Economics & Inequality Retirement Security Education Health Care Homeland Security Election Reform Media & Politics International Affairs TCF Project Sites: Donate to TCF Join our Listserv  Taking Note Home About TCF News Room Join our Listserv Pensions for the Twenty-First Century     Email    Printer-Friendly Dean Baker, The Century Foundation, 6/15/1999 Download in PDF format An unfortunate consequence of the intense focus of public attention on Social Security's long-term financial soundness is that it has overshadowed our national private pension system’s need for serious reform. The public Social Security program is projected to be able to pay all scheduled benefits for at least several decades, even if no changes are made. The private pension side is not nearly as healthy. Dean Baker documents the problems with pensions as currently structured, from their failure to cover more than a bare majority of the workforce to high administrative costs that place a particular burden on small businesses. He also assesses several reform proposals, including government-subsidized universal savings accounts and optional IRAs tied to Social Security contributions. It finally proposes a system of Universal Voluntary Accounts that incorporates the best features of other proposed reforms. Edition: Online    ISBN: DB01012001    Pages: 49    Price: Free Copyright 2008 The Century Foundation. Privacy Policy NY Office: 41 East 70th Street—New York, New York—10021—Phone:212-535-4441—212-879-9197 DC Office: 1333 H Street, NW—10th Floor— Washington, D.C. 20005— Phone: 202-387-0400— Fax: 202-483-9430