
<p>Retirement insights from a Colorado PERA perspective</p>



<p></p>


A distant view shows a mountainous landscape with sloping peaks, green trees in the foreground, and a cloudy sky above.


<h2 style="color:#000000;" class="wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><a href="https://www.nextavenue.org/us-national-plan-on-aging/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Finally Has a Plan on Aging: Will We Use It? | Next Avenue</a></h2>



<p>A collection of federal agencies known as The Interagency Coordinating Committee on Healthy Aging and Age-Friendly Communities has taken its first step toward developing a nationwide plan for supporting aging adults. The report focuses on four key areas: age-friendly communities, housing, long-term care, and health and well-being. Officials expect to release a more detailed action plan after listening to feedback from the public.</p>



<h2 style="color:#000000;" class="wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><a href="https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/irs-ends-confusion-annual-rmds-required-for-many-inherited-iras" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New IRS Inherited IRA Rules: Annual RMDs Required for Many Beneficiaries | Kiplinger</a></h2>



<p>The IRS issued final rules that clarify the requirements for people who inherit an individual retirement account (IRA) from the original account holder. Beginning in 2025, most non-spouse beneficiaries will have to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) and deplete the account within 10 years.</p>



<h2 style="color:#000000;" class="wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><a href="https://www.investmentnews.com/regulation-and-legislation/news/second-court-blocks-all-aspects-of-dols-fiduciary-rule-255828" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Second Court Blocks All Aspects of DOL&#8217;s Fiduciary Rule | InvestmentNews</strong></a></h2>



<p>Two district court judges have halted implementation of the Department of Labor’s new fiduciary rule. That rule, which had been set to go into effect in September, aims to increase protections for retirement savers by expanding the definition of who in the financial services sector is considered a fiduciary and is therefore required to act in their clients’ best interests. Insurance companies had sued the government to try to prevent the rule from taking effect.</p>



<h2 style="color:#000000;" class="wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><a href="https://hbr.org/2024/07/why-people-resist-retirement" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Why People Resist Retirement | Harvard Business Review</a></h2>



<p>Making the decision to retire is a complex and personal process, and it usually involves financial and health factors. But for some, transitioning into retirement is a challenge for various psychological reasons. New research from Harvard found three main obstacles prospective retirees face that aren’t financial: changes in identity, purpose, and relationships.</p>



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<p><em>News You Should Know is a digest of news from publications around the nation about finance, investing, and retirement.</em></p>


News You Should Know: U.S. Releases Federal Framework on Aging


<h2 style="color:#000000;" class="wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/hhs-lowers-64-prescription-drug-prices-under-medicare-rebate-program" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HHS Lowers Prescription Drug Prices Under IRA Medicare Rebates | Fierce Healthcare</a></h2>



<p>The federal government released the latest list of prescription medications that will be discounted under Medicare because their prices rose faster than inflation. The list includes 64 drugs that will be available for lower coinsurance percentages as of July 1.</p>



<h2 style="color:#000000;" class="wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2024/06/28/lawmakers-managed-to-fix-social-security-in-the-1980s-but-those-fixes-wont-work-a-second-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reagan-Era Social Security Fixes Won&#8217;t Work This Time | Marketplace</a></h2>



<p>There have been plenty of headlines about Social Security’s dwindling cash reserves—the latest projections show the program is likely to run out of cash in about a decade. But the question of what, if anything, lawmakers intend to do about it remains. While past reforms may provide some insight, lawmakers will likely have to come up with some new solutions this time around.</p>



<h2 style="color:#000000;" class="wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-banks-suffer-steeper-losses-retain-large-cushions-annual-fed-health-check-2024-06-26/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">US Banks Suffer Steeper Losses, But Retain Large Cushions in Annual Fed Health Check | Reuters</a></h2>



<p>Every year, the Federal Reserve conducts a “stress test” to assess the financial resilience of the country’s biggest banks. This year’s test found the banks would be able to withstand severe market volatility and other economic factors while still keeping enough money on hand to lend.</p>



<h2 style="color:#000000;" class="wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/20/business/retirement/retire-advice-life-tips.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6E0.G3Q9.aN7ecjCdCYnK&amp;smid=url-share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stories About What Retirement Really Means | The New York Times</a></h2>



<p>The New York Times asked its readers to send in their perspectives, experiences, and advice on retirement. Almost 1,500 people responded, and their views on retirement show a wide breadth of sentiments—positive, negative, and in between.</p>



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<p><em>News You Should Know is a digest of news from publications around the nation about finance, investing, and retirement.</em></p>


News You Should Know: Dozens of Drugs to Be Discounted Under Medicare


<p>Every month, Colorado PERA distributes millions of dollars in retirement benefits to more than 110,000 retirees living in Colorado. Those retirees spend their retirement income in their communities, contributing to the local and regional economies and supporting thousands of jobs.</p>



