National Retirement Security Month: Celebrating the Public Pension Workforce
Date postedOctober 1, 2025
October is National Retirement Security Month, a time to honor the essential work NCPERS members do to ensure tens of millions of public servants can retire with dignity.
By: Hank Kim, Executive Director, NCPERS
October is National Retirement Security Month, a time to honor the essential work NCPERS members do to ensure tens of millions of public servants can retire with dignity. Retirement security is more than a monthly benefit. It's peace of mind, a promise kept, and a cornerstone of economic stability for families and communities across the country.
At NCPERS, we believe that the professionals who steward public pensions are the unsung heroes of retirement security. Your work matters deeply, and we are proud to stand beside you as partners in this mission. Whether you're managing investments, administering benefits, or shaping policy, your efforts directly impact the lives of teachers, firefighters, nurses, and countless others who serve the public every day.
But we also recognize that this work is not without its challenges. The public pension workforce is facing increasing pressure—from budget constraints to political scrutiny and misinformation. At the same time, pension plans are navigating shifting regulatory environments, evolving actuarial assumptions, and growing economic uncertainty.
These workforce challenges are compounded by broader threats to retirement security. Misinformation campaigns continue to mischaracterize the sustainability and value of defined benefit plans, despite overwhelming evidence of their efficiency and reliability. And economic volatility and inflation add yet another layer of complexity to long-term planning.
How NCPERS Supports the Public Pension Workforce
That's why NCPERS is committed to equipping our members with the tools, knowledge, and community support needed to meet these challenges head-on. Here are just a few examples of how we do this:- Our recent Public Pension HR Summit brought together HR leaders to learn best practices, and the newly released Public Pension Compensation Survey features in-depth data and actionable insights to help you recruit, retain, and support top talent.
- Next up, our FALL Conference and NCPERS University programs offer opportunities to deepen your expertise in financial, actuarial, legislative, legal, and governance matters.
- Pension Fund Roundtables bring professionals together to exchange ideas with peers. From CEOs to member services staff, we're proud to provide a safe space for plan professionals to work together to find solutions to shared challenges.
- Our 11 annual in-person events and virtual learning program are tailored to the diverse needs of trustees, plan staff, and stakeholders at all experience levels, establishing us as the top provider of continuing education and fiduciary training in the industry.
- We continue to produce research and resources that elevate the public pension industry and inform policy and practice.
Share Your Stories: National Retirement Security Month
And this month, we also want to hear from you! Join us as we celebrate National Retirement Security Month:- Share your stories: Tell us what retirement security means to you. Your experiences help us advocate more effectively and remind us all why this work is so important. Reach out to communications@ncpers.org to learn more.
- Sign up: Sign up for NCPERS Retirement Security SmartBrief to receive weekly updates on issues that impact our financial wellbeing in retirement. Subscribe for free.
- Provide Resources: Send your retirement security-related resources and updates to communications@ncpers.org and we'll share them through our networks.
- Use Social Media: Follow and use the hashtags #nationalretirementsecuritymonth and #publicpensions on social media platforms to join the conversation and amplify the message of retirement security. Be sure to tag NCPERS (@NCPERS) so we can help spread the word.