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Historical Minnesota pension information

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The historical Minnesota pension information below applies to prior calendar years. The tabs below may contain information from several different fiscal years; for example, the tab labeled "As published 2015" contains information from fiscal years 2013 and 2012 (the most recent data available at the time of initial publication). For more current information regarding Minnesota's pension system, click here.

As published 2016

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Minnesota information (2015)
Total contributions:
$2,338,593,000
Employee contributions:
$992,834,000
Government contributions:
$1,345,759,000
Total payments:
$4,583,712,000
Total cash and investment holdings:
$65,195,503,000
Number of state and local pension systems:
600
Active membership:
309,659
Inactive membership:
258,811

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Key terms
Actuarial value of assets (AVA) • Unfunded actuarial accrued liability (UAAL) • Annual required contribution (ARC) • Discount rate • Funded ratio • Rate of return • Active member • Inactive member • OPEB
Hover over the above
terms for definitions.
Note: This page utilizes information from a variety of sources. The information presented on this page reflects the most recent data available as of August 2016.

Minnesota public pensions are the state mechanism by which state and many local government employees in Minnesota receive retirement benefits.

According to the United States Census Bureau, there were 600 public pension systems in Minnesota as of 2015. Of these, 12 were state-level programs, while the remaining 588 were administered at the local level. As of fiscal year 2015, membership in Minnesota's various pension systems totaled 568,470. Of these, 309,659 were active members.[1]

HIGHLIGHTS
  • In fiscal year 2015, the most recent year for which information is available, total contributions of $2.3 billion were made to Minnesota's state and local pension systems. Of this amount, $992.8 million came from employees.
  • In fiscal year 2015, Minnesota's state and local pension systems made payments totaling $4.6 billion.
  • As of fiscal year 2015, Minnesota's state and local pension systems held $65.2 billion in total cash and investment holdings.

    • According to a 2013 report by Morningstar, an independent financial research group, most states' pension plans continued to be funded below the 80 percent level considered necessary for a healthy fund. Decreased funding and increasing liabilities since the 2008 recession continued to put pressure on local and state budgets, in some cases leading to bankruptcy. Higher pension costs can have the following consequences:[2]

    • higher taxes
    • less intergovernmental aid for services
    • lower credit ratings
    • higher interest rates on state borrowing

    State pension systems can vary in their organization, management, and accounting principles, making them difficult to compare. The basic information on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, as reported by the states and pension funds themselves for fiscal year 2015.

    General information

    See also: Pension data, U.S. Census

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota had 12 state pension plans as of 2015:

    1. Minnesota Public Employees' Retirement Association General Employees' Retirement Fund
    2. Minnesota Public Employees' Retirement Association Police and Fire Fund
    3. Minnesota Public Employees' Retirement Association Correctional Fund
    4. Minnesota Public Employees' Retirement Association Volunteer Firefighter Retirement Fund
    5. Minnesota State Retirement System State Patrol Retirement Plan
    6. Minnesota State Retirement System Judged Retirement Plan
    7. Minnesota State Retirement System Legislators Retirement Plan
    8. Minnesota State Retirement System Correctional Employees Retirement Plan
    9. Minnesota State Retirement System State Employees Retirement Fund
    10. Minnesota State Retirement System Elective STate Officers Retirement Plan
    11. Minnesota Teachers Retirement Fund
    12. University of Minnesota Supplemental

    In addition to the aforementioned state-level pension systems, there were 588 locally administered pension systems in Minnesota.[1]

    The table below provides general pension system information for Minnesota and surrounding states.

    General pension system information, 2015
    State Systems Total members Active members Inactive members
    State Local Members Percent of total Members Percent of total
    Minnesota 12 588 568,470 309,659 54.47% 258,811 45.53%
    Iowa 4 8 240,135 172,307 71.75% 67,828 28.25%
    South Dakota 1 2 57,109 40,441 70.81% 16,668 29.19%
    Wisconsin 1 3 439,006 273,091 62.21% 165,915 37.79%
    Source: United States Census Bureau, "State- and Locally-Administered Defined Benefit Pension Systems - All Data by State and Level of Government: 2015"

    Contributions

    See also: Pension contribution and payment data, U.S. Census

    Pension contributions are the funds paid into pension systems. These contributions come from the employer (in the case of public pensions, the government) and employees. Investment earnings are the main source of increases in the fund and are listed separately in the rightmost column in the below table.

    In fiscal year 2015, the most recent year for which information is available, total contributions of $2.3 billion were made to Minnesota's state and local pension systems. Of this amount, $992.8 million came from employees. The remainder came from state and local governments. The table below provides information about pension contributions in Minnesota and surrounding states in fiscal year 2015.[1]

    Pension contributions, fiscal year 2015 (dollars in thousands)
    State Total contributions from employees and employers Employee contributions Government contributions Earnings on investments
    Contributions Percentage of total Contributions Percentage of total
    Minnesota $2,338,593 $992,834 42.45% $1,345,759 57.55% $3,812,433
    Iowa $1,257,655 $491,077 39.05% $766,578 60.95% $1,309,527
    South Dakota $240,754 $114,544 47.58% $126,210 52.42% $477,991
    Wisconsin $2,089,569 $963,512 46.11% $1,126,057 53.89% $5,816,893
    Source: United States Census Bureau, "State- and Locally-Administered Defined Benefit Pension Systems - All Data by State and Level of Government: 2015"

    Payments

    See also: Pension contribution and payment data, U.S. Census

    Payments are the amounts paid to pension recipients by their pension plans. Pension payments include benefits and withdrawals. Benefits are the regular payments made by a pension plan to the plan's recipients. Pension beneficiaries may also withdraw funds before they are due to receive regular benefits.

