Zachary Christensen
Managing Director, Pension Integrity Project, Reason Foundation
Zachary Christensen is a Managing Director of Reason Foundation's Pension Integrity Project.
Christensen’s work with Reason's Pension Integrity Project aims to promote solvent, sustainable retirement systems that provide retirement security for government workers while reducing long term costs for taxpayers and employees. Zachary and his team provides education, reform policy options, and actuarial analysis for policymakers and stakeholders to help them design reform proposals that are practical and viable.
The Pension Integrity Project has provided technical assistance to several successful pension reform efforts in recent years, including in Michigan, Colorado, Arizona, South Carolina, Texas and other states tackling persistent pension solvency challenges.
Christensen has contributed to in-depth solvency analysis of the Arizona PSPRS, Arkansas TRS, Louisiana TRSL, Texas ERS, and Texas TRS pension plans.
Christensen's work has been published in the Los Angeles Daily News, Orange County Register, NJ.com, Colorado Politics, and many other publications. He has also been featured in the Carolina Journal and the Michigan Capitol Confidential. His research has been published by the Hoover Institution, The Platte Institute, Texas Public Policy Foundation, and Rio Grande Foundation.
Prior to joining Reason Foundation, Christensen was a pension finance analyst at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, where he worked on widely-cited research on the funding status and accounting methods for public sector retirement systems.
Christensen holds an M.S. in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and a B.S. in Political Science from Brigham Young University.
-
Pension Reform News: Public employee turnover rates, Alaska lawmakers weigh system options, and more
Plus: Michigan proposal would divert funding from underfunded teacher plan, Mississippi has chance to emulate successful reforms, and more.
-
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.
-
Senate Bill 88 would expose Alaska to significant additional costs
This bill could realistically add $9.6 billion in additional costs to future state budgets and reintroduce Alaska to significant pension risk.
-
Pension Reform News: Analyzing Mississippi’s pension challenges, a costly reform rollback in Florida, and more
Plus: Alaska bill would greatly improve public workers' retirement benefits, how to achieve full funding, and more.
-
Major costs and risks associated with restoring the Florida Retirement System’s cost-of-living adjustment
Florida's cost of bringing back COLAs could rise above $32 billion over 30 years.
-
Pension Reform News: How West Virginia improved funding and why reforms often fall short
Plus: S&P upgrades five states’ credit ratings and more.
-
Pension Reform News: Ohio’s pension challenges, ESG proxy votes, and more
Plus: Public pension plans should not get into the private retirement annuity business, the continued rise of public pension contributions, and more.
-
Examining the solvency and resiliency of Ohio’s public pensions
Ohio’s public pensions have over $68 billion in unfunded liabilities and need further reforms.
-
Pension Reform News: Flaws in Pennsylvania proposal, voters approve increase in Texas, and more
Plus: Pension obligation bonds in Dallas, Ohio's defined contribution plans, Michigan's model for reducing debt, and more.
-
Pension Reform News: $1.3 trillion in state pension debt, shortsighted calls for divesting, and more
Plus: Ohio teacher retirement system vulnerable to market downturn, defined benefit plan unlikely to cure Alaska's woes, and more.
-
Ohio’s teacher retirement reforms are working well, but more needed
The Pension Integrity Project finds approximately 75% of STRS’ unfunded liabilities can be attributed to interest on pension debt that has accrued since 2001.
-
Examining calls to bring back Alaska’s defined benefit pensions
Bringing back Alaska's defined benefit pensions would be unlikely to improve retention or recruitment but could add $9 billion in unfunded liabilities.
-
Pension Reform News: State pension debt forecast, risky public equity investments, and more
Plus: Texas passes another pension reform, authority and control over public retirement plans, and more.
-
Pension Reform News: California divestment bill fails, Milwaukee tax increase, and more
Plus: Study finds many state workers lose out on retirement contributions made by employers.
-
Florida strengthens retirement plan but also increases taxpayers’ burden and rolls back pension reforms
Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed Senate Bill 7024, which makes several changes to the Florida Retirement System, the state’s retirement plan for government workers.
-
Pension Reform News: Examining Montana and Florida pension changes, teacher compensation, and more
Plus: Analysis projects private equity drag on 2023 public pension returns and more.
-
Increases to contribution rate improve the long-term viability of Florida’s defined contribution plan
Florida policymakers should continue to seek reforms that strengthen the Investment Plan and reduce the risks of public pension debt.
-
Pension Reform News: Florida increases contributions, recruiting and retaining teachers, and more
Plus: Improving Florida's defined contribution plan, higher education pension blueprint, and more.
