.
By Stephen Frank, California Political News and Views
CalPERS has over one trillion in unfunded liabilities. Instead of a ROI of 7% as they advertised they would, it is UNDER 2%. Then in an effort to kill off private pension systems—and to get more money into government control, the Legislature passed a bill to FORCE private workers into the government system. How is that working? It isn’t.
“Just like Brexit, CalPERS is falling back on cheap sloganeering to cover ideas doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. For instance, CalPERS keeps saying it needs private equity for its returns. Yet there are other approaches that would deliver private-equity like returns for the portfolio, such as public market replication of private equity or applying more leverage to the entire portfolio. More important, if CalPERS’ real objective were returns, it would not be dithereing about with creating a new middleman with less experience than private equity firms but where the “talent” would expect to get economically similar terms to what they’d get if they launched their own fund. The way to achieve the highest returns possible from private equity is to bring most or all of it in house. CalPERS’ refusal even to discuss this alternative says the pension fund has other objectives that it is keeping hidden. It is hard to see how any covert motivations could be aligned with those of beneficiaries; otherwise, there would be no reason to hide them.
And just like Brexit, CalPERS is more than two years into its process and is hardly any further along than when it started. “
Government, by definition is incompetent, mismanaged ad/or corrupt. In the case of CalPERS and the theft of PRIVATE sector workers wages, it is all three. Sadly, the very workers that are going to have government steal from their paychecks—and their financial future, are either silent or vote for the thieves at election time. They only have themselves to blame for their poverty—they voted for it.
Related article: CalPERS Admits It Is Nowhere on Its New Private Scheme After More Than Two Years
Stephen Frank: Is the the publisher and editor of the California Political News and Views. Mr. Frank speaks all over California and appears as a guest on several radio shows each week. He has also served as a guest host on radio talk shows and is a full time political consultant. http://capoliticalnews.com/
Get Citizensjournal.us Headlines free SUBSCRIPTION. Keep us publishing – DONATE
Frank is confusing California Secure Choice, a state run savings program, with CalPers’ previously stated decision to enter the Private equity market, a decision now changed per the link in Frank’s article.
Sheryl:
I’m a retiree of an over 40 year career with The Los Angeles Unified School District. I believe, as a conservative and a recipient of my retirement benefits, that something has to be done to keep the future cost obligations to Californians down. I see that possibility in changing the benefit packages for future employees.