This study estimates the effects on pension benefits received by women that would result from some of the changes recommended in 1981 by the President's Commission on Pension Policy. The author argues that the private pension system now presents several barriers to the attainment of benefits by women. (SSH)

Various federal agencies and the courts are facing questions about the legality and potential discrimination in sex-segregated mortality tables and discrepancies in retirement and insurance benefits. By using unisex mortality tables, TIAA-CREF is an unwilling pioneer in the insurance industry, but the tables' ultimate form remains in question.…

Senator Collins of Maine plans to fight for proper federal funding of the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) that allows rural schools to combine federal funding sources. Collins, and Senator Dianne Feinstein, will soon introduce legislation that will eliminate inequities in the current Social Security law that penalize teachers and other…

The federal legislative agenda must focus on three trends: (1) the rise in health care costs; (2) the serious decline in the personal savings rate and the effect on pensions; and (3) the lengthening period of retirement as a combination of early retirement and longer life spans. (SK)

Nine recommendations are offered for making the Teachers' Insurance Annuity Association (TIAA) and College Retirement Equities Fund (CREF) more attractive and competitive retirement investment vehicles for college faculty. They include broadening of account choice, fund transfer and management options, and counseling services. (MSE)

During the early twentieth century, Eugene V. Debs supported abolition of child labor, equal pay for equal work for women, and pensions for both men and women. (Author/JOW)

The adequacy of pension plans for persons retiring from colleges and universities is considered. Data are presented showing that people who retired in the late 1960s and early 1970s from higher education institutions at ages 65 and 68 spent most of their working lives earning less than $10,000 a year. The phenomenon of low pensions in an age of…

Faculty perceptions of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association and the College Retirement Equities Fund are noted and the funds' performance in the recent market are criticized for inflexibility and lack of leadership. (MSE)

Although the Family and Medical Leave Act enabled some parents to take unpaid parental leave in order to fulfill family responsibilities, it did not cover all workers and did not provide workers the financial support to do so. This policy report calls for Congress to: require states to allow new parents who have been working to collect…

Early retirement incentive programs are discussed as a humanitarian way of reducing payroll costs and rewarding long-tenured employees. The incentives to be considered, program communication, and problems found in incentive programs are addressed. (Author/MLF)

Identifies common assumptions and fallacies that greatly increase superintendents' risk of job failure. Knowing how to enlist others to assist with a career crisis and designing a "golden parachute" retirement plan can make all the difference to a superintendent planning a career move. (MLH)

A variety of ways in which retired college faculty benefit from social services and commercial and professional perquisites, in addition to retirement income, are discussed. It is proposed that these faculty are benefiting at the expense of their younger colleagues and should in turn participate in volunteer public service. (MSE)

The advantages and disadvantages of the Teachers Insurance Annuity Association (TIAA) and College Retirement Equities Fund (CREF) as investment vehicles for college faculty are examined, and guidelines for faculty to use in evaluating their investment options are offered. Some data on TIAA-CREF performance are included. (MSE)

The debate about the "cashability" of faculty pension benefits raises questions about intent, fairness, and who controls what. Boards must weigh whether to allow faculty and staff to withdraw or transfer pension funds such as TIAA-CREF (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund). (Author/MSE)

Current methods of funding teachers' retirement systems, which base pensions on final salaries, are inequitable because they are not related to school districts' ability to pay and because they require some teachers to subsidize others. A five-state survey shows it is common for pensions to be funded by school districts and teachers, sometimes…