Retirement insights from a Colorado PERA perspective

Inside Colorado PERA

Telephone Town Hall Addresses Member Questions

telephone town hall

PERA’s telephone town hall is an annual event in which members can hear Colorado PERA Executive Director Ron Baker and Chief Investment Officer Amy C. McGarrity address their questions. This year’s telephone town hall took place on July 8.

The telephone town hall traditionally takes place soon after the release of PERA’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. This gives members the chance to ask questions about the report, which contains a detailed picture of PERA’s financial and demographic situation. As usual, PERA hosted one meeting for retirees in the morning and another in the evening with active members.

Below is a recap of the types of questions answered during the town halls. (You will also be able to listen to a recording of the entire event soon.)

How are PERA’s investments doing?

PERA had a very strong investment performance last year. At the end of 2019, PERA’s investments delivered an annualized return of 20.3% (net of fees) versus the benchmark return of 19.8%.

All of our asset classes had a positive return last year. The Fixed Income portfolio returned 9.2%. PERA has a vast majority of its portfolio in global public equities and that portfolio returned 29.5%. We were also able to make some gains in our private market asset classes Our Private Equity portfolio returned 13.7 percent last year. Our Real Estate portfolio had a total return of 8.4 percent, and the Opportunity Fund closed the year up 6.4 percent.

The global pandemic not only has caused a significant disruption in investment markets: It has changed our everyday lives. PERA won’t have official data about this year until the 2020 CAFR is compiled and audited, about this time next year.

What is PERA’s funded status?

Recent changes to PERA, which include increased contributions and reduced annual increases, have been difficult for everyone, but they help build a secure, sustainable retirement benefit for Colorado’s public employees and equip PERA to adapt to the unexpected ups and downs the future will bring. It’s important to point out that PERA remains not only a secure benefit, but it also is very competitive and continues to offer employers an effective recruitment and retention tool for a highly qualified, modern workforce.

PERA’s funded ratio at the end of 2019 was 61.9%. Another way to look at that is the number of years it will take us to achieve full funding, which is the projected funding needed to cover projected liabilities based on actuarial estimates. We are projected to reach full funding in 24 years.

Will I get an annual increase this year?

Yes, all eligible benefit recipients will see a 1.25% increase with their July benefit checks later this month.

Where does my increased member contribution go?

Contribution rates increased for active members and their employers on July 1. Most of our members are now contributing 10% to their PERA member account, and most employers are contributing 20.9%. You can find your contribution rate, which is based on where you work, on the PERA website.

Member contributions – and the interest earned – only ever go to fund each individual member’s retirement account. Every dollar contributed by a member will be returned to that member either through a monthly lifetime benefit or a refund/rollover upon termination of employment.

What changes did the legislature make to PERA to help balance the state budget?

The most significant change affecting PERA was the one-year suspension of the Direct Distribution from the State of Colorado to PERA, which was implemented as part of the reforms in 2018. This payment to PERA goes to pay down the unfunded liability, and is in addition to the contributions the State makes to PERA as an employer. The PERA Board, as fiduciaries and pursuant to their funding policy, oppose any reductions in contributions to PERA as well as increases in benefits. However, we understand these unprecedented times require tough decisions in order to balance the state budget.

The end result of the legislation means we will not receive this year’s distribution, and any reduction in funding to PERA increases the likelihood of triggering the Automatic Adjustment Provision in future years. The CAFR we just released already reflects this change, and no adjustment is necessary next year.

What is PERA doing to protect the fund from market volatility during these uncertain times?

PERA is built to withstand ups and downs in the market and maintains a long-term outlook with its investment program. Just last year, the Board reviewed and updated PERA’s investment policies, including the asset allocation of its investments and the way PERA manages risk. We can’t predict the future, but our seasoned investment team is prepared to navigate these uncertain conditions. We have the mechanisms in place to keep our focus on providing financial security to our current and future retirees.

Bottom line, PERA plans for the long term and will continue to pay benefits and offer our members a secure retirement.

