now take action to let their legislators know what they think about important pension issues.
  • Launched a new blog, PRC Perspectives, which provides timely commentaries on news and events in the pension world. Recent entries focus on topics as diverse as GM's suspension of its 401(k) match and profitable ExxonMobil's underfunded pension plan.
  • Appeared in numerous print and television media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune , CNBC, Consumer Reports, the Diane Rehm Show radio program, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal, to discuss a variety of issues, including the importance of guaranteed pensions and how best to weather the recession.

2009 promises to be another exciting year for the Center.  In 2009 we will work to implement proposals in our Consumer Agenda for Retirement Security and move forward on designing the contours of a new private retirement system above Social Security.  With your help, we can implement our ambitious agenda.   Please take a few minutes to support the Pension Rights Center and its initiatives as we move into the New Year.

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