The Case for Adjustable Defined Benefits

By Edward Ring
07/31/2014
Notwithstanding the fact that “adjustable defined benefits” might constitute an oxymoron, as a concept it represents the only way that defined benefit plans can be sustained. Rather than throwing new employees into individual 401K plans, while they effectively subsidize legacy defined benefits for veteran employees and retirees, why not adjust defined benefits down to a...

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Saving Defined Benefits Requires Lower Pensions for Existing Workers and Retirees

By Edward Ring
12/06/2012
Among pension reformers there is a spirited ongoing debate regarding what might constitute a financially sustainable yet equitable solution. On one side there is a call to do away with defined benefits entirely, replacing them with defined contribution plans. The argument is compelling; with defined contribution plans, when the participant retires, they survive on the...

TAGS: defined benefits