Ryan ALM
Blog
ARPA Update as of March 20, 2026
I'm sure that folks were very (perhaps bitterly) disappointed not to get my weekly update yesterday on the PBGC's implementation of the ARPA pension legislation. I was traveling for business yesterday, but unlike many travelers, my experience at Newark Airport...
What Would You Do?
Happy St. Paddy's Day to my Irish friends (I'm 1/2 Irish) and those that would like to be. May the luck of the Irish embrace you today. As many of you know, we are always willing to provide to the...
Unfortunately, the Joke Was On Us!
I started raising alarm bells related to DB pension exposure to alternatives - mainly private equity and private credit several years ago, and have produced roughly a dozen blog posts that touch on this issue. You may recall some of...
ARPA Updated as of March 13, 2026
I'll be wearing my green tomorrow. How about you? Perhaps the luck of the Irish will carry some weight with the PBGC during the upcoming week, but it didn't have much sway last week. The PBGC accepted two revised applications...
What is the PCE Price Index Telling Us?
As most investors know, the Federal Reserve's primary inflation measure is the Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) targets 2% annual PCE inflation while trying to balance long-term price stability and maximum employment....
It's Not Just the Price of Gasoline!
Folks (the investment community) seem to be focused on the rising price of oil for its effect on gasoline prices, but the impact of rising oil prices has far greater implications for the broader U.S. economy. Evidence indicates that a...
Milliman: Corporate Pension Funding now at 109.4%
Milliman has released the latest monthly report on the Milliman 100 Pension Funding Index (PFI). As a reminder, this index analyzes the 100 largest U.S. corporate pension plans. For February, the PFI funded ratio rose from 109.1% as of January...
ARPA Update as of February 27, 2026
Welcome to March and all the "madness" that comes with it! Regarding ARPA and the PBGC's implementation of this critical pension legislation, last week proved to be fairly quiet, and I imagine it will continue to be so, as the...
New Jersey's Pension System's "High" Investment Return
As a taxpaying resident in New Jersey and a huge supporter of defined benefit plans who has a daughter in the system, I was happy to read that NJ's pension systems generated strong investment returns in fiscal year 2025, reporting...
Good Question!
We occasionally post questions received in reaction to our blogs in new blog posts since many of our readers might have similar thoughts/ideas. In reaction to yesterday's post, "All-time High Funded Ratio" a reader calling themselves LoudlyObservant (great name) stated...