Do you have an extra $45,689 for you and every member of your family (including kids)? That’s your share of the shortfall in Alaska’s unfunded public pensions. Alaskan Win Gruening writes in MustRead […]
Have an extra $45,689?
AJOC Talks Teacher Compensation & Student Performance
The Alaska Journal of Commerce (AJOC) has published three very interesting pieces this week focusing on teacher pay, performance bonuses and student performance. All pieces are very readable to the lay person. In “Small […]
412 Anchorage City Employees Cost More than the Mayor in 2017
True to one of our guiding principles that government should be limited and as transparent as possible, we are providing the most recent annual payroll for the Municipality of Anchorage. We believe it […]
Alaska’s Budget Deficit: Have we really cut enough?
In a large statewide poll conducted by Hellenthal and Associates in the spring of 2017, Alaskan voters agreed with the following statement by a two-to-one margin: “The state budget needs to be drastically […]
State sees bonds as investment capital to close unfunded pension gap
Selling up to $5 billion in bonds could either place Alaska further in the red or, as State officials hope, successfully decrease the multi-billion dollar pension unfunded liability. (This is a repost of an article we posted in June 2010)
Audio: The Failed Experiment of Pension Bonding
In 2008, the Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 13, which authorized the selling of bonds (debt) for investment to fill the $10 billion pension gap in PERS/TRS.
Public Service Millionaires in Ohio
The state of Ohio has a program option called DROP that allows public employees (police officers, firefighters) to “double dip” on their pensions. This report from the Buckeye Institute explains why the program matters to the individual Ohio citizen, and specifically how the system should be changed.
Startling state unfunded liabilities
NCPA’s Unfunded Liabilities report takes a sobering look at state pension plans. Alaska’s unfunded liabilities are 42% of the state’s GDP.
The Cost of the Protected Class in California
(WSJ) Few Californians in the private sector have $1 million in savings, but that’s effectively the retirement account they guarantee to many state government employees.
Unfunded pension liabilities drastically underestimated
(NCAP) Recent reports state that due to over-estimated discount rates, the public employee retirement pension liabilities of many state and local governments have been under-estimated by 75-86 percent.
Rates adjusted to address unfunded PERS/TRS gap
After two full days of presentations, discussions and review, the Alaska Retirement Management Board approved pension contribution rates today for fiscal year 2012 in an effort to reduce the multi-billion dollar unfunded liability.
Alaska Watchdog: Board to approve state’s retirement funds
The Alaska Retirement Management Board meets today and Friday in Anchorage to review the multi-billion dollar public retirement systems find ways to fully fund the systems in the future.
Millionaire Police Officers?
(Forbes.com) It is said that government workers now make, on average, 30% more than private sector workers. Put that fantasy aside. It far underestimates the real figures.