    In fiscal year 2015, Minnesota's state and local pension systems made payments totaling $4.6 billion. The table below provides pension payment information for Minnesota and surrounding states in fiscal year 2015. The columns labeled "Benefits," "Withdrawals," and "Other" are subsets of total payments. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000 ($240,000 is equal to $240,000,000).[1]

    Pension payments, fiscal year 2015 (dollars in thousands)
    State Total payments Benefits Withdrawals Other
    Minnesota $4,583,712 $4,444,689 $57,772 $81,250
    Iowa $2,069,216 $1,927,608 $48,238 $93,372
    South Dakota $548,898 $493,718 $27,074 $28,106
    Wisconsin $5,474,485 $5,025,773 $42,118 $406,593
    Source: United States Census Bureau, "State- and Locally-Administered Defined Benefit Pension Systems - All Data by State and Level of Government: 2015"

    Other post-employment benefits

    See also: Other post-employment benefits, data

    In addition to standard pension payments, some plans may offer pensioners additional benefits. These benefits, sometimes referred to as "other post-employment benefits," or "OPEBs," consist of health insurance, life insurance or other benefits that the pensioner may have received while employed. The cost of these benefits can prove complicated for actuaries to calculate because of the changes in fields like medicine. This, coupled with the normal challenges in calculating and meeting pension requirements, can result in funding shortages for pension plans.

    Unfunded liabilities totaled nearly $500 billion throughout the country for OPEBs. Minnesota was reported to have about $652 million in unfunded liabilities for OPEBs. This was equal to about 0.13 percent of the country's total unfunded liabilities for these other services.

    The chart below displays the unfunded liabilities for Minnesota and its surrounding states. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000,000. For instance, $300 translates to $300,000,000.

    Unfunded actuarial accrued liabilities for other post-employment benefits, fiscal year 2013 (dollars in millions)
    State Unfunded liabilities Percent of total
    Minnesota $652 0.13%
    Iowa $526 0.11%
    South Dakota $68 0.01%
    Wisconsin $953 0.19%
    U.S. total $497,693 100%
    Source: National Association of State Retirement Administrators, "Retiree Health Care Benefits for State and Local Employees in 2014," accessed April 30, 2015. Note: Although this article was dated for 2014, all figures were reported to have come from fiscal year 2013 reports.

    Cash and investment holdings

    See also: Pension data, U.S. Census

    Investments are a crucial part of the pension process. The goal is that, by investing pension contributions, the pensioner will receive more money when he or she retires than he or she and the employer were able to contribute. These investments can come in the form of cash investments, short-term investments, securities, or other investments. Cash investments are usually low-risk, short-term investments that have a lower rate of return than other types of investments. Other short-term investments are riskier than cash investments, but have the potential for greater returns. Securities can refer to stocks, bonds, or other types of financial certificates that hold some sort of financial value. As the values of these securities change, they can be traded to make a profit. While there are other applications of securities investments, this represents one of the most common practices.[3][4][5]

    As of fiscal year 2015, Minnesota's state and local pension systems held $65.2 billion in total cash and investment holdings. The table below summarizes pension system cash and investment holdings for Minnesota and surrounding states. The columns labeled "Total cash and short-term investments," "Total securities," and "Total other investments" are subsets of the grand total. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000 ($240,000 is equal to $240,000,000).[1]

    Total cash and investment holdings, fiscal year 2015 (dollars in thousands)
    State Grand total Total cash and short-term investments Total securities Total other investments
    Minnesota $65,195,503 $1,328,640 $58,758,850 $5,108,013
    Iowa $31,377,203 $768,225 $26,856,771 $3,752,207
    South Dakota $11,284,918 $835,045 $9,145,947 $1,303,926
    Wisconsin $103,155,924 $3,275,384 $97,708,174 $2,172,366
    Source: United States Census Bureau, "State- and Locally-Administered Defined Benefit Pension Systems - All Data by State and Level of Government: 2015"

    Pension fund management fees

    See also: Public pension fund management fees

    In July 2013, the Maryland Public Policy Institute (MPPI) and the Maryland Tax Education Foundation released a report detailing the fees paid for the management of state pension systems. According to MPPI, the 10 state pension funds that paid the most in management fees relative to net assets experienced lower returns over a five-year period than the 10 state pension funds that paid the least in management fees. For example, in fiscal year 2012, South Carolina's pension system paid approximately $296.1 million in total management fees (1.31 percent of total net assets at the beginning of the fiscal year) and its five-year rate of return was 1.46 percent. By contrast, Alabama's pension system paid roughly $13.3 million in management fees (0.05 percent of total net assets) and its five-year rate of return was 7.53 percent.[6]

    The table below presents the information collected by MPPI for Minnesota and surrounding states. For each state's pension system, total net assets are listed (both for the beginning and end of the fiscal year in question), as well as the total amount paid in management fees. In addition, the rates of return for the pension systems are presented. Minnesota was found to have the second highest five-year rate of return when compared to surrounding states, at 2.3 percent.

