412(i) Plan

  

Think: 401k Plan...with teeth (biting the employer). Why? Because it's a defined benefit program (versus a defined contribution program). In a defined benefit program, the employer guarantees a minimum investment return from the employees' invested funds. If those investments fall short, the employer must write a check to make up the difference.

Related or Semi-related Video

Finance: What is a Pension?31 Views

00:00

finance a la shmoop. what is a pension? well it rhymes with tension, and likely

00:08

for good reason. if you're a teachers pension or a fireman's pension or [person wearing dark glasses writes something down]

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another state employees pension that's backed up by a state that's going

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bankrupt. Hi, California, Hi Illinois. well we're looking at you. all right people

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well a pension is another term for a retirement fund. but what's special about

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a pension is that the employer essentially forces you to put away money

00:31

for your retirement and then they invested for you.

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how nice. or at least be sure you invest it well on a salary of 75 grand a state [gambling table shown]

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employed ditch-digger might get a contribution of say 10 grand a year into

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her pension, and that's each year 10 grand of forced savings for as long as

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she you know digs ditches for the state. and in some states where the unions are

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strong in the governing financial knowledge is weak the government

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guarantees a minimum financial return on the pension investment made on behalf of

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the employees. that is in California for example the state guarantees a 10% per

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year return on their invested pension savings. if the invested return like [equation]

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investing it in Wall Street and stocks and bonds and private equity funds and

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all that stuff well if that invested return is less than that number less

01:19

than that 10%, then the state rights to the pinch and a check to cover the

01:23

incremental difference. yeah it's a huge Delta and it's well pretty much why you

01:28

a Californian Illinois you're going bankrupt remember. Jesus Saves

01:31

but Moses invests. [ Moses, holding stone tablets glares and demands interest]

01:35

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