Defined Benefits

The Sacramento Bee reviewed CalPERS' documents to find how pension formulas used in the late 1990s and early 2000s dramatically boosted retirement allowances.

Eastman Kodak Co. has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy with its employee pension plans intact.

Assets of the worlds largest 300 pension funds grew by nearly 10 percent in 2012 to $14 trillion, according to research by Towers Watson.

The debate is raging from coast to coast, with recent hot spots, Rhode Island, Detroit and California, in the news.

According to Mercers latest data, the funded ratio of these plans remained at 89 percent, which is 15 percent higher than it was at the end of 2012.

While the average 401(k) balance can, over time, provide a sense of the direction in which things are moving, it tells you very little about the adequacy of the overall average savings to fund an individual retirement.