Pension Obligation Bonds - Do They Pass the Test?
Bloomberg reporters Michael McDonald and Adam L. Cataldo cite New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine as a vocal critic of pension obligation bonds. "It's the dumbest idea I ever heard," describing $35 billion in public IOUs (a record issuance level since 2003) as "speculative." From Alaska to Connecticut, state pension plans are issuing debt to replenish retirement plans and thereby avoid funding gaps later on.
As long as the cost of money falls below the realized rate of return, life is good. Unfortunately, reality sometimes intervenes. In a recent survey, Greenwich Associates reports that public pension managers project outperformance of nearly 150 basis points over market benchmarks, something they deem "unrealistic." Another critic, Warren Buffett, writes about "fanciful figures" in his 2007 Letter to Shareholders, adding that few pension plans will be able to achieve their assumed investment rate of return. Read "Warren Buffet on Pensions - Crazy Assumptions?"
Click to read "'Dumbest Idea Ever' Used as Pensions Plug Deficits," May 1, 2008. Also check out the Pew Study entitled "Promises with a Price: Public Sector Retirement Benefits" and dated 12/18/07.