    Public pension fund management fees, 2011-2012
    State Fiscal year Total net assets at the beginning of the year Total net assets at the end of the year Total management fees Management fees as % of total net assets Five-year rate of return
    Minnesota 2012 $53,069,265,000 $52,887,392,000 $64,886,000 0.12% 2.30%
    Iowa 2012 $23,082,133,000 $23,243,541,000 $50,174,760 0.22% 3.18%
    South Dakota 2012 $7,936,269,496 $7,842,524,241 $35,142,279 0.44% 2.10%
    Wisconsin 2012 $82,485,576,190 $80,271,452,828 $253,704,610 0.31% 2.10%
    1"Three states— Hawaii, Nevada and Rhode Island—were excluded because they hadn’t published CAFRs for fiscal years ending December 31, 2011 or later. West Virginia was excluded because its June 30, 2012 CAFR lacked sufficient disclosure."[6]
    Source: Maryland Public Policy Institute, "Wall Street Fees, Investment Returns, Maryland 49 Other State Pension Funds," July 1, 2013

    As published 2015

    Public pensions in
    Minnesota
    Pension Policy Logo on Ballotpedia.png
    General information (2013)
    Total contributions:
    $1,863,559,000
    Employee contributions:
    $849,422,000
    Government contributions:
    $1,014,137,000
    Total payments:
    $4,012,990,000
    Total cash and investment holdings:
    $53,136,559,000
    Number of state and local pension systems:
    145 (8 state systems, 137 local systems)
    Active membership:
    290,747
    Inactive membership:
    233,831
    Pension health (2012)
    Assets:
    $28,188,567,000
    Actuarial accrued liability (AAL):
    $37,594,728,000
    Unfunded actuarial accrued liability (UAAL):
    $9,406,161,000
    Funded ratio:
    75%
    UAAL per capita:
    $3,197
    Public pensions
    in the states
    Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
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    Public pensions • State public pension plans • Minnesota state budget and finances
    Note: This page utilizes information from a variety of sources. As such, the currency of the information varies somewhat. The information presented on this page reflects the most recent data available as of March 2015.


    Minnesota public pensions are the state mechanism by which state and many local government employees in Minnesota receive retirement benefits.

    According to the United States Census Bureau, there were 145 public pension systems in Minnesota as of 2013. Of these, eight were state-level programs, while the remaining 137 were administered at the local level. As of 2013, membership in Minnesota's various pension systems totaled 524,577. Of these, 290,747 were active members.[1]

    According to a 2013 report by Morningstar, an independent financial research group, most states' pension plans continued to be funded below the 80 percent level considered necessary for a healthy fund. Decreased funding and increasing liabilities since the 2008 recession continued to put pressure on local and state budgets, in some cases leading to bankruptcy. Higher pension costs can have the following consequences:[2]

    • higher taxes
    • less intergovernmental aid for services
    • lower credit ratings
    • higher interest rates on state borrowing
    HIGHLIGHTS
  • Between fiscal years 2008 and 2012, the funded ratio of Minnesota's state-administered pension plans decreased from 83.8 percent to 75 percent. The state paid 81 percent of its annual required contribution, and for fiscal year 2012 the pension system's unfunded accrued liability totaled $9.4 billion. This amounted to $3,197 in unfunded liabilities per capita.[2][7]

    • Background

    The basic information on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, as reported by the states and pension funds themselves for fiscal year 2013. Also included are comparative data from three different reports, which looked at the states' Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs).

    General information

    See also: Pension data, U.S. Census

    According to the U.S. Census, Minnesota had eight state pension plans as of 2013:

    1. Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association
    2. Minnesota Public Employees Police and Fire Pension Fund
    3. Minnesota State Patrol Retirement Fund
    4. Minnesota Judges Retirement Fund
    5. Minnesota Legislators Retirement Plan
    6. Minnesota Correctional Officers Plan
    7. Minnesota State Employees and Unclassified Employees Plans
    8. Minnesota Teachers Retirement System[8]

    In addition to the aforementioned state-level pension systems, there were 137 locally administered pension systems in Minnesota.[1]

    The table below provides general pension system information for Minnesota and surrounding states.

    General pension system information, 2013
    State Systems Total members Active members Inactive members
    State Local Members Percent of total Members Percent of total
    Minnesota 8 137 524,577 290,747 55.43% 233,831 44.58%
    Iowa 4 5 243,064 169,987 69.94% 73,077 30.06%
    North Dakota 2 9 42,994 33,294 77.44% 9,700 22.56%
    South Dakota 2 2 55,061 39,700 72.1% 15,361 27.9%
    Wisconsin 1 2 437,906 271,534 62.01% 166,372 37.99%
    Source: United States Census Bureau, "State- and Locally-Administered Defined Benefit Pension Systems - All Data by State and Level of Government: 2013"

    Contributions

    See also: Pension contribution and payment data, U.S. Census

    Pension contributions are the funds paid into pension systems. These contributions come from the employer (in the case of public pensions, the government) and employees. Investment earnings are the main source of increases in the fund and are listed separately in the rightmost column in the below table.

    In fiscal year 2013, total contributions of $1.9 billion were made to Minnesota's state and local pension systems. Of this amount, $849 million came from employees. The remainder came from state and local governments. The table below provides information about pension contributions in Minnesota and surrounding states in fiscal year 2013.[1]

    Pension contributions, fiscal year 2013 (dollars in thousands)
    State Total contributions from employees and employers Employee contributions Government contributions Earnings on investments
    Contributions Percentage of total Contributions Percentage of total
    Minnesota $1,863,559 $849,422 45.58% $1,014,137 54.42% $8,124,504
    Iowa $1,136,626 $447,065 39.33% $689,561 60.67% $2,723,164
    North Dakota $218,449 $96,730 44.28% $121,719 55.72% $303,302
    South Dakota $218,101 $104,925 48.11% $113,176 51.89% $1,563,340
    Wisconsin $1,722,920 $805,001 46.72% $917,919 53.28% $11,271,130
    Source: United States Census Bureau, "State- and Locally-Administered Defined Benefit Pension Systems - All Data by State and Level of Government: 2013"

    Payments

    See also: Pension contribution and payment data, U.S. Census

    Payments are the amounts paid to pension recipients by their pension plans. Pension payments include benefits and withdrawals. Benefits are the regular payments made by a pension plan to the plan's recipients. Pension beneficiaries may also withdraw funds before they are due to receive regular benefits.

