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你的養老金有危險嗎？
Since May 10, 2005, when a bankruptcy judge let United Airlines default on its pension plan, employees at all types of companies have started to wonder whether their retirement money is safe. The good news: It probably is.
Retirement Plans Explained
The United case applies to traditional defined-benefit pension plans, which guarantee workers a defined monthly income after they retire. When employers like United run into financial troubles and can no longer afford to pay benefits, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC), a government agency, generally takes over to guarantee payments continue.
Most workers at those companies that have defaulted on pension plans end up getting their full pension payouts from the PBGC. For plans taken over in 2005, the PBGC will pay up to $45,614 this year to people who retire at 65 (the maximum is lower for early retirees). If the annual pension payout is less than that, the recipient still receives the full amount he's been expecting from his pension. The average pension payout is currently just $14,000, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).
And many people don't need to worry about traditional pensions anyway. Instead, more employers now offer defined-contribution (not defined-benefit) retirement plans, such as 401ks. These types of plans let you contribute pretax money, which your employer may match. You won't owe taxes until you withdraw the funds when you're retired. You're responsible for your investment choices and for any gains or losses; your employer is off the hook, even if the account loses money. In 1991, 26.1 million people were covered by defined-benefit plans, while 30.4 million had defined-contribution plans. By 2003, only 21.4 million had defined-benefit plans, while 52.1 million had defined-
contribution plans, according to EBRI.
People with defined-contribution plans need not worry about their employer's financial health when it comes to their retirement nest egg. Money in 401ks and other similar plans is held in trust for you, and it's illegal for your employer to touch it.
Protect Your Financial Future
But even if the odds are good that your retirement money is safe, this is a perfect opportunity to review your savings plans and make sure you aren't counting on money that may never appear. Here are some simple steps to take:
•Find out whether any of your pension money is at risk, especially if you work in the troubled auto, airline or steel industries, recommends Ken Robinson, a certified financial planner with The Monitor Group in McLean, Virginia. Several of his clients are retired pilots with United and other airlines, and he's helping them figure out whether they'd lose money if the PBGC took over their company's plan. "In a situation like that, it's very difficult, because you've been planning all along for a certain benefit," he says. In that case, clients need to set aside more money in their own retirement accounts to help fill any gaps.
•When planning for retirement, don't count on money you aren't guaranteed to have. Employers generally send an annual statement showing how much of a pension payout you'd receive in retirement if you left your job today and if you continued with the company until you're 65. Reed Fraasa, a certified financial planner in Paramus, New Jersey, recommends focusing primarily on that first column -?the money you'd get if you left right now. After all, you could be laid off or decide to switch to another job, or your employer could freeze its pension plan and stop the accrual of new benefits. "We don't use the projected benefit; that's a wishing well out there," Fraasa says. "We focus on the part you do own."
•Protect yourself. Even if you're in line to get a huge pension, it also helps to save as much as possible in accounts you control. Invest the maximum in your 401k, especially if you have an employer match, and in your Roth or traditional IRA (on both, the limit is $4,000 in 2005; $4,500 if you're 50 or older). If you can afford to save even more, open a small-business retirement plan if you have any self-employed income, or invest in a taxable account you plan to hold on to long-term.
自從2005年5月10日一位審理破產案件的法官允許聯合航空公司不履行其養老金計劃以來，各種類型公司里的員工們都開始懷疑他們的養老金是否還有保證。好消息是：可能是的。
養老金計劃說明
聯合公司的案例適用于傳統的固定領取養老金計劃，它可以保證職工在退休后每月有固定的收入。當象聯合公司這樣的雇主發生財政危機無法支付養老金時，養老金擔保集團(PBGC)作為一個政府機構通常會接管而繼續支付養老金。
那些已停止履行養老金計劃的公司的大部分職工最終都是從養老金擔保集團獲得了養老金的全額支出。在2005年接管的項目中，養老金擔保集團將在這一年向六十五歲退休的人們支付共計45,614美元（提前退休人員的總金額將會略低）。如果每年支付的養老金比這個數額要低，那么接受者仍然會收到他所預期的全額養老金。根據職工福利研究協會(EBRI)的數據，養老金的平均支付金額現在僅有14,000美元。
無論如何，很多人都不必擔心傳統的養老金。取而代之的是現在越來越多的雇主開始提供象401k這樣的固定繳費（不是固定領�。┩诵萦媱�。這些類型的計劃要求你存入你的雇主相對應的稅前貨幣。直到你退休后支取該基金的時候你都不必支付稅款。你負責你的投資選擇以及贏利或虧損；你的雇主已經徹底脫身了，即使該帳戶的錢虧損都與他無關。根據職工福利研究協會的數據，在1991年，兩千六百一十萬人參加了固定支取計劃，而有三千零四十萬人已經參加了固定繳費計劃。
當涉及到人們期待的未來利益時，參加了固定繳費計劃的人們不必擔心他們雇主的財政健康狀況。401k和其他類似計劃里面的錢已經被設定了保障供你使用，并且你的雇主要動用它是非法的。
保護你的財政前景
即使在你的退休金是安全的情況下，這也是一個很好的機會來檢查一下你的存款計劃，并且確認你不是在依賴可能永遠不會出現的錢。這里是一些可以采取的簡單的步驟：
•位于弗吉尼亞州麥克林的Monitor集團中經認證的財政計劃員Ken Robinson建議你找出可能存在危險的養老金，特別是當你就職于有麻煩的汽車、航空、鋼鐵行業。他的幾個客戶是聯合航空公司和其他航空公司已退休的飛行員，他在幫助他們計算當養老金擔保集團接管他們公司的養老金計劃之后他們是否會有所損失。他說：“在這種情況下，這是很困難的，因為你一直在為一項固定的養老金做計劃。”這樣一來，客戶們就需要往他們的養老金帳戶里投放更多的錢來填補空缺。
•在做退休計劃的時候，不要依賴那些你并不確定能拿到的錢。雇主們通常都會發給你一份年度報告，顯示如果你在今天離職和如果你一直為公司工作到六十五歲時你在退休后所能拿到的養老金數額。位于新澤西州的Paramus公司中經認證的財政計劃員Reed Fraasa建議主要關注第一欄里面你現在就離職所能拿到的錢數。畢竟你可能被裁員或者決定換另一份工作，或者你的雇主可能凍結他的養老金計劃而且不再參加新的養老金計劃。Fraasa說：“我們不會使用計劃中的養老金，那只是一個良好的愿望。我們注重你已經擁有的那一部分。”
•保護你自己。即使你可以得到一大筆養老金，在你控制的帳戶里盡可能存入更多的錢仍然有很大幫助。最大限度地在你的401k帳戶中投資，特別是你有雇主配合的情況下，在你的Roth或傳統IRA帳戶里投資（兩個帳戶都投，限額是2005年為4,000美元，五十歲及以上為4,500美元）。如果你能夠負擔存入更多，在擁有自由職業收入的情況下設立一個小型商業退休金計劃，或者投資一個你計劃長期使用的可納稅帳戶。
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