<p>The economic effects of PERA retiree spending are the focus of a recently released report, <a href="https://www.copera.org/u-s-pension-benefits-played-important-economic-role-in-first-year-of-pandemic" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="broken_link"><em>Colorado PERA’s Economic and Fiscal Impacts</em></a><em>,</em> prepared by Boulder-based Pacey Economics.</p>



<p>In 2021, PERA paid $4.35 billion in retirement benefits to more than 110,000 Colorado retirees, resulting in $6.8 billion in total economic output and supporting 31,449 jobs statewide, according to the report. In addition, retirees paid $382.2 million in state and local taxes on those PERA benefits.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The multiplier effect</h2>



<p>Every dollar a retiree receives from PERA is a dollar they can spend on goods and services in their community — at the grocery store, restaurants, retail stores and other businesses. That spending sets off a multiplier effect as businesses then spend money to stock more inventory and hire more staff. The result is that original PERA dollar continues to be invested in the local community as businesses and their employees also purchase goods and services.</p>



<p>This cycle of spending illustrates the economic measure of “value-added,” which counts only the additional production of goods and services resulting from PERA distributions rather than total output.</p>



<p>Pacey Economics estimates a PERA retiree’s economic output multiplier at 1.56, meaning an extra 56 cents are generated in the economy for every dollar a retiree spends. In total, PERA retiree spending resulted in $3.16 billion in added economic value statewide last year.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">PERA benefits as a stabilizing force</h2>



<p>PERA distributions are a source of regular, reliable income for the thousands of Colorado retirees who receive them. That consistent flow of income is especially helpful to local and regional economies during times of uncertainty and downturn.</p>



<p>“Retiree and beneficiary spending is a vital part of Colorado’s economy,” said PERA Executive Director Ron Baker. “The stabilizing effect of that spending has been evident amid the economic uncertainty we’ve experienced in recent years.”</p>



<p>While the Denver metropolitan area has the largest number of benefit recipients, the impact of PERA benefits is especially large in rural areas of Colorado, where there may be lower economic activity. In rural parts of the state, PERA distributions are higher per capita and they make up a larger portion of county payroll.</p>



<p>For example, in Custer County, PERA retirees received more than $7 million in retirement distributions in 2021, representing more than 37 percent of payroll. In Denver County, $383,118,000 in PERA distributions amounted to just over 1 percent of payroll. Statewide, PERA benefits make up 2.9 percent of payroll.</p>



<p>For more information, including detailed breakdowns by region and county, <a href="https://www.copera.org/u-s-pension-benefits-played-important-economic-role-in-first-year-of-pandemic" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="broken_link">download the full report here</a>.</p>


PERA Benefits Contribute Billions of Dollars to State Economy, Support Thousands of Jobs


<p><em>This is the second in a series of articles for National Retirement Security Month exploring how Colorado PERA provides retirement security to public employees.</em></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stability amid uncertainty</h2>



<p>At a time when many people have struggled to save for retirement on their own, PERA has continued to pay retirement benefits that support retirees and Colorado’s economy.</p>



<p>When the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, businesses shut their doors, stock markets dropped, and many people found themselves facing the loss of income and savings. That economic disruption was especially painful for older Americans who rely on their savings for income in retirement: <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/surveys/2021/sep/impact-covid-19-older-adults">A recent survey by The Commonwealth Fund</a> found that in the United States, 19 percent of adults 65 and older used up all or most of their savings or lost a source of income during the pandemic. That’s a higher percentage than other high-income countries included in the survey.</p>



<p>For public sector employees who participate in a defined benefit pension plan like what PERA offers, benefit payments have offered some financial stability during otherwise uncertain times.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The value of reliable income</h2>



<p>Retirees who rely on retirement plans like 401(k)s or their personal savings have to carefully track their withdrawals during retirement to make sure they don’t overspend and deplete their accounts. But in a defined benefit retirement plan, retirees receive a monthly payment that isn’t determined by their account balance, and a retiree cannot outlive their benefit.</p>



<p>While the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects have been felt far and wide, PERA continued to pay monthly benefits to the thousands of retirees in Colorado who rely on them.</p>



<p>In 2020, PERA paid more than $4.2 billion in pension benefits to more than 107,000 retirees living in Colorado, with an average monthly benefit of $3,204. Those benefit payments translate to billions of dollars in spending, supporting local businesses and jobs. In 2019, <a href="https://content.copera.org/pera-benefits-provide-economic-stability-during-uncertain-times/">a report by Boulder-based Pacey Economics</a> calculated that retiree spending in Colorado supported more than 32,000 jobs.</p>



