Pension funds

State and local pension funds are "surviving but not thriving," said Equable in its State of Pensions 2025 report.

This year's portfolio growth will save the city $2.18 billion over the next five years, Comptroller Brad Lander said.

Record contributions from public employers made up for below-expectation investment returns, according to a report published by the the Equable Institute.

Seventeen states now allow or are considering legislation that allows reserve funds to be invested into cryptocurrency while sixteen are moving towards allowing crypto investments in their pension funds.

The largest issuance the Local Government Commission approved was $387 million of bonds for Mecklenburg County.

Pension analysts are calling for higher contributions even as financial conditions improve.

The passage of a $11 billion plan, which aims to fully fund police and fire pensions in 30 years, comes as the retirement system is pushing its own plan in court.

In this episode, Howard Cure, Director of Municipal Bond Research at Evercore Wealth Management, discusses the improving state of public pensions, the ongoing challenges faced by states like New Jersey and Illinois, and the risks associated with pension obligation bonds.

Public pensions are averaging a significantly improved 80.6% funded ratio, but took on riskier investments to obtain higher returns, which would be problematic in a market correction.

"It would be irresponsible for us to ignore factors that can fundamentally impact the long-term viability of investments," said CalPERS interim Chief Investment Officer Dan Bienvenue of climate risks.