Pension benefits

anonymous

Guest
Can someone please clarify what is the pension benefit in J&J at this point ?
I hear different things about old pension plan and the new one. Which one is better ?
Also heard some rumors that maybe all pensions will be eventually deprecated for new hires.

Thank you .
 




It’s not really a pension per se, they just put aside 15% of your total pay every year. When you reach retirement age you can either take it as a lump sum or an annuity. If you’re currently employed I’d suggest reading through the pension document located on the benefits website. It’s not too dense and legalese.

The old pension ends for folks grandfathered in soon and everyone will be on the new ‘pension’. If you’re asking about this benefit you’re likely not on the old pension. I’m not either, but I’ve heard it called a golden parachute so I’m assuming it was good. I guess in this modern age at least we get 15%?
 




It’s not really a pension per se, they just put aside 15% of your total pay every year. When you reach retirement age you can either take it as a lump sum or an annuity. If you’re currently employed I’d suggest reading through the pension document located on the benefits website. It’s not too dense and legalese.

The old pension ends for folks grandfathered in soon and everyone will be on the new ‘pension’. If you’re asking about this benefit you’re likely not on the old pension. I’m not either, but I’ve heard it called a golden parachute so I’m assuming it was good. I guess in this modern age at least we get 15%?
and a tv set when your done.
 




It’s not really a pension per se, they just put aside 15% of your total pay every year. When you reach retirement age you can either take it as a lump sum or an annuity. If you’re currently employed I’d suggest reading through the pension document located on the benefits website. It’s not too dense and legalese.

The old pension ends for folks grandfathered in soon and everyone will be on the new ‘pension’. If you’re asking about this benefit you’re likely not on the old pension. I’m not either, but I’ve heard it called a golden parachute so I’m assuming it was good. I guess in this modern age at least we get 15%?
15% of total pay or base pay? And I believe the 15% reflects the nominal dollars you receive at retirement age—so it’s worth much less than 15% if you’re 30 years from retirement age.
 




15% of total pay or base pay? And I believe the 15% reflects the nominal dollars you receive at retirement age—so it’s worth much less than 15% if you’re 30 years from retirement age.
15% total pay. Five year vesting, no sliding payout if you leave before five years. There is a penalty if you retire early not sure of the number it's 3%-4%?. If you have 30 years left in your career I would count on any benefits being there down the road. Companies change the game all the time. I had a medical benefit taken away shortly before I qualified at a different company.
 




15% total pay. Five year vesting, no sliding payout if you leave before five years. There is a penalty if you retire early not sure of the number it's 3%-4%?. If you have 30 years left in your career I would count on any benefits being there down the road. Companies change the game all the time. I had a medical benefit taken away shortly before I qualified at a different company.
If I remember the pension document properly... I think it's a several percent per year penalty. So if you retire 1 year before full retirement age it's 3-4% but if it's 5 years it's that 3-4% times 5.
 




If I remember the pension document properly... I think it's a several percent per year penalty. So if you retire 1 year before full retirement age it's 3-4% but if it's 5 years it's that 3-4% times 5.
It was hard enough to retire from J&J with the old pension plan. After 2025, does anyone expect emloyees to retire from J&J with 20 yrs? 30 yrs? of service? The new and worse pension plan is not enough to entice employees to stay long. LTI benefits decreasing, a less than average stock, no innovation on the horizon (robitics is not innovation until it starts producing significant revenue, which it won't)...you're not going to need shades to see into the future. It's not looking good.
 




It was hard enough to retire from J&J with the old pension plan. After 2025, does anyone expect emloyees to retire from J&J with 20 yrs? 30 yrs? of service? The new and worse pension plan is not enough to entice employees to stay long. LTI benefits decreasing, a less than average stock, no innovation on the horizon (robitics is not innovation until it starts producing significant revenue, which it won't)...you're not going to need shades to see into the future. It's not looking good.
FACTS!
 




Old plan ends and freezes on Dec 31 2025 for those hired before Jan 01 2016. Old plan is 0.0155 (used to be 0.0175 years ago like prior to 2000) x Avg Salary x years. Older people will get old plan frozen amount plus 15% lump sum for additional years if they retire after new plan takes effect for them. Example old plan avg $200,000 x 0.0155 x 30 = $93,000 PER YEAR max (46.5% of average salary). Work 5 additional years after change, get additional $200,000 x .15 x 5 = $15,000 as lump sum assuming no increase in salary. There is/was an upper limit of 60% on the old plan (similar to government