<p>The stabilizing effect of PERA benefits is especially important in Colorado’s rural areas, where retiree income makes up a greater share of area payroll. In 26 Colorado counties (nearly all rural), these distributions represent at least 10 percent of the county’s total payroll.</p>



<p>In addition, PERA had more than $808 million invested in Colorado-based companies, partnerships, and assets as of the end of 2020. Those investments include equity of companies headquartered in Colorado and real estate investments. PERA also employs investment managers with operations and employees in the state.</p>



<p>Together, PERA benefits and investments strengthen Colorado’s economy and help provide stability during periods of uncertainty. And although changes to PERA — including increased contributions and a decreased Annual Increase — have been difficult for everyone, they have resulted in a more resilient plan that is able to continue to pay monthly lifetime benefits while meeting its funding goal.</p>


PERA Benefits Provide Economic Stability During Uncertain Times


<p><em>In this story:</em></p>



<ul>
<li><em>Members of Generation X and Millennials are more concerned than other generations about their ability to save enough for retirement</em></li>



<li><em>Younger generations are also more likely to be worried about the effects of the pandemic on their retirement planning</em></li>



<li><em>Generations agree on the value of defined benefit plans like Colorado PERA</em></li>
</ul>



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<p>A <a href="https://www.nirsonline.org/reports/generations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recent survey</a> by the National Institute on Retirement Security found that Americans who fall into the Generation X and Millennial categories are more pessimistic than older generations about their retirement prospects and are more likely to be concerned about how the COVID-19 pandemic might have affected their retirement plans.</p>



<p>The survey also found the various age groups have some important points of agreement, including the overall state of retirement security and the need for greater access to retirement plans like those offered by Colorado PERA.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Where the generations differ in retirement outlooks</h2>



<p>The National Institute on Retirement Security surveyed 1,203 people in December 2020. For the purpose of the survey, Millennials were defined as those who were 25 to 43 years old, Generation X as 44 to 55 years old, Baby Boomers as 56 to 74, and the Silent Generation as anyone 75 and older.</p>



<p>NIRS found that while the generations agree that there’s a retirement crisis in the United States, Generation X and Millennials have generally more pessimistic views of the situation. Seventy-two percent of Millennials and 59 percent of Generation X said they’re concerned about achieving a financially secure retirement, versus 43 percent of Baby Boomers and 26 percent of the Silent Generation.</p>



<p>Additionally, 64 percent of Millennials and 54 percent of Generation X said they’re more concerned about their retirement in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 42 percent of Boomers and 25 percent of the Silent Generation said the same.</p>



<p>The younger generations were also far more likely to have dipped into their emergency or retirement savings during the pandemic, according to the survey.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Where the generations agree</h2>



<p>The <a href="https://www.nirsonline.org/reports/generations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NIRS survey</a> found broad agreement across the generations on the challenges workers face while saving for retirement, with large majorities of each group saying the average worker cannot save enough money for retirement on their own.</p>



<p>The four generations also agree that it’s important to provide for retirees. Majorities of each group support Social Security and would be in favor of increasing contributions. Each group also agreed on the importance of defined benefit retirement plans, also known as pensions, which provide retirees with a lifetime benefit they can’t outlive. Eighty-one percent of Millennials described their views of pensions as favorable, and 68 percent of the Silent Generation said the same. All four generations agreed that every American worker should have access to a pension plan.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Where PERA factors in</h2>



<p>In Colorado, the state’s largest workforce — public employees like state workers, teachers, corrections officers, snow plow drivers and others who serve our state — has access to a pension through Colorado PERA.<ins></ins></p>



<p>PERA is a <a href="https://content.copera.org/survey-millennials-gen-x-especially-pessimistic-about-retirement-prospects/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hybrid defined benefit plan</a>, providing a defined benefit pension to most members and offering a choice between the defined benefit plan and defined contribution plan to others. Of those given the choice between the DB and DC plans, 9 out of 10 choose the DB option.</p>



<p>The average PERA member retires at approximately 59 years old and lives until their early 80s, receiving benefit payments from PERA every month while they’re retired. In 2020, PERA paid more than $4.2 billion in pension benefits to more than 107,000 retirees living in Colorado, with an average monthly benefit of $3,204. At a time when many workers are anxious about their ability to save enough for retirement, defined benefit plans like PERA not only provide peace of mind in retirement, they also serve as an effective recruiting tool for public employers looking to attract and retain employees.</p>


Tag Archives:

News You Should Know: U.S. Releases Federal Framework on Aging

News You Should Know: Dozens of Drugs to Be Discounted Under Medicare

PERA Benefits Contribute Billions of Dollars to State Economy, Support Thousands of Jobs

PERA Benefits Provide Economic Stability During Uncertain Times

Survey: Millennials, Gen X Especially Pessimistic About Retirement Prospects

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