    In fiscal year 2013, Minnesota's state and local pension systems made payments totaling $4 billion. The table below provides pension payment information for Minnesota and surrounding states in fiscal year 2013. The columns labeled "Benefits," "Withdrawals," and "Other" are subsets of total payments. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000 ($240,000 is equal to $240,000,000).

    Pension payments, fiscal year 2013 (dollars in thousands)
    State Total payments Benefits Withdrawals Other
    Minnesota $4,012,990 $3,876,893 $69,626 $66,471
    Iowa $1,951,837 $1,841,468 $43,842 $66,527
    North Dakota $286,420 $257,932 $10,471 $18,020
    South Dakota $486,617 $420,272 $25,161 $41,184
    Wisconsin $5,063,802 $4,686,187 $29,735 $347,880
    Source: United States Census Bureau, "State- and Locally-Administered Defined Benefit Pension Systems - All Data by State and Level of Government: 2013"

    Cash and investment holdings

    See also: Pension data, U.S. Census

    As of fiscal year 2013, Minnesota's state and local pension systems held $53.1 billion in total cash and investment holdings. The table below summarizes pension system cash and investment holdings for Minnesota and surrounding states. The columns labeled "Total cash and short-term investments," "Total securities," and "Total other investments" are subsets of the grand total. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000 ($240,000 is equal to $240,000,000).[1]

    Total cash and investment holdings, fiscal year 2013 (dollars in thousands)
    State Grand total Total cash and short-term investments Total securities Total other investments
    Minnesota $53,136,559 $1,302,010 $43,933,076 $7,901,473
    Iowa $27,525,334 $814,794 $24,006,383 $2,704,157
    North Dakota $4,074,364 $161,042 $3,035,451 $877,871
    South Dakota $9,571,530 $12,376 $8,244,552 $1,314,602
    Wisconsin $89,813,290 $2,782,995 $85,071,137 $1,959,158
    Source: United States Census Bureau, "State- and Locally-Administered Defined Benefit Pension Systems - All Data by State and Level of Government: 2013"

    Pension health

    Pension health is a term used to describe the overall state of pension systems. It can be difficult to gauge pension health in each state, but many studies use calculations to determine the average liabilities, unfunded liabilities, funded ratio and other data. Most experts believe that pension systems need to be funded at least 80 percent to be considered healthy. This information is then used to provide a snapshot of the state's overall pension health. This section provides information from three studies regarding the health of pensions in Minnesota and neighboring states. They found the following:

    • According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, Minnesota paid 81 percent of its required contribution and its funded ratio was only 75 percent in fiscal year 2012.
    • According to Morningstar, the state had a per capita pension debt of $3,197 and a funded ratio of 75 percent in fiscal year 2012.
    • According to State Budget Solutions, which assumed a lower rate of return, Minnesota had a per capita pension debt of $16,952 and a funded ratio of 35 percent in fiscal year 2013.

    Pew research

    See also: Pew Charitable Trusts pensions study, 2014

    According to a 2014 report by the Pew Charitable Trusts, “Many states are seeing their pension debt continue to increase, despite reform efforts, because of missed contributions and the continued impact of investment losses.” The funding gap between what state pension systems have promised in benefits (liabilities) and current funding (assets) increased by $158 billion from 2010 to 2012 (14 percent), leaving state-run retirement systems with $915 billion in unfunded liabilities. Only 15 states made at least 95 percent of the annual required contributions (ARCs) for their pensions between 2010 and 2012; the aggregate shortfall in funding for all state plans was $21 billion. Data on these state pensions come from the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs) that each state’s pension plan prepared for fiscal year 2012; these reports include actuarial valuations based on “the expected rate of return on investments and estimates of employee life spans, retirement ages, salary growth, retention rates, and other demographic characteristics.”[9]

    All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000,000 (e.g., $240,000 is equal to $240,000,000,000).

    Pension health metrics from the Pew Charitable Trusts report, 2010-2012 (dollars in millions)
    State 2012 Funded ratio Percent of ARC paid
    Liability Unfunded ARC 2010 2011 2012 2010 2011 2012
    Minnesota $62,720 $15,609 $1,160 80% 79% 75% 65% 84% 81%
    Iowa $30,097 $6,156 $593 81% 80% 80% 89% 82% 97%
    North Dakota $5,513 $2,014 $163 72% 69% 63% 66% 52% 53%
    South Dakota $8,571 $638 $100 96% 96% 93% 98% 102% 99%
    Wisconsin $78,683 $70 $826 100% 100% 100% 108% 104% 100%
    Totals in the U.S. $3,298,643 $914,653 $87,213 75% 74% 72% 78% 77% 77%
    Source: The Pew Charitable Trusts, "The Fiscal Health of State Pension Plans: Funding Gap Continues to Grow"

    Morningstar report

    See also: Pension data, 2013 Morningstar report

    In 2013, independent investment research firm Morningstar released "The State of State Pension Plans 2013," a report detailing various metrics of pension system health in all 50 states. Morningstar found a $1.2 trillion gap in 2012 for the largest 100 U.S. public pension plans (according to the actuarial firm Milliman). Based on two key drivers in Morningstar’s analysis—the funded ratio and the unfunded actuarial accrued liability (UAAL) per capita—the fiscal solvency and management of these plans varied greatly. Overall, the firm found that "more than half of all states fall below Morningstar’s fiscally sound threshold of a 70 percent funded ratio" and all state plans combined were "72.6 percent funded with a UAAL per capita of roughly $2,600.”[2]

    According to Morningstar's research, Minnesota's state pension plans were funded at a rate of 75 percent in fiscal year 2012. The table below provides state pension system health metrics for Minnesota and surrounding states in fiscal year 2012. Figures in the columns labeled "Assets," "AAL," and "UAAL" are rendered in thousands of dollars (for example, $2,400,000 translates to $2,400,000,000). Figures in the remaining columns have not been abbreviated. To view the full report, click here.

