Articles about Retirement Boards that may be useful to Massachusetts retirees.
NOVEMBER 26, 2012: It was a busy Thanksgiving weekend for the staff of the State Board of Retirement who were engaged in the process of moving to their new home at 1 Winter Street in downtown Boston.
NOVEMBER 2012 VOICE: Buoyed by a strong market surge, the Commonwealth’s $50 billion Pension Reserves Investment Trust (PRIT) Fund increased in value by 8.27% for the first eight months of this year.
This is in contrast to our headline earlier this year, which reported that Year 2011 had been a dismal year with zero earnings, and a closing value of $47.1 billion.
Boston Globe Editorial, June 24, 2012:
Boston Globe Editorial, June 24, 2012
In some ways, lowering expectations for returns on the state’s pension fund investments is an easy call. Current state law requires the Massachusetts pension board to assume an 8.25 percent annualized rate of return, but in recent years that has come to seem too optimistic. Massachusetts needs to start stepping its pension expectations down — but in a deliberate way, to limit the impact on government agencies that will need to contribute more.
JUNE 11, 2012: The resignation of Stan Mavromates, the longtime chief investment officer of the Commonwealth’s $50 billion pension fund, has caused some concern among the retirement systems of the Commonwealth holding membership in the fund.
Although the bulk of the Fund is the State and Teachers’ Pension fund, the majority of our 103 city, town and county boards have placed their pension funds within PRIT and depend on PRIT’s investment earnings to increase the growth and value of their own funds.
JUNE 1, 2012: State Treasurer Steven Grossman has launched an internal investigation after an Âerror by his office delayed benefits payments to about 53,000 retired teachers.
The problem, which affected 92 percent of retired educators whose Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System benefits are electronically deposited into their bank accounts, has been rectified, but the deposits may not go through until Friday, Grossman said.
Theresa McGoldrick, without opposition, has been re-elected to a 4th three-year term on the State Retirement Board.
McGoldrick serves as one of the State Board’s two elected members along with Ralph White. State Treasurer Steve Grossman is the Board’s chairman, retiree Pat Deal is an appointed member and SEIU Local 509 Political Director, Chris Condon the fifth member is elected by the other Board members. Nick Favorito is the Board’s Director.
MARCH 22, 2012: The Commonwealth’s Public Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) has voted the appointment of Attorney John Parsons to the post of PERAC General Counsel. This key position had become vacant when Barbara Phillips, longtime General Counsel, retired. Phillips had been with PERAC and its predecessor PERA since 1984.
MARCH 6, 2012: Tom O’Donnell has been named by the Public Employees Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) to oversee the new retirement education program and pension fund investment reporting requirements for members of our state’s 105 public retirement boards.
Seven-Member Board Now Complete
FEBRUARY 29, 2012: Richard Liston, a retired Everett special education teacher has been named to fill an opening as the seventh member of the Teachers’ Retirement Board, the Commonwealth’s only seven-member Board.
Liston was voted to that seat for a four-year term by the first six members of the Board after interviewing five finalists over the past month. The seat had been previously held by Linda Ruberto, a retired Pittsfield teacher, who declined a new term after 20 years on the Board.
Since 1968 the Retired State, County and Municipal Employees Association has been the leading voice for Massachusetts public retirees and their families. Join with our 52,000 members as we continue the fight.