Asset classesA category of similar investments. Common asset classes include global equity (such as publicly traded stocks), real estate, and cash.Asset classesA category of similar investments. Common asset classes include global equity (such as publicly traded stocks), real estate, and cash.Automatic adjustment provisionA provision of Colorado law that automatically changes PERA contributions (from employers, employees, and the state) and annual benefit increases based on PERA’s funding progress.Unfunded liabilityThe difference between the projected amount of money needed to pay benefits earned to date and the amount of money currently available to pay those benefits.Asset allocationAn investor’s mix of stocks, bonds, and other investments. PERA’s strategic asset allocation is set by the PERA Board of Trustees.VolatilityA state of unpredictable activity in financial markets, during which prices can experience significant and/or unexpected swings in either direction. Private equityA type of investment in which investors purchase shares of a company that is not traded on a public stock exchange.Fixed incomeA type of investment that pays investors a fixed rate of interest over a set period of time. Bonds are a common type of fixed income investment.BenchmarkA tool used to measure performance. For example, an investor can use a stock index as a benchmark to measure his/her own investment performance compared to the market as a whole.Asset classA category of similar investments. Common asset classes include global equity (such as publicly traded stocks), real estate, and cash.Asset classA category of similar investments. Common asset classes include global equity (such as publicly traded stocks), real estate, and cash.

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Comments

  1. Mark James says:

    I received an email stating PERA would call me for this meeting, but I never received a call to participate. What is the reason I was not called. I also registered for the other non-retiree call and wasn’t called for this town hall…why? Please explain.

    • PERA On The Issues says:

      We’re very sorry you didn’t receive a call, Mark. We’ve heard from a number of people who said they also were not called, and we’re looking into it. We’ve made recordings of both sessions available at http://www.copera.org/townhall for anyone who was unable to participate.

  2. Mark James says:

    I was never called for the meeting. Please explain why I wasn’t called.

  3. Jim McGannon says:

    Right PERA, thank you!

  4. Thomas Thielemier says:

    Does PERS invest in China securities? If so, I highly recommend selling regardless of return. Please respond.

  5. I attended and my call came at 10:12 and questions were already being asked. I think you need to call earlier and complete that process before starting.

    Also, they discussed the new dual verification when signing in to our PERA account. I sent a suggestion on changes and got an answer but think you need to consider additional options.

    I do not always have a phone available when I need to access my account. I think you need to add other options like security questions or emails to addresses provided by the member. I do not want my account to be blocked to me because I do not have a phone available. Please add other options. If you believe they are not as strong you can let the member know.

    Please reply to the email below. I assume that my name and email will not be shown on any public PERA page.

    Thanks.

  6. Joan Welch says:

    Thank you so much for hosting this annual meeting. It was very informative, well structured, the speakers addressed questions directly and respectfully, all much appreciated!

  7. Suzanne Sullivan says:

    I did not receive a call.

  8. Marcia L Golden says:

    “Member contributions – and the interest earned – only ever go to fund each individual member’s retirement account.”. I don’t believe this is correct for PERA retired workers receiving a pension who return to work part time for a PERA employer. They receive no direct credit for their additional contribution (or their employer’s), am I correct?

    • PERA On The Issues says:

      Active member contributions do indeed only go to fund the member’s individual retirement account. Working retiree contributions are treated differently as you are already receiving a retirement benefit from PERA. You can learn more about Working After Retirement, including working retiree contributions, here: https://www.copera.org/retirees/working-after-retirement

  9. Becky Kennedy says:

    I received the town hall call, but when the first question was asked, I was cut off and could not get back to the Q&A session. I was really looking forward to being a part of the conversation.

  10. Dave Lovell says:

    I attended the town hall but was unable to ask my question before time was up. I would suggest that you seek answers to your poll questions through another venue. Each question and answer probably ate up time for 2-3 additional questions from members. My question given what may be coming next year is, given the dismal performance of the private equity funds performance (13.7% earnings against a benchmark of 28.3%) measured against its cost ($55 million paid for external mgmt) shouldn’t we look at bringing more investment direction internal even if that means hiring additional employees instead of continuing to throw good money after bad investments with such high costs and very low transparency?

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