Resource Center
| Use one of the following options to search the resource library: | ||
|
|
|
|
An Overview of Public Sector Retirement Plan Governance Structures and Fiduciary Principles
Publisher: NAGDCA
Publication Date: March 2025
This guide provides broad information on governance structures and mechanisms that help plan sponsors manage their plans effectively. While the guidance aligns with general fiduciary principles, it’s essential for each plan sponsor to educate themselves on their state’s specific regulations to ensure full compliance.
State and Local Government Spending on Public Employee Retirement Systems
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: March 2025
This update provides figures for public pension contributions as a percentage of all state and local government direct general spending for FY 2022, and projects a rate of spending on pensions on an aggregate basis for FY 2023.
State and Local Government Contributions to Statewide Pensions Plans: FY 23
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: December 2024
Pension benefits for employees of state and local governments are paid from trust funds to which public employers and employees contribute during employees’ working years. Timely contributions are vital both to adequate funding and to the sustainability of these plans.
The Financial Health of Public Pensions: Fact vs. Fiction
Publisher: National Public Pension Coalition
Publication Date: October 2024
On any given day in America, news outlets run headlines sensationalizing the funding status, investment returns, and management of state and municipal pension systems. Luckily, we are here to help you decipher what’s fact and what’s fiction when it comes to pension funding.
Employee Contributions to Public Pension Plans
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: November 2024
Reforms made in the wake of the 2008-09 market decline included higher employee contribution rates for many public pension plans. This issue brief examines employee contribution plan designs, policies and recent trends.
Retirement Benefits for State Judges
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: October 2024
NASRA compiled data regarding retirement benefits for judges in each state and the District of Columbia who are newly appointed or elected. The discussion in this report addresses four key components of judicial retirement plan design.
State Hybrid Retirement Plans
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: September 2024
The most recognized hybrid plan designs are cash balance plans and defined benefit-defined contribution (DB-DC) combination plans; these plan designs are the focus of this brief.
State Hybrid Retirement Plans
Publisher: NASR
Secure 2.0: A Desk Reference for Governmental Plans
Publisher: NCPERS
Publication Date: 2024
NCPERS developed this desk reference to provide guidance on the provisions most likely to impact governmental plans and sponsors.
State Retirement System Governing Authority Arrangements
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: July 2024
This report describes the various arrangements used to provide oversight of retirement system operations and to invest assets. It focuses on 120 boards, three sole trustees, and four systems with non-traditional governance arrangements, that provide oversight of state retirement systems and investment functions.
Analysis of Public Retirement System Disability Incidence
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: July 2024
This analysis examines the disability incidence of public retirement systems based on three factors: occupational class, disability eligibility criteria, and disability plan design. Data are distinguished by employee type whenever possible, contingent on the scope of coverage and reporting framework in use among systems and plans.
The Hidden Costs of Pension Reforms
Publisher: NCPERS
Publication Date: 2024
This paper will review various broad types of changes in both public and private sector pension coverage and their relationship to income inequality and economic growth at both the national and state levels.
State & Local Government Spending on Public Employee Retirement Systems
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: Updated February 2024
This update provides figures for public pension contributions as a percentage of all state and local government direct general spending for FY 2021, and projects a rate of spending on pensions on an aggregate basis for FY 2022.
Public Fund Survey for FY 2022
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: November 2023
The Public Fund Survey is an online compendium of key characteristics and trends affecting most of the nation’s largest public retirement systems. The Survey is provided by the National Association of State Retirement Administrators.
State & Local Government Contributions to Statewide Pensions Plans: 2022
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: November 2023
This brief contains a brief history of public pension contributions, then takes a deeper dive into recent contribution experience.
No Quick Fix
Publisher: NIRS
Publication Date: December 2023
This report tracks experience for 5 states that closed their DB Plans. It shows the difficulties those states are having paying down their unfunded actuarial liabilities and attracting/retaining staff.
Approved Changes to State Public Pensions, 2019 - Present
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: June 2023
This is a list of changes to various provisions for state public pension systems that occurred beginning in 2019. It lists the changes system by system for each state.
State and Local Government Spending on Public Employee Retirement Systems
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: February 2023
This update provides figures for public pension contributions as a percentage of state and local government direct general spending for FY 2020, and projects a rate of spending on pensions on an aggregate basis for FY 2021.
