Pensions and benefit plans
Basics
- What's a defined benefit plan?
- Can I decide how my money is invested?
- What's the difference between a defined benefit plan and a defined contribution plan?
- What happens when I retire?
- Exactly how much will I get when I retire?
- Am I eligible for a defined benefit plan?
- Just how common are defined benefit plans?
- What if I work for the government?
- What are the advantages of a defined benefit plan?
- What are the disadvantages of a defined benefit plan?
- Can I tap my money early?
- Can I count on the money to be there when I need it?
- Will PBGC payouts be as big as I was counting on?
- Is there insurance on government plans?
- How can I make sure my pension is covered by the PBGC?
Pension plans
- What is a pension?
- Do I have to do anything to manage my pension?
- What if I leave my company before I retire?
- How does vesting work?
- When can I access my pension money?
- Can I take out a loan from my pension plan?
- Should I take a lump-sum payout or monthly payments?
- What are the advantages of taking a lump sum?
- Should I invest my lump-sum payout in an annuity?
- What's the difference between a single-life annuity and a joint-and-survivor annuity?
- Will I pay tax on my pension payouts?
- How should my pension affect my retirement planning?
- Will having a public-sector pension affect my Social Security?
Cash-balance plans
- What is a cash-balance plan?
- Is a cash-balance plan better than a pension?
- Do I have to do anything to manage my plan?
- Can my employer convert a traditional pension to a cash-balance plan?
- When can I get access to the money?
- Should I take a lump-sum payout or monthly payments?
- I'm required to take a lump sum, but I want monthly income. What can I do?
- If I have a cash-balance plan, do I need to save anything extra?