    Pension health metrics from the Morningstar report, fiscal year 2012
    State Assets Liabilities (AAL) Unfunded liabilities (UAAL) Funded ratio Unfunded liabilities
    per capita
    Minnesota $28,188,567 $37,594,728 $9,406,161 75% $3,197
    Iowa $23,940,276 $30,096,586 $6,156,310 79.5% $2,041
    North Dakota $1,750,600 $2,641,100 $890,500 66.3% $1,350
    South Dakota $7,927,002 $8,562,591 $635,589 92.6% $795
    Wisconsin $78,940,000 $79,039,300 $99,300 99.9% $18
    Totals in the U.S. $2,157,578,916 $2,979,267,860 $821,688,945 72.40% N/A
    Source: Morningstar, "The State of State Pension Plans 2013: A Deep Dive Into Shortfalls and Surpluses," accessed September 16, 2013

    State Budget Solutions report

    See also: Pension data, State Budget Solutions report

    State Budget Solutions is "a non-partisan, nonprofit, national public policy organization with the mission to change the way state and local governments do business."[10] It should be noted that although the organization is technically non-partisan, its ideology and mission have conservative leanings. In November 2014, the organization released a research report that used a fair market valuation based on a discount rate of 2.743 percent to determine the unfunded liabilities of public pension plans. The group concluded that "state public pension plans were underfunded by $4.7 trillion in 2014, up from $4.1 trillion in 2013. Overall, the combined plans' funded status ... dipped 3 percentage points to 36 percent. Split among all Americans, the unfunded liability [was] over $15,000 per person."[11][12]

    According to the State Budget Solutions report, Minnesota's pension plans were funded at a rate of 35 percent. This was lower than the Morningstar report's data, and below the Pew Center's recommended level of 80 percent.

    To read the full report, click here.

    Note that all dollar amounts displayed (excluding those under the "Unfunded liability per capita" column) should be multiplied by 1,000 (e.g., $240,000 is equal to $240,000,000).

    Pension health metrics from the State Budget Solutions report, fiscal year 2013 (dollars in thousands)
    State Assets Market liability* Funding ratio Unfunded liability Unfunded liability per capita Unfunded liability as % of 2013 gross state product
    Minnesota $48,822,058 $140,704,151 35% $91,882,093 $16,952 29%
    Iowa $27,018,839 $66,592,672 41% $39,573,833 $12,807 24%
    North Dakota $3,570,622 $12,385,498 29% $8,814,876 $12,192 16%
    South Dakota $8,857,928 $16,894,527 52% $8,036,599 $9,511 17%
    Wisconsin $78,613,000 $117,206,900 67% $38,593,900 $6,720 14%
    Totals in the U.S. $2,679,831,466 $7,416,319,293 36% $4,736,487,827 $15,052 29%
    Source: State Budget Solutions, "Promises Made', Promises Broken 2014: Unfunded Liabilities Hit $4.7 Trillion"

    Other factors

    Rate of return

    According to a 2012 analysis by the Pew Center for the States, most state pension plans assumed an 8 percent rate of return on investments at that time. Proponents argued that an 8 percent rate of return would bear out over the long-term (15-30 years). Critics asserted that this assumption was unrealistic, citing changing market conditions and lower investment returns across the board in preceding years.[13][14]

    Assuming a lower rate of return to predict investment earnings increases current plan liabilities, thereby lowering the percent funded ratio and requiring increased employer contributions (ARCs). This is because future plan liabilities are discounted based on the rate of return, so smaller expected investment returns result in larger actuarially accrued liabilities.[15] For example, on September 21, 2012, the Illinois Teachers Retirement System voted to lower its rate of return from 8.5 percent to 8.0 percent. This change increased the state's fiscal year 2014 ARC from $3.07 billion to $3.36 billion.[16] Similarly, when California's CalPERS reduced its projected annual rate of return from 7.75 percent to 7.5 percent in March 2012, it cost the state an additional $303 million for fiscal year 2013.[17]

    Financial crisis

    In the wake of the 2008 recession, proponents of a lower assumed rate of return argued that the standard 8 percent assumptions could cause pension fund managers to engage in more risky investments and imprudent stewardship of public funds. Jeffrey Friedman, a senior market strategist at MF Global, said, "To target 8 percent means some aggressive trading. Ten-year Treasury [bonds] are yielding around 2 percent, economists say we are headed for a double-dip, and house prices aren't getting back to 2007 levels for the next decade, maybe.".[18][19][20][21][22]

    Advocates of the 8 percent return rate argued that the dip following the 2008 financial crisis did not prove that there was a long-term downward trend in investment returns. According to Chris Hoene, executive director of the California Budget Project, "The problem with [the market rate] argument is there isn’t significant evidence other than the short term blip during the economic crisis that there’s been that shift. It’s a speculative argument coming out of a very deep recession."[23]

    The National Association of State Retirement Administrators researched the median annualized rate of return for public pensions for the 1-, 3-, 5-, 10-, 20- and 25-year periods ending in 2013 and found it was 7.9 percent over the 20-year period, and exceeded 8 percent for the 1-, 3- and 25-year periods. It is important to note that the NASRA data reported the median returns, which means that median annualized returns of investment portfolios for half of the examined public pension funds failed to meet an 8 percent assumed rate of return.[24]

