Publicsectorinc.org has built an interactive pension calculator tool that allows individuals to calculate the monthly retirement benefits public servants get when they retire.

The typical U.S. corporate pension plans funding status declined by 1.1 percentage points to 91 percent in April as liabilities increased faster than assets.

Premature withdrawals from retirement accounts have become Americas new piggy bank, cracked open in record amounts during lean times by people like Cindy Cromie, who needed the money to rent a U-Haul and start a new life.

Gains also are being driven by limits on cost-of-living adjustments, delayed retirement and more reliance on funding from workers.