State and Local Government Contributions to Statewide Pension Plans - FY 2021
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: December 2022
This brief includes a history of public pension contributions, recent contribution experience, and an analysis of how a plan's governance structure might influence funding experience.
The Impact of Inflation on Public Pensions
Publisher: NCPERS
Publication Date: Fall 2022
Except for some COLA designs and potential investment impacts, periods of high inflation generally do not have a direct, immediate impact on public pensions. Typically, the effect is delayed and is based on other factors related to inflation; and may not have as great an impact on plan costs as the prices of goods and services.
State Hybrid Retirement Plans
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: July 2022
The focus of this brief is the plan designs of hybrid plans, which combine elements of both defined benefit and defined contribution plans.
Overview of Public Pension Plan Amortization Policies
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: April 2022
A pension plan’s amortization policy is a central feature of its funding policy, and the effectiveness of the amortization policy can have significant effects on a pension plan’s long-term cost. This paper looks at the amortization policies of 124 public pension plans.
State and Local Government Spending on Public Employee Retirement Systems
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: February 2022
This update provides figures for public pension contributions as a percentage of state and local government direct general spending for FY 2019, and projects a rate of spending on pensions on an aggregate basis for FY 2020.
Employee Contributions to Public Pension Plans
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: September 2021
This NASRA Issue Brief examines employee contribution plan designs, policies and recent trends.
Public Pension Plan Investment Return Assumptions (updated February 2021)
Publication Date: February 2021
NASRA issue brief showing investment return assumptions for public pension plans, updated in 2021.
State Retirement Hybrid Plans
Publication Date: June 2020
Although hybrid retirement plans take many forms, this brief examines two types in use in the public sector: the cash balance plan, and the "DC & DB Plan."
Cost-of-Living Adjustments
Publication Date: June 2020
This brief presents a discussion about the purpose of COLAs, the different types of COLAs provided by government pension plans, and an overview of recent state changes to COLA provisions.
Overview of Public Pension Plan Governance
Publication Date: November 2019
This overview is intended to summarize the laws and rules that govern public plans, and the range of entities typically responsible for them.
Public Retirement Systems Study 2019
Publisher: NCPERS
Publication Date: January 2020
From September to December 2019, the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS) undertook a comprehensive study exploring retirement practices of the public sector.
Public Pension Plan Investment Return Assumptions (updated February 2020)
Publisher: NASRA
Publication Date: February 2020
Updated NASRA issue brief showing investment return assumptions for public pension plans.
Unintended Consequences: How Scaling Back Pensions Puts Government Revenues at Risk
Publisher: NCPERS
Publication Date: May 2018
This is the first study of its kind that examines the impact of investment of pension fund assets and spending of pension checks by retirees on state and local economies and revenues.
Unintended Consequences: How Scaling Back Pensions Puts Government Revenues at Risk 2020 Update
Publisher: NCPERS
Publication Date: May 2020
2020 Update to the original NCPERS research study.
Public Pensions Are a Good Deal for Taxpayers
Publication Date: August 2017
The prevailing practice of dismantling pensions is a bad deal for taxpayers according to this NCPERS research paper.
Model Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy
Publisher: APPFA
Publication Date: 2013
The following Model Code of Conduct & Ethics Policy (Ethics Policy) captures many of the best practices used at the present time, February 2013. This Ethics Policy does not encompass all items that might be appropriate to a particular public pension fund, nor will all items identified in this Ethics Policy be relevant to every public pension fund. Accordingly, this Ethics Policy may be tailored to each public pension fund’s needs.
Statements of Key Investment Risks and Common Practices to Address Those Risks
Publication Date: 2000
After large investment losses in 2000, several organizations developed various investment risk management guidelines or standards. Most of those standards and guidelines, however, were not specifically oriented to the unique perspective of public pension systems. Because of this, public pension plan CIOs and the Association of Public Pension Fund Auditors (APPFA) participated in a joint project to develop a risk document specifically with the intent of identifying common risks faced by public pension systems and the practices being utilized to address those risks.
Operational Risks of Defined Benefit and Related Plans and Controls to Mitigate those Risks
Publication Date: 2013
Public pension funds (Funds) face a large number of risks on the administrative and benefits side of the business. Some inherent risks do not change much over time. However, other risks and the mitigating controls for all risks are often affected by the constant changes in technology and the environment in which the Funds operate. This publication lists some of the risks that Funds face and some of the controls that may be put in place to mitigate these risks.