Pension Publications

The Pension Rights Center publishes a wide range of fact sheets that translate complex pension rules and concepts into plain English. These fact sheets include explanations of topics currently in the news as well as summaries of basic concepts. Click on the links below for a fact sheet about that particular issue.

• Pension Freezes
• List of Companies that Have Frozen or Changed Their Pension Plans
• How Well-Funded is Your Pension Plan?

• Benefit Cutbacks in Single-Employer Plans
• Benefit Cutbacks in Multiemployer Plans

• Spousal and Divorce Fact Sheets
  • Inequities in the Law
  • Pension Rights at Divorce
  • State Plans and Divorce

• Find Out if Your Pension Plan Can Afford To Give You a COLA

• Federal Pension Insurance Protections
• Defined Benefit Pensions and the PBGC

• Retirement Plan Contribution and Benefit Limits

• A New Type of Savings Plan: The Roth 401(k)

The following fact sheets are published by other organizations, government agencies, and firms:

• A Look at 401(k) Plan Fees (Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor)
• Mutual Fund Fees and Expenses (Securities and Exchange Commission, July 2007)
• What You Should Know About Your Retirement Plan (Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, November 2006)
• Retirement Programs Comparison Chart (Ice Miller, LLP, November 2006). This chart compares retirement programs that are "tax-qualified" under the Internal Revenue Code. Originally prepared for 2006 NACUA Annual Conference.
• List of Advantages and Disadvantages for DB and DC Plans (Gabriel, Roeder, Smith and Co., November 2003)

Information about public pension programs:

• 2006 Comparative Study of Major Public Employee Retirement Systems (Wisconsin Legislative Council, December 2007)
• Key Facts Regarding State and Local Government Defined Benefit Retirement Plans (National Association of State Retirement Administrators, January 2007). Prepared for the National Council on Teacher Retirement.