PERA

Colorado’s proposed pension reform is a missed opportunity 0
- April 24, 2018
In November of 2016, Colorado’s Public Employees Retirement Association Board (PERA) realized it had a problem. Not only did the state’s public pension system have a current unfunded liability of $50 billion, but overly-optimistic expected returns and overly-pessimistic mortality tables would leave the plan at less than 20 percent funded in a couple of decades
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PERA’s problems demand meaningful reform 0
- October 23, 2017
Change is coming. The citizens of Colorado can choose to be its architects rather than its victims.
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An opportunity for lawmakers to fix Colorado’s broken public pension system 0
- June 22, 2017
Last fall, members of the Colorado Public Employee Retirement Association (PERA) got some bad news: the amortization periods for the public pension system’s two largest funds had ballooned dangerously. Under current assumptions, the state fund would not be fully funded for 55 years, and the even larger school fund would not be fully funded for 75 years.
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PERA deserves an earful on its listening tour 0
- May 17, 2017
Members and non-members alike should be prepared to ask PERA’s board some tough questions about their credibility.
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PERA’s Problems in 2016 0
- November 20, 2016
Colorado’s Public Employee Retirement Association, PERA, is the public pension plan for Colorado’s state workers and public school teachers, as well as some local government employees. PERA has five major divisions, State Division, School Division, Denver Public Schools Division, Local Government Division, and Judicial Division. Far and away, the two largest divisions are the State and School Division.

PERA’s largest offering is its Defined Benefit plan, which promises lifetime benefits for retirees, based on age at retirement and years worked. It functions in lieu of Social Security for its active members. The plan is funded by a combination of government contributions and member contributions, which vary from division to division. PERA also offers a smaller Defined Contribution plan.
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PERA’s low returns call for changes to pension system 0
- August 25, 2016
Starting now, we can begin to move the investment risk back where it lies for the rest of us: to the employee.
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