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.
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Most state pension plans are not adequately prepared for a recession
A recession could add trillions in debt to public retirement systems’ existing unfunded liabilities.
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Pension Reform News: Join our ESG webinar, best practices for addressing inflation, and more
Plus: Join us for a webinar on Sept. 20 to discuss how ESG may impact public pension systems and taxpayers.
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Pension Reform News: Comparing different pension plans, CalPERs reports negative returns and more
Plus: New survey on recruitment and retention, more transparency is needed on public pension investments, and more.
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Pension Reform News: Forecasting state pension plans’ unfunded liabilities, some states make supplemental pension payments, and more
Plus: Texas needs to adjust its investment return assumptions, pension obligation bonds are getting riskier, and more.
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Reformed pensions in Arizona, Michigan receiving supplemental funding to pay down debt faster
Arizona and Michigan’s recent treatment of funding for pension systems is an example of the value of comprehensive pension reform.
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Unfunded public pension liabilities are forecast to rise to $1.3 trillion in 2022
The 2022 Public Pension Forecaster finds aggregate unfunded liabilities will jump back over $1 trillion if 2022 investment results end up at or below 0%.
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Pension Reform News: Florida improves defined contribution plan, Alaska pension reform roll back blocked, and more
Plus: Assessment of the retirement efficiency gap leaves out some key details, Jacksonville’s public pension reform helps city get an improved credit rating, and more.
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The Teacher Retirement System of Texas needs to adjust its investment return assumptions
TRS has accrued $47.6 billion in pension debt since 2002, and most of it, around $25 billion, came from investment returns falling below the plan's assumptions.
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Alaska avoids attempt to roll back 2005 pension reform
Instead of unraveling pension progress, policymakers should seek to bolster the policies that brought resiliency and reliability.
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Pension Reform News: Hybrid pension proposal falls short in Louisiana, shortcomings of ESG scores, and more
Plus: Texas needs to reform teacher pensions, past pension missteps should be a warning to California, and more.
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Why paying down New Hampshire pension debt faster would be a win for taxpayers
A “catch-up” payment toward the New Hampshire Retirement System's unfunded liabilities would reduce pension debt and yield long-term cost savings.
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Pension Reform Newsletter: Bill endangers Alaska’s reforms, Louisiana bills would weaken retirement system, and more
Plus: Why public pension funds should not be guided by politics, Kansas considers a defined contribution plan, and more.
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The Great Resignation highlights the need for public pension plans to adapt to today’s mobile workforce
Governments should consider modernizing their retirement plans and options for workers who don’t intend to stay in one position or with one employer for multiple decades.
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Pension Reform Newsletter: Alaska’s risky pension bill, calls to divest, and more
Plus: Report identifies 2022 challenges for pension funds, pension plans aren't helping with teacher employment, deferred retirement options expose public pensions to unique risks, and more.
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Testimony: Assessing the proposed Kansas Thrift Savings Plan in Senate Bill 553
The proposed Thrift Savings retirement plan in Senate Bill 553 reflects a high-quality public sector retirement plan design that incorporates best practices from national experience.
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Comparing how much states contribute to public workers’ defined contribution retirement plans
Government employers should ensure their contributions to employees' defined contribution retirement plan are in line with industry best practices.
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Alaska pension bill would bring major financial risk and unfunded liability growth
House Bill 55 would commit Alaska to unpredictable long-term costs for public safety workers' pensions so it is crucial to consider the costs over decades, not just a few years.
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Current pension plans aren’t helping recruit and retain teachers
The data show that public pension offerings may be preventing public schools from providing teaching staff what they really want: higher salaries.
