2014 Annual Report
Washington, DC
The Pension Policy Center seeks consulting and research projects concerning pensions, Social Security, financial planning for retirement, financial advice and disclosures, pension investing, and other retirement issues both in the United States and in other countries.
This is the seventh annual report of the Pension Policy Center. The year 2014 was a productive year.
Pension Policy Center Presentations
John Turner appeared as a witness before the ERISA Advisory Council, presenting testimony on public policy concerning pension rollovers. He presented seminars on pension investment regulation for the Financial Services Volunteer Corps in Bujumbura, Burundi. He spoke at conferences in Sweden, the Netherlands and Poland, and also gave a seminar in Croatia. He gave a presentation to the Tax Economists Forum in Washington, DC. He gave a plenary presentation to the Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute annual conference in Boston.
Pension Policy Center Publications
With Marek Szepanski of the Technology University of Poznan, Poland, Turner coedited the book Social Security and Pension Reform: International Perspectives, published by the Upjohn Institute. Dana Muir and Turner wrote a chapter on “Financial Literacy, Financial Education and Financial Advice.” Tianhong Chen of Wuhan University in China (and a Pension Policy Center Senior Research Affiliate) and Turner wrote a chapter on “Social Security in China.” David Rajnes of the Social Security Administration and Turner wrote a chapter on “Social Security and Pension Trends Around the World.” Marek Szczepański and Turner wrote a chapter on “Social Security and Pension Reform: The Views of Sixteen Authors.” Turner wrote a chapter on “Social Security in East Africa.”
David Blake of the Pensions Institute in London and Turner wrote “Longevity Insurance Annuities: Lessons from the United Kingdom,” which was published in Benefits Quarterly.
Norman Stein of Drexel University and Turner wrote “Equity in the Distribution of Tax Preferences for Pensions: Capping the Allowable Amount in Tax-Preferenced Retirement Plans,” which was published in the Florida Tax Review.
Stein and Turner, along with David McCarthy of the Pension Policy Center wrote “Defined Contribution Plans with Large Individual Account Balances,” which was published in the Journal of Retirement.
Bruce Klein of the Pension Policy Center and Turner wrote “Retirement Savings Flows and Financial Advice: Should You Roll Over Your 401(k) Plan?” which was published in Benefits Quarterly.
Tianhong Chen of Wuhan University and a Senior Research Affiliate of the Pension Policy Center and Turner wrote “Fragmentation in Social Security Old-Age Benefit Provision in China,” which was published in the Journal of Aging and Social Policy..
Chen and Turner also wrote “Social Security Individual Accounts: Sustainability in Individual Account Financing,” which was published in Sustainability.
Chen and Turner also wrote “Extending Social Security to the Rural Sector in China,” which was published in the International Social Security Review.
Turner wrote “Financial and Political Sustainability for Social Security Financing: What Options Do Countries With Aging Populations Have?” which was published in Social Security Systems Against the Challenges of Demographics and Market, edited by Marek Szczepanski, Tomasz Brzeczek, and Malgorzata Cajowiak.
Turner wrote “Why Don’t People Annuitize? The Role of Advice Provided by Retirement Planning Software,” which was published in the Journal of Retirement.
Papers Accepted for Publication
Chen and Turner wrote “Longevity Insurance Annuities: International Perspectives on a Benefit Innovation from the Past,” which was accepted for publication in the International Social Security Review.
Klein and Turner wrote “The Economics of Pension Coverage Policy: The Case of MyRAs ,” which was accepted for publication in Benefits Quarterly.
Pension Policy Center Press
Turner was cited in articles that appeared in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News, all of them concerning rollovers from the Thrift Savings Plan for Federal Government employees. He was cited in an article in the Wall Street Journal concerning retirement planning calculators.