    Studies and reports

    Pension fund management fees

    See also: Public pension fund management fees

    In July 2013, the Maryland Public Policy Institute (MPPI) and the Maryland Tax Education Foundation released a report detailing the fees paid for the management of state pension systems. According to MPPI, the 10 state pension funds that paid the most in management fees relative to net assets experienced lower returns over a five-year period than the 10 state pension funds that paid the least in management fees. For example, in fiscal year 2012, South Carolina's pension system paid approximately $296.1 million in total management fees (1.31 percent of total net assets at the beginning of the fiscal year) and its five-year rate of return was 1.46 percent. By contrast, Alabama's pension system paid roughly $13.3 million in management fees (0.05 percent of total net assets) and its five-year rate of return was 7.53 percent.[6]

    The table below presents the information collected by MPPI for Minnesota and surrounding states. For each state's pension system, total net assets are listed (both for the beginning and end of the fiscal year in question), as well as the total amount paid in management fees.

    Public pension fund management fees, 2011-2012
    State Fiscal year Total net assets at the beginning of the year Total net assets at the end of the year Total management fees Management fees as % of total net assets Five-year rate of return
    Minnesota 2012 $53,069,265,000 $52,887,392,000 $64,886,000 0.12% 2.30%
    Iowa 2012 $23,082,133,000 $23,243,541,000 $50,174,760 0.22% 3.18%
    North Dakota 2012 $3,743,377,317 $3,654,079,659 $19,081,399 0.51% 0.32%
    South Dakota 2012 $7,936,269,496 $7,842,524,241 $35,142,279 0.44% 2.10%
    Wisconsin 2012 $82,485,576,190 $80,271,452,828 $253,704,610 0.31% 2.10%
    1"Three states— Hawaii, Nevada and Rhode Island—were excluded because they hadn’t published CAFRs for fiscal years ending December 31, 2011 or later. West Virginia was excluded because its June 30, 2012 CAFR lacked sufficient disclosure."[6]
    Source: Maryland Public Policy Institute, "Wall Street Fees, Investment Returns, Maryland 49 Other State Pension Funds," July 1, 2013

    Other post-employment benefits

    See also: Other post-employment benefits, data

    In addition to standard pension payments, some plans may offer pensioners additional benefits. These benefits, sometimes referred to as "other post-employment benefits," or "OPEBs," consist of health insurance, life insurance or other benefits that the pensioner may have received while employed. The cost of these benefits can prove complicated for actuaries to calculate because of the changes in fields like medicine. This, coupled with the normal challenges in calculating and meeting pension requirements, can result in funding shortages for pension plans.

    Unfunded liabilities totaled nearly $500 billion throughout the country for OPEBs. Minnesota was reported to have about $652 million in unfunded liabilities for OPEBs. This was equal to about 0.13 percent of the country's total unfunded liabilities for these other services.

    The chart below displays the unfunded liabilities for Minnesota and its surrounding states. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000,000. For instance, $300 translates to $300,000,000.

    Unfunded actuarial accrued liabilities for other post-employment benefits, fiscal year 2013 (dollars in millions)
    State Unfunded liabilities Percent of total
    Minnesota $652 0.13%
    Iowa $526 0.11%
    North Dakota $48 0.01%
    South Dakota $68 0.01%
    Wisconsin $953 0.19%
    U.S. total $497,693 100%
    Source: National Association of State Retirement Administrators, "Retiree Health Care Benefits for State and Local Employees in 2014," accessed April 30, 2015. Note: Although this article was dated for 2014, all figures were reported to have come from fiscal year 2013 reports.

    Public pensions in 2012

    In fiscal year 2012, according to the systems' Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, Minnesota had a total of 284,032 active members in its retirement plans. Membership figures divide plan participants into two broad categories: active and other. Active members are current employees contributing to the pension system. Other members include retirees, beneficiaries, and other inactive plan participants (usually terminated employees entitled to benefits but not yet receiving them).[25]

    The following information was collected from the systems' Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The "percentage funded" was calculated by taking the current value of the fund and dividing by the estimated amount of total liabilities. The assumed rate of return used to calculate fund value varied by system (see "Rate of return" for more information). The Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Pew Research Centers cited a percent funded ratio of 80 percent as the minimum threshold for a healthy fund, though the American Academy of Actuaries suggested that all pension systems "have a strategy in place to attain or maintain a funded status of 100 percent or greater."[26][27] The column labeled "SBS figure" refers to a market liability calculation of the fund by the nonprofit organization State Budget Solutions. This analysis used a rate of return of 3.225 percent, which was based upon the 15-year Treasury bond yield. The organization called this a "risk-free" rate of return that would make it easier for states to achieve their pension funding requirements in the future. Beginning in 2006, all private sector corporate pension plans incorporated market costs into their funding schemes.[28]

    Basic pension plan information -- Minnesota
    Plans Current value Percentage funded Unfunded liabilities Membership
    State figure SBS figure[29] State figure SBS figure[29]
    State Employees Retirement Fund[30] $9,162,301,000 82.67% N/A[31] $1,920,926,000 N/A[31] 48,207 active members
    Correctional Employees Retirement Fund[30] $663,713,000 68.55% $304,453,000 4,276 active members
    Elective State Officers Fund**[30] $0 0.00% $8,907,000 0 active members
    Judicial Retirement Fund[30] $144,898,000 51.46% $136,678,000 308 active members
    Legislators Retirement Fund[30] $15,523,000 6.27% $232,134,000 34 active members
    State Patrol Retirement Fund[30] $554,244,000 72.84% $206,711,000 823 active members
    General Employees Retirement Fund[32] $13,661,682,000 73.5% $4,937,215,000 139,330 active members
    Public Employees Police and Fire Fund[32] $5,797,868,000 78.3% $1,605,427,000 10,865 active members
    Public Employees Correctional Fund[32] $306,454,000 89.3% $36,745,000 3,460 active members
    Minneapolis Employees Retirement Fund[32] $842,811,000 69.1% $376,924,000 80 active members
    Teachers Retirement Association[33] $16,805,077,000 72.99% $6,219,428,000 76,649 active members
    TOTALS $47,954,571,000 75.00% 38% $15,985,548,000 $79,395,084,000 284,032 active members
    **This is a closed plan. There are no active contributing members.

