Get the Facts

The Pension Rights Center has written numerous fact sheets, newsletters, pamphlets and books to promote public awareness of pension issues, and to help workers and retirees understand their pension plans and the laws and regulations that govern them. There are also many publications published by other organizations that provide helpful information about retirement programs.

Statistics (View All)

Income of Today’s Older Adults

As concern about the adequacy of the nation's retirement income programs moves to the forefront of public debate, policymakers and the public are looking to statistics to argue for or against the need for reform. Because there is a wide range of data from a variety of sources, the statistics can be confusing.

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Why Pensions Are Important

This fact sheet explains the role pensions play in the overall retirement security of American workers, retirees, and their families.

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How many American workers participate in workplace retirement plans?

Annual figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics help paint a picture of the number of Americans who participate in a retirement plan at work. Typically in any year only half of workers participate in a retirement plan at work. In 2018 participation by all civilian workers, full and part-time, was 56 percent. The information below comes from the Bureau of Labor Statist

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Fact Sheets (View All)

Understanding Survivor Benefits in Private Retirement Plans

For married participants in retirement plans, a top concern is making sure that a spouse will receive their retirement benefits if they die. Luckily, most pension plans and many other retirement plans in the United States provide a survivor benefit to widowed spouses of retirement plan participants.

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The Labor Department’s Notice-and-Access Disclosure Rule: The Basics

The Labor Department has issued a new rule for electronic delivery of plan disclosures to retirement plan participants, called “notice-and-access.”^[1] The rule is effective July 27, 2020.^[2]<

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The Labor Department’s new disclosure rule: What could it mean for you?

The Labor Department issued a new rule, effective July 27, 2020, that describes a new form of electronic disclosure for retirement plan information called “notice-and-access.” This new scheme of disclosure will put the burden of finding

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Reports (View All)

Employee Stock Ownership Plans: Are They Worth the Risks?

In good financial times, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) have the appearance of being an excellent deal for employees, because ESOPs offer partial ownership over the company that employs them.

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Laying the Groundwork for More Efficient Retirement Savings Incentives (November 2015)

This report begins by highlighting a few basic reform principles that would make savings incentives more efficient to guide the subsequent recommendations. The report then summarizes the main problems that underlie the inefficiencies of current savings incentives, followed by recommendations to address these problems.

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The Inefficiencies of Existing Retirement Savings Incentives (October 2015)

America’s middle class faces a growing retirement crisis. More than half of all working-age households are expected to be at risk of having to cut back their standard of living—often making painful adjustments—when they retire. There are several reasons for the ever-larger looming crisis, but people’s inability to save enough money is a key obstacle to achieving more retirement security.

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Books (View All)

Longevity Policy: Facing Up to Longevity Issues Affecting Social Security, Pensions, and Older Workers

Turner argues that public policy should recognize longevity policy as a distinct policy area. Rather than separately treating issues raised by life expectancy (e.g., Social Security, pensions, older workers), a unified approach should be developed that recognizes their interrelationship.

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The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974: A Political History

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974: A Political History, by James A. Wooten, 2005.

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Saving Social Security: A Balanced Approach (Revised Edition)

Saving Social Security: A Balanced Approach (Revised Edition), by Peter A. Diamond and Peter R. Orszag, 2005.

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Looking for help with your retirement plan?

If you have a problem with your retirement plan, free help may be available from the U.S. Administration on Aging's network of Pension Counseling and Information Projects. Find help now.

Share your story

What's your story?

We're hearing from people around the country who are worried about cuts to their pensions. These are their stories.

PensionHelp America connects people who need help with their pension, 401(k), and other retirement plans with the pension counseling projects, legal services providers, and government agencies that can help answer their questions. Visit www.pensionhelp.org.

Roadmap to retirement

Let our roadmap to helpful information about retirement plans for private-sector workers put you on the path toward a secure retirement. Get started.

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In the News

New Law Causes Musicians’ Pension Trustees to Rethink Benefit Cuts

Tens of thousands of musicians— pianists, trumpeters, celloists, saxophonists and others— who were fighting cuts to their pensions are reaping immediate gains from the newly enacted Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act, which was passed as part of the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 aid package, known as the American Resc More...

Did You Know?

Individual Retirement Accounts, or IRAs, are private accounts that allow individuals to save for retirement. Each type of IRA is governed by a unique set of rules that offer different tax benefits. Read our IRA fact sheets to learn about the different types of IRAs.