“What are pensions?” is a common question from seniors who are approaching retirement age. Understanding what types of pensions plans are available to seniors can be a daunting task. Pension funds are sources of retirement income made up of accumulated contributions made by employers, employees or both in the span of a person’s lifetime. Pension plans are defined benefit plans that guarantee a given amount of monthly income to seniors after retirement. However, this monthly income guarantee from a pension plan may face reductions in certain cases. Typically, seniors who have reached 65 years of age can begin to collect their accumulated contributions. To learn more about how to apply for pensions, the different methods of collecting retirement funds and in what circumstances those funds are negatively affected, continue reading below.

How to Receive Pension Funds

Pension funds can typically begin to be collected by seniors after they reach 65 years of age. Certain senior pension plans allow for early retirement benefits to be collected after a person reaches 55 years of age, but the size of the monthly retirement income will be reduced to account for that early collection. Among the rules for getting pensions, there are two main methods for collecting retirement income: monthly installments or a lump-sum payment. To learn more about the benefits and disadvantages regarding each of these collection methods, download our comprehensive guide today.

Some seniors may ask, “How do pensions work if the company that contributed to my plan faces financial problems?” If the company’s portfolio of investments performs very poorly or if the company files for bankruptcy, the retirement income that was previously guaranteed to you may be reduced.

What are pensions?

Pension plans are types of retirement plans that require an employer to make contributions to a fund that is set aside for an employee. The pension plan allows the employee to have a monthly income after he or she reaches a certain age and chooses to retire. These senior retirement plans are typically set up within a person’s first year of employment with the company, but pension benefits may be limited during the employee’s first few years. Pension funds may also receive individual contributions from their beneficiaries. These contributions are not subject to taxes and, like Social Security retirement benefits, cannot be taken out by a contributor before he or she meets the retirement criteria.

Among the various types of retirement plans, a traditional pension plan is considered a defined benefit plan where contributions are made to an investment portfolio that is controlled by an employer. Thus, taking into consideration all of the contributions made, a fixed amount of monthly income is guaranteed to an employee as he or she reaches retirement. However, leaving a company before retirement may result in the loss of a portion of pension benefits.

Conversely, a retirement plan for seniors such as a 401(k) is considered a defined contribution plan in which employees are able to choose their own investment options but are offered no guarantee in regards to retirement benefits. Pension plans may offer less flexibility to seniors in comparison to 401(k) plans, but pensions offer less risk to contributors and are able to set retirement fund guarantees that are not possible to be stipulated in a 401(k).

What are the pension requirements for seniors?

Pension eligibility requirements are typically the same across different offerings. Enrollment in a pension plan usually occurs within a person’s first year of employment with a company. Seniors typically gain access to pension funds after they have reached 65 years of age. If you would like to know who is eligible for pensions funds before reaching 65 years of age, you should be mindful that certain plans allow those who are 55 years of age to claim early retirement and start receiving retirement funds.

If you are wondering when to apply for pensions, it is typically advisable for you to wait until you reach 65 years of age to claim those funds. When you claim early retirement at 55 years of age, your monthly senior pension payments are reduced in order to account for that change. Thus, if you start to receive pension funds at 55 years of age instead of starting at 65 years of age, you are choosing to live 10 additional years with the same amount of money that was collected for your entire retirement period. To learn more about qualifications for pensions, download our guide today.

What are the benefits of pensions?

Pension plans can provide seniors with significant benefits. The benefits of pensions for seniors include the following:

• Pension plans do not allow contributors to take out loans or make early withdrawals from pension funds, which significantly contributes to a senior’s commitment to saving for retirement.<
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• Unless the company retirement investments typically made from an employee’s gross income, thus not being subject to taxation that contributes to your pension plan undergoes significant financial struggles, seniors with pension plans can count on a guaranteed monthly income after they retire.
• Pension funds can be paid on monthly installments or in a lump sum, giving seniors options in regards to how they would like their retirement funds to be managed.