    Annual Required Contribution

    Annual Required Contributions (ARC) are calculated annually and are a sum of two different costs. The first component is the "normal cost," or what the employer owes to the system in order to support the liabilities gained in the previous year of service. The second component is an additional payment in order to make up for previous liabilities that have not yet been paid for. According to a report by the Pew Center on the States, in 2010 Minnesota paid 65 percent of its annual required contribution.[34]

    On June 25, 2012, the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) approved a plan to reform the accounting rules for state and local pension funds. These revised standards were set to take effect in fiscal years 2013 and 2014.[35] As a result, ARCs were removed as a reporting requirement. Instead, plan administrators and accountants were instructed to use an actuarially determined contribution or a statutory contribution for reporting purposes.[36]

    ARC historical data[30]
    Fiscal year SERF SPRF CERF JRF
    Annual Required Contribution (ARC) Percentage contributed Annual Required Contribution (ARC) Percentage contributed Annual Required Contribution (ARC) Percentage contributed Annual Required Contribution (ARC) Percentage contributed
    2012 $142,740,000 80.68% $14,912,000 77.92% $34,806,000 69.49% $9,879,000 80.19%
    2011 $146,191,000 81.10% $14,826,000 66.59% $33,274,000 71.80% $9,804,000 84.63%
    2010 $230,439,000 49.35% $17,410,000 58.04% $32,557,000 67.54% $9,400,000 88.11%
    2009 $179,759,000 59.64% $14,999,000 61.19% $31,738,000 63.41% $8,985,000 91.47%
    2008 $166,088,000 58.25% $12,355,000 67.01% $34,734,000 53.62% $10,045,000 79.00%
    ARC historical data[30][32]
    Fiscal year LRF ESORF GERF PEPFF
    Annual Required Contribution (ARC) Percentage contributed Annual Required Contribution (ARC) Percentage contributed Annual Required Contribution (ARC) Percentage contributed Annual Required Contribution (ARC) Percentage contributed
    2012 $18,079,000 21.77% $1,269,000 N/A $371,295,000 99.12% $152,369,000 80.00%
    2011 $7,520,000 37.30% $644,000 71.54% $321,782,000 111.13% $124,284,000 88.19%
    2010 $7,582,000 26.05% $601,000 75.37% $443,548,000 77.26% $150,220,000 71.27%
    2009 $4,526,000 28.04% $558,000 79.28% $381,151,000 86.21% $140,591,000 72.23%
    2008 $3,230,000 68.64% $506,000 85.92% $374,522,000 80.98% $144,548,000 60.20%
    ARC historical data[32][33]
    Fiscal year PECF MERF TRA
    Annual Required Contribution (ARC) Percentage contributed Annual Required Contribution (ARC) Percentage contributed Annual Required Contribution (ARC) Percentage contributed
    2012 $12,473,000 114.80% $29,836,000 182.24% $401,725,000 66.38%
    2011 $12,183,000 117.29% $41,628,000 66.91% $384,943,000 63.45%
    2010 $12,273,000 115.46% $91,360,000 15.10% $421,813,000 57.39%
    2009 $11,469,000 123.15% $40,026,000 39.09% $355,189,000 67.72%
    2008 $10,153,000 131.87% $24,714,000 61.80% $280,327,000 82.60%

    Public pensions in 2011

    On June 27, 2013, Moody's Investor Service released its report on adjusted pension liabilities in the states. The Moody's report ranked states "based on ratios measuring the size of their adjusted net pension liabilities (ANPL) relative to several measures of economic capacity." In its calculations of net pension liabilities, Moody's employed market-determined discount rates (5.67 percent for Minnesota) instead of the state-reported assumed rates of return (8.50 percent for Minnesota's largest plan as of July 1, 2011).[37]

    The report's authors found that adjusted net pension liabilities varied dramatically from state to state, from 6.8 percent (Nebraska) to 241 percent (Illinois) of governmental revenues in fiscal year 2011.[37]

    The adjusted net pension liability for Minnesota in fiscal year 2011 was ranked the 26th highest in the nation.[37] The following table presents key state-specific findings from the Moody's report, as well as the state's national rank with respect to each indicator.

