The Labor Guide To Retirement Plans

"Researching retirement plans should not take the rest of your life, even if deciphering the relevant paperwork seems to have become a full-time job. Deliberately elaborate legalese is obscuring the efforts of financial elites to seize control of workers' collective retirement savings-and The Labor Guide to Retirement Plans is here to translate. In theory our national pension system, Social Security, should function well as a form of social insurance delivering partial retirement security, while workplace 401(k)s provide the rest. The problem is that very few do. Indeed, most workers have weak workplace retirement plans if they have them at all-and about half do not. Neoliberal retirement reforms have made matters worse, accelerating financial elites' efforts to replace workers' guaranteed pension plans with weak 401(k)-like savings accounts and stock market investment schemes and ultimately enabling financial elites to seize control of workers' collective retirement savings. The result is arguably the largest source of labor value expropriation over the last four decades. In light of all this, what do workers need to know as they assess their future prospects-especially in terms of the security their retirement plans may or may not bring? What should union activists keep in mind as they push for the national and workplace reforms needed to produce greater retirement security? This nuts-and-bolts book provides a much-needed demystification of the retirement system. Even more than that The Labor Guide to Retirement Plans enables us to take charge of our own personal futures, as a first step towards taking back what belongs to us all"--

An essential resource for workers navigating their retirement and pension options, from the labor organizer's perspective. Researching retirement plans should not take the rest of your life, even if deciphering the relevant paperwork seems to have become a full-time job. Deliberately elaborate legalese is obscuring the efforts of financial elites to seize control of workers' collective retirement savings—and The Labor Guide to Retirement Plans is here to translate. Neoliberal retirement reforms have escalated elites' efforts to replace guaranteed workplace retirement plans with weak 401(k)-like savings accounts and risky stock market investment schemes. The result is arguably the largest source of labor value expropriation over the last four decades. In light of all this, what do workers need to know as they assess their future prospects—especially in terms of the security their retirement plans may or may not bring? What should union activists keep in mind as they push for the national and workplace reforms needed to produce greater retirement security? This nuts-and-bolts book provides a much-needed demystification of the retirement system. Even more than that The Labor Guide to Retirement Plans enables us to take charge of our own personal futures, as a first step towards taking back what belongs to us all.

As the U.S. Population ages, retirement is becoming an increasingly important life stage. Pension and retirement plans are crucial to the financial well-being of older citizens and key determinants of their standard of living. Many varieties of pension plans are currently offered, and employers have an interest in these plans because a good pension plan can help an employer attract, retain, and motivate a competent workforce. In some cases, the employer's financial health can depend significantly on the financial health of its pension plan. When employers make decisions regarding pension and retirement plans, they are making decisions that have high stakes for both their employees and the employer itself. Poor decisions can lead to intense scrutiny, sometimes by the media or in the courtroom. Good pension decision making can provide a secure future for the employer and its employees. Managing Pension and Retirement Plans: A Guide for Employers, Administrators and Other Fiduciaries covers the essential financial issues surrounding pension plans. It discusses investment policy and strategy, performance measurement, fiduciary responsibilities, and labor market issues, among other topics. Anyone responsible for any aspect of pension plan management will profit from reading this book.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, less than half of the workforce has calculated how much they need to save in order to retire. People often look to their retirement as free time. But there is no such thing as "free" time - retirement has its own bills to pay. How do you meet your expenses when pension plans only cover a small percentage of your living costs? For most people, the ultimate goal of their working years is a comfortable and easy retirement. Yet, many working people avoid planning for the future because retirement seems so far off, or they live for today, hoping that tomorrow will take care of itself. The concepts of planning and saving need not be daunting. Whether you are in your early twenties or your late fifties, it's never too early or too late to plan for your retirement. The Retirement Planning Book is a rich source of information that will guide you through the process of planning your golden years Find out about early retirement, financial planning, investments, social security, pension plans, and more from this concise, easy-to-read guide. Look to the years ahead with The Retirement Planning Book - your handbook for planning a comfortable future!

Designed for those about 10 years from retirement, this comprehensive publication has step-by-step worksheets to help you figure out how much money you need to retire and how to make sure your funds will last during your retirement.