Oped: pensions

A version of this op-ed appeared in The Berkshire Eagle, The Salem News, The Gloucester Times, the Patriot Ledger, The Brockton Enterprise, and The New Bedford Standard-Times. BOSTON — Moody’s Investors Service estimates that total U.S. state and local government pension unfunded...

This op-ed appeared in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette on June 5, 2014. Illinois is often considered a basket case when it comes to obligations for public pensions and retiree health care liabilities, but really how far is Massachusetts from a similar status?...

Friday, April 11, 2014 Iliya Atanasov The MBTA Retirement Fund’s management has been aggressively spending taxpayers’ and retirees’ money to fend off attempts by the media and the Legislature to shine a light on its books. And the reason is becoming all...

Public retirement funds’ managers should embrace new reforms designed to minimize risk during this period of continued market volatility.

Realistic investment assumptions and paying down unfunded liabilities more aggressively are indispensable if we are to achieve public pensions that are solvent, fair to employees and attract qualified and capable individuals to public service.

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2012/06/06/public-pension-math-state-police-version/ The recent announcement that State Police Superintendent Marian McGovern is going to retire prompted me to look into her compensation and her choices.  (Note: I don’t know the superintendent and don’t question her commitment to public service.  The point here is...

http://www.politico.com/politicopulse/0412/politicopulse725.html TODAY: SENATE BUDGET BEGINS ‘MARKUP’ — The Senate’s top budget guru on Tuesday said he’s introducing the so-called “Simpson-Bowles” deficit report with hopes of building a bipartisan consensus before the end of the year. The committee will begin a markup on...

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/its-official-daniel-grabauskas-now-highest-paid-city-employee/123 It’s official – Daniel Grabauskas is now the highest paid city employee. The former chairman and senior strategic adviser of the Bronner Center for Transportation Management and former general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was confirmed today by the...

http://www.wickedlocal.com/brookline/news/x550228243/Payroll-tax-cut-means-thousands-in-savings-for-Mass-workers?zc_p=1#axzz2OHGE6ymJ Congress has temporarily extended a contentious payroll tax cut that means  significant savings for Bay State workers, but another battle looms in early  2012 on whether to keep the cut in place all year. After weeks of debate, Congress continued the...