Labor Day Weekend Sept 4, 2016
In today's SA Express News Michael Taylor note the Dallas Police and Fire Pension system has an unfunded liability per member of
$213,712. Houston is next at $128,576. In what is surely an hilarious , knee[slapping moment Moody's downgraded Houston debt this last March 16, 2016 to
Aa3. With an unfunded liability like that I would think below investment grade at least would be more like it.
More on Dallas Police Fire liability here.
Worse the problem is so bad in Houston, it may defy any solution.
Taylor reports that the Houston plan assumes an annual return of 8-8.5%. But only one of 127 pension plans earn that kind of return.
So what is going to happen? I would guess the social securitization of the plans. In short the pension liability is paid for by the current contributions of those working, a ponzi scheme to be sure with no Al Gore lockbox in sight. The plans are under funded and will likely remain so.
When does the panic set in I wonder?
We study accounting for liabilities in Intermediate II Accounting . Clearly too many optimistic assumptions and lax accounting rules have let too many cities
dodge honest reporting on long term liabilities.
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