Employee Retirement Income Security Act - ERISA

Categories: Retirement, Investing

ERISA. Wasn’t that the Milano actress, from Charmed? Eh, maybe not.

ERISA actually stands for the Employee Retirement Income Security Act...which was lovingly created by the Nixon clan in 1974. It essentially established minimum standards, or guidelines, for pension plans in the United States.

Believe it or not, before this Act, companies essentially did not have to disclose to their employees how well or poorly their pension investments had been doing. It was sort of a hidden set of numbers until, one day, the beneficiary retired, and was, more or less…cashed out.

Weirdly, pension funds were actually managed by the corporation that made whoopee cushions...because, of course, it assumed that, if it was great at that, it would be great at the buying and selling of stocks in the global marketplace. Yeah—not so much. So specifically, ERISA codified, or structured, the way in which pension funds are created and managed in the United States.

It made them voluntary—that is, you were no longer forced to save money in a structure in which the company managed your retirement savings…and by the same token, it did away with the government’s former requiring of the company to have them in the first place. Additionally, the features, benefits, and the whole notion of fairness in terms of how the pension fund monies were earned, retained, vested into, and then distributed...all had to be written down in a rational, logical way, so that employees would not end up being screwed under the yoke of unscrupulous managers.

ERISA only exists for corporations. That is, it’s not something the government uses, nor religious organizations, nor other structured health things, like workers’ comp, unemployment, or disability insurance. And all of this only works if you and your company are in the good ol’ US of A. There is, in fact, a Somalian corporate retirement plan, but we’re, uh...pretty sure you wouldn’t like it.

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Finance: What is ERISA?7 Views

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finance a la shmoop what is ERISA ERISA

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wasn't that the actress Milano or something from charmed and maybe not

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well ERISA actually stands for Employee Retirement Income Security Act

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yeah next name there which was lovingly created by yes the Nixon clan in 1974 [picture of President Nixon]

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about a week after Watergate it essentially established minimum

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standards or guidelines for pension plans in the United States and believe

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it or not before this act companies essentially did not have to disclose to

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their employees how well or poorly their pension investments had been doing all

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along the way sort of a hidden set of numbers until well one day the [pension papers going into a filing cabinet]

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beneficiary retired and was more or less cashed out well here's what you got good [older guy casting a fishing rod]

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luck have fun in your two and a half years of expected lifetime after [$50 check passing hands]

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retirement weirdly pension funds were actually

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managed by the corporation that made whoopee cushions or whatever they made

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because of course it assumed that if it was great at making whoopee cushions [whoopie cushions in a production line]

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well then it would also be great at buying and selling stocks in the global [stock floating across world map]

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stock market marketplace yeah not so much

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so specifically ERISA codified or structured the way in which pension

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funds are created and managed in the United States it made them voluntary

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that is you are no longer forced to save money in a structure in which the [money going into piggy bank]

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company managed your retirement savings and by the same token it did away with

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the government's requirements formerly of the company having to have pension [gov't mandated pension plan paper getting ripped]

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funds in the first place like they didn't need them anymore wasn't a

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requirement additionally the features benefits and the whole notion of

01:40

fairness in terms of how the pension fund monies were earned retained vested

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into and then distributed well it all had to be written down yes that was like

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a new thing back then in a rational logical way so that employees would not [guy writing in binder]

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end up being screwed under the yoke of unscrupulous managers in a lousy company

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ERISA only exists for corporations that is it's not something that government

02:03

uses nor religious organizations nor other structured health things like

02:07

workers comp unemployment or disability insurance and all of this only works if

02:12

you and your they are in the good ol US of A there is [US map with whoopie cushion business man]

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in fact a Somalian corporate retirement plan but we're pretty sure you wouldn't

02:20

like it

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