With one month to go before the official 2019 pension rates are published, I wanted to give you another update on the interest rates that affect your pension plan.
Below is where the 3 segments stand as of August, and how they compare to the rates in place for 2018.

Segment 1: 3.15%                           (1.93% for 2018)
Segment 2: 4.20%                           (3.57% for 2018)
Segment 3: 4.47%                           (4.36% for 2018)

Impact for Grandfathered employees: If you are looking to take the lump sum option from the grandfathered pension, you want lower rates. Based upon where the rates stand as of August, this would be a negative change compared to 2018 rates. As a general rule, if all three segments move by 1%, the lump sum will move by about 10% in the opposite direction. If you would like to talk more about the impact on your personal situation, feel free to contact me at the number below.

Impact for Non-Grandfathered employees: If you are in the Cash Balance pension plan you want higher rates. The only rate that impacts the Cash Balance plan is the 3rd segment. This is the rate at which the money in your pension plan grows during the year not counting Edison’s contributions. For 2018, your money is growing at 4.36%. If rates didn’t move between now and September, your money would grow at 4.47% during 2019.

The interest rate markets are always fluctuating so we expect these numbers to change between now and September. The less important short-term rates have been rising as the Federal Reserve raises rates.  Longer-term rates have moved higher as well but not to the same extent. We will continue to keep you apprised of the pension rate moves and how they impact you.

As always, if you are interested in talking further about the information provided above or have other questions as it pertains to retirement planning, don’t hesitate to call.