September 2016

The Census Bureau’s annual Public Education Finances compiles total education spending and revenue across the entire country. The latest data, released earlier this summer, shows teacher benefits continue to eat away at school budgets.
A new organization called the Retirement Security Initiaitve (RSI) is trying to help state and local governments improve their pension systems.
Shirley Ben-Ami was a teacher for nearly 35 years. She taught fourteen and half years in the New York City Public Schools and spent the last 20 years in Montgomery County, Maryland. In the following interview Ms. Ben-Ami talks about her experiences in the classroom and when it was time for her to retire.
Oregon's pension debts negatively affect teacher quality and retention.
A former teacher, Kevin L. Matthews II is a licensed financial advisor, author, and speaker. We reached out to Kevin to hear more about his decision to leave the classroom, and how teachers can best prepare for retirement.
Change isn’t easy, and the large-scale shift from defined benefit pension plans to 401k-style plans has had its bumps and missteps. A new report from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (CRR) helps document how that transition is going.