Ryan Frost
Managing Director, Pension Integrity Project, Reason Foundation
Ryan Frost is a Managing Director of Reason Foundation's Pension Integrity Project.
Frost contributes to Reason's ongoing Gold Standard In Public Retirement System Design series, produced an in-depth analysis of the Arizona PSPRS pension systems, and presented testimony before the Michigan House Appropriations Committee, among others.
Ryan's work has been published in various outlets, including The Orange County Register, and cited by The Center Square, The Tennessee Star, and the National Association of State Retirement Administrators.
Before joining Reason, Frost spent seven years as the senior research and policy manager for the Washington State Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' Retirement System (LEOFF 2), a plan that is nationally recognized for its exceptional funding level. Frost conducted multiple pension studies for the Washington State Legislature. He also drafted and testified on six pieces of adopted legislation affecting LEOFF 2 members, including a first-of-its-kind annuity rollover provision for defined-benefit plans.
Frost earned his B.A. in politics and government from Pacific Lutheran University and a Certificate of Achievement in Public Plan Policy (CAPPP) from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.
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A Texas law governing firefighter pensions is straining city budgets
Without reforms, Texas cities will continue to face escalating public pension liabilities, jeopardizing their financial stability and burdening taxpayers.
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Annual pension solvency and performance report
At the end of the 2023 fiscal year, the nation's public pension systems had $1.59 trillion in total unfunded liabilities.
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Missouri Amendment 6 would use fees to support law enforcement salaries
Adding the proposed language to the Missouri Constitution would reinstate a $3 court fee that funded the Missouri Sheriff’s Retirement System.
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State taxpayers’ share of MPSERS debt would increase under various proposals
The first 20.96% of each year’s unfunded accrued liability contribution is currently paid by local school districts, and any amount required above that is paid by the state.
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Diverting Michigan’s pension debt payment would be costly to taxpayers and put retirees at risk
The Michigan Public Schools Employees Retirement System is currently $29 billion in debt, according to the latest figures from the plan's 2023 actuarial valuation.
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Alaska pension proposal would impose big costs but have little impact on recruitment
Senate Bill 88 could ultimately cost the state an additional $9.6 billion without improving recruitment or retainment of public workers.
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Missouri Senate Joint Resolution 71 would unwisely fund public pensions through fines and fees
If governments are going to offer pensions, they need to be willing to directly appropriate the funding to cover those pension promises.
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Alaska’s supplemental savings program outperforms Social Security
The Alaska SBS-AP serves as a valuable case study in innovative retirement planning.
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Redirecting MPSERS’ debt payment could cost taxpayers $1.4 billion
Eliminating a $670 million annual contribution into MPSERS would require an additional $1.4 billion over the next 14 years in net pension payments.
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Missouri’s bill would revive bad pension funding policy
Pensions should not rely on variable fee revenue streams tied to the volume of activity in the criminal justice system.
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A proposed bill would make Alaska the gold standard in defined contribution retirement plans for public workers
Alaska House Bill 302 offers prudent, responsible stewardship of the state's public sector retirement system.
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Connecticut’s efforts to reform public pensions may add long-term costs for taxpayers
Long-term goals are likely undermined by the law’s extended amortization schedule and introduction of a DROP program.
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New York pension systems sued for politicizing public pension investments
The New York City Employees' Retirement System, the Teachers' Retirement System, and the Board of Education Retirement System divested roughly $4 billion in fossil fuel investments.
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North Dakota enacts landmark public pension reforms
The new pension reform will help solve NDPERS' unfunded liabilities and unsustainable financial trajectory like an oil spill—by both capping the spill and cleaning up what’s already spilled.
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Examining an Alaska pension reform counterfactual
A look at what would have happened to the Public Employee Retirement System and Teacher Retirement System if proposed pension reforms from 2021 had been enacted.
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Testimony on Alaska House Bill 22
Reason Foundation’s initial modeling suggests that HB 22 could cost Alaska upwards of $800 million in the coming decades.
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Pension changes in House Bill 22 and Senate Bill 35 threaten Alaska’s budgets
HB 22 and SB 35 could cost Alaska upwards of $800 million in the coming decades.
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Scrutinizing NDPERS’ cost claims on House Bill 1040
NDPERS is choosing to adopt the costliest interpretation of HB 1040 and is cherry-picking the worst from a range of actuarial cost estimates to scare away proponents.
