Defined Benefits

Chrysler Group, the automaker owned by Fiat SpA, lost $690 million in the first quarter when it bought the shares held by a union retiree medical trust, paving the way for integration of the companies.

While there is a tendency to focus on the current balance in a 401(k) plan and treat that as the ultimate outcome, people tend to talk about defined benefit plans in terms of the benefit they are capable of providing, rather than the actual benefits paid.

With company pension plans close to fully funded nowadays, Mercer suggests it's time to plot out a better, more secure future.

Christie, a second-term Republican, proposed the largest budget in state history in February to pay for rising costs of health benefits, pensions and debt.

Californias non-partisan Legislative Analysts Office is insisting Californias legislature make CalSTRS its top budget priority, given its massive unfunded liability and the relatively fast growth of the funds debts.

An economist advising the CTU estimates a $1-to-$2 tax levied on the sellers and buyers of futures, futures options and securities option contracts could translate into an additional $12 billion a year.