Raheem Williams
Policy Analyst, Reason Foundation
Raheem Williams has contributed to the Pension Integrity Project's research.
At Reason, Williams has contributed to in-depth analysis of the Florida FRS, North Carolina TSERS, and North Dakota PERS pension systems. Williams also co-authored a study of defined contribution plans as part of Reason’s ongoing Gold Standard In Public Retirement System Design series. He has presented testimony before the North Dakota House of Representatives Government Veterans Affairs Committee on House Bill 1209 and Senate Bill 2046.
Williams’ work has appeared in The Orlando Sentinel, Carolina Journal, The Grand Forks Herald, South Florida Sun Sentinel, The Florida Times-Union, and Townhall Finance.
His work has been published by The Foundation for Economic Education and The John Locke Foundation.
Previously, Williams worked as an economic research specialist with The Center for the Study of Public Choice and Private Enterprise at North Dakota State University.
He completed his undergraduate degree in economics at Florida International University in Miami, FL, and his Master’s in Financial Economics at the University of Detroit Mercy.
-
The Future of North Dakota Pension Reform
North Dakota should adopt pension reform that reduces long-term risk for taxpayers and maintains attractive retirement options for state workers
-
The Florida Retirement System Is Still in Need of Reform
This analysis considers how policymakers can address the Florida Retirement System's $36 billion debt, control rising pension costs and provide a secure retirement for public employees.
-
Hollywood, Florida’s Pension Debt Problem
Hollywood, Florida has over $1 billion in public pension and retiree health care debt.
-
North Dakota Should Prioritize Paying Down Pension Debt
To pay off current and future NDPERS debt a switch to a defined contribution plan should be paired with implementing a viable funding strategy.
-
Testimony: Legislation in North Dakota Would Not Fully Address Pension Debt, Funding Risks
Changes to funding, amortization, and assumption-setting policies could effectively contain the risks of growing pension debt in North Dakota.
-
Florida’s $36 Billion Problem
Florida's growing pension debt is particularly bad news for other state spending areas like education and transportation.
-
-
Testimony: North Dakota Should Fix the State’s Inadequate Public Pension Funding Policy
The North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System can attribute over $585 million of the plan's $1.4 billion in debt to the systematic underfunding of the public pension system.
-
North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System Pension Solvency Analysis
The public pension plan has only 68 percent of the assets needed to fully fund the system in the long-term.
-
Defined Contribution Plans: Best Practices in Design and Utilization
If properly designed, defined contribution plans can meet the employee retirement needs of today’s evolving and dynamic public sector workforce.
-
Pension Funds Should Reject Politically Motivated Divestiture
Divestiture policies based on political interests extend beyond the role of public pension fund managers and are very unlikely to accomplish the intended outcome.
-
For Two Decades, North Dakota Has Failed to Properly Fund Its Public Pensions
NDPERS' funded ratio was only 72 percent, with $1.2 billion in pension debt, in July 2019.
-
Instead of Boasting, Florida Should Be Bracing for Bad Pension News and More Debt
If FRS’ investment returns come in at -5 percent for this fiscal year, FRS' unfunded liabilities could grow to $47 billion.
-
Massachusetts’ Legislature Should Help Gov. Baker Make Good on Pension Promises
Gov. Baker is right to push for public pension contribution increases in his budget, but elected officials in Massachusetts need to understand that this should be just the start of pension reforms.
-
North Carolina Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System: A Pension Solvency Analysis
Better risk management and more realistic plan assumptions can help ensure the state delivers the promised retirement benefits to its employees.
-
More Pension Debt Revealed As Florida Lowers Assumed Rate of Return to More Realistic Levels
Missing the mark on investment return assumptions has added $17 billion to the Florida Retirement System's unfunded liability over the past decade.
-
The Florida Retirement System Is Being Mismanaged In a Variety of Ways
The Florida Retirement System (FRS) is $29.8 billion in debt and has just 84 percent of the funding it needs to pay for retirement benefits.
-
Continuing Reform: Challenges Persist With the Florida Retirement System (FRS)
The retirement benefits ultimately received by members of both plans within FRS will come at an ever-increasing cost to taxpayers and other public services if needed technical adjustments to both plans go neglected.