    Adjusted net pension liabilities (ANPL) relative to key economic indicators - Minnesota
    Governmental revenue* Personal income State GDP Per capita
    State findings 27.3% 3.4% 2.9% $1,519
    National ranking 37th 33rd 34th 31st
    *Moody's uses governmental revenues as reported in each state's consolidated annual financial reports; this includes not only state-generated revenue, but federal funds, as well.[37]

    Historical pension plan data

    Historical pension plan data - all systems
    Year Value of assets Accrued liability Unfunded liability Funded ratio
    2007 $48,802,838,000 $57,932,094,000 $9,129,257,000 84.24%
    2008 $48,284,432,000 $59,430,624,000 $11,146,192,000 81.25%
    2009 $47,759,760,000 $62,410,362,000 $14,650,602,000 76.53%
    2010 $47,027,758,000 $58,890,394,000 $11,862,636,000 79.86%
    2011 $47,543,649,000 $60,614,374,000 $13,070,725,000 78.44%
    Change from 2007-2011 -$1,259,189,000 $2,682,280,000 $3,941,468,000 -5.81%

    Reforms

    2012

    S.F. 1808

    Sponsored by Senator Julie Rosen, S.B. 1808 sought to lower temporarily the investment return assumptions (from 8.50 percent to 8.00 percent through June 30, 2017) for all statewide and major local public retirement plans. The governor signed the bill into law on May 10, 2012.[38][39]

    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 United States Census Bureau, "State- and Locally-Administered Defined Benefit Pension Systems - All Data by State and Level of Government: 2015," accessed August 26, 2016 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "census" defined multiple times with different content
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Morningstar, "The State of State Pension Plans 2013: A Deep Dive Into Shortfalls and Surpluses," accessed September 16, 2013
    3. ↑ Investopedia, "Cash investment definition," accessed April 6, 2015
    4. ↑ Investopedia, "Short-term investments definition," accessed April 6, 2015
    5. ↑ Investopedia, "Securities," accessed April 6, 2015
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Maryland Public Policy Institute, "Wall Street Fees, Investment Returns, Maryland 49 Other State Pension Funds," accessed July 1, 2013 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "report" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "report" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "report" defined multiple times with different content
    7. ↑ The Pew Charitable Trusts, “The Fiscal Health of State Pension Plans: Funding Gap Continues to Grow,” accessed April 16, 2015
    8. ↑ U.S. Census, "2013 Survey of Public Pensions: State Data," accessed April 16, 2015. Note: To access this data, navigate to the bottom of the page and click "Unit ID file."
    9. ↑ The Pew Charitable Trusts, “The Fiscal Health of State Pension Plans: Funding Gap Continues to Grow,” accessed April 16, 2015
    10. ↑ State Budget Solutions, "About SBS," archived January 20, 2016
    11. ↑ State Budget Solutions, "Promises Made, Promises Broken 2014: Unfunded Liabilities Hit $4.7 Trillion," accessed November 12, 2014
    12. ↑ As of 2016, it appeared that State Budget Solutions had been absorbed by the American Legislative Exchange Council.
    13. ↑ The Widening Gap Update, "Pew Center on the States," accessed October 17, 2013
    14. ↑ The New York Times, "Public Pensions Faulted for Bets on Rosy Returns," accessed May 27, 2012
    15. ↑ Benefits Magazine, "Public Pension Funding 101: Key Terms and Concepts," accessed October 23, 2013
    16. ↑ Crain's Chicago Business, "State teachers pension board lowers expected rate of return," accessed September 21, 2013
    17. ↑ Huffington Post, "California Pension Funds Expect Lower Investment Return," accessed March 14, 2012
    18. ↑ The Washington Post, "Kansas’s pension funding gap just grew by $1 billion," accessed September 6, 2013
    19. ↑ Topeka Capital-Journal, "KPERS' unfunded liability rises to $10.2B," accessed September 4, 2013
    20. ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Pensions Wrestle With Return Rates," accessed October 10, 2011
    21. ↑ The Courant, "Promising Too Much On Public Pensions," accessed August 10, 2012
    22. ↑ Business Wire, "NCPERS 2013 Survey: Public Pension Plans Report Increasing Confidence, Lower Costs, Growing Returns," accessed October 22, 2013
    23. ↑ Governing, "Expert: Governments Are Masking Their Pension Liabilities," accessed October 25, 2013
    24. ↑ National Association of State Retirement Administrators, "Issue Brief: Public Pension Plan Investment Return Assumptions," accessed October 23, 2013
    25. ↑ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, "Pensions Glossary," accessed November 27, 2013
    26. ↑ United States Government Accountability Office Report to the Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate, "State and Local Government Retiree Benefits: Current Status of Benefit Structures, Protections, and Fiscal Outlook for Funding Future Costs," September 2007, accessed October 23, 2013
    27. ↑ American Academy of Actuaries, "Issue Brief: The 80% Pension Funding Standard Myth," July 2012, accessed October 23, 2013
    28. ↑ Governing Magazine, " Is There a Plot Against Pensions?" October 14, 2013
    29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 State Budget Solutions, "Promises Made, Promises Broken - The Betrayal of Pensioners and Taxpayers," accessed September 20, 2013
    30. ↑ 30.00 30.01 30.02 30.03 30.04 30.05 30.06 30.07 30.08 30.09 30.10 30.11 30.12 30.13 Minnesota State Retirement System, "2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report," accessed November 26, 2013
    31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Analysis only available for system totals and not individual funds.
    32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 32.5 32.6 32.7 32.8 32.9 Public Employees Retirement Association of Minnesota, "2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report," accessed November 26, 2013
    33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Teachers Retirement Association of Minnesota, "2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report - Financial Section," accessed November 26, 2013
    34. ↑ Government Accounting Standards Board, "Annual Required Contribution (ARC)," accessed October 17, 2013
    35. ↑ Reuters, "Little-known U.S. board stokes hot pension debate," accessed July 10, 2012
    36. ↑ State Budget Solutions, "GASB's ineffective public pension reporting standards set to take effect," accessed June 5, 2013
    37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 Moody's Investor Service, "Adjusted Pension Liability Medians for US States," accessed June 27, 2013
    38. ↑ Minnesota State Legislature, "SF 1808," accessed November 26, 2013
    39. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Pensions and Retirement Plan Enactments in 2012 State Legislatures," accessed November 26, 2013
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