Steve Vu
Quantitative Analyst, Reason Foundation
Steve Vu is a quantitative analyst at Reason Foundation.
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Public pension plans should capitalize on strong investment returns to build long-term stability
In 2024, most public pension plans reported investment returns above their long-term assumed rates of return.
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States should use budget surpluses to pay down public pension debt
States with budget surpluses should reduce expensive, long-standing debts, including unfunded public pension obligations.
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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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How Connecticut pensions can save $7 billion in interest costs over the next 30 years
The Connecticut Pensions Dashboard explores various economic scenarios that could impact the state's public pension debt.
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The case for Connecticut’s fiscal guardrails
The “fiscal guardrails” have saved Connecticut more than $170 million and could save $7 billion over the next 25 years.
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Most public employees leave jobs before they vest in pension systems
An examination of 12 public pension plans finds 62% of public workers leave before vesting in their pensions.
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Public pension funds should avoid local economically targeted investments
While some politicians may be tempted by calls for public pensions to invest in local economies, a pension board's duty is to maximize investment returns to fully fund plan members’ benefits.
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For most workers, the value of Alaska’s defined contribution plan surpasses that of a traditional pension
The following tool created by the Pension Integrity Project displays the year-by-year accrual of retirement benefits for a wide variety of Alaska workers in different fields and starting at different ages.
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The risky political push to force public pensions to divest from China
The worrying trend of using public pension funds as a tool to exercise political leverage.
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Public pension costs continue to drive up Milwaukee taxes
Milwaukee needs to urgently tackle the mounting public pension costs burdening the city's budget.
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The costs of proposals to add or restore cost-of-living adjustments for public retirees
Between 2010 and 2013, 17 states reduced, suspended, or eliminated COLAs for current workers and retirees to help address public pension debt and costs.
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The 2022 fiscal year investment results for state pension plans
Overall, the median investment return result for state pension systems in 2022 is -5.2%.
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In search of higher returns, public pension systems dive deeper into alternative investments
Taxpayers, policymakers and public pension fund managers should be aware of risky and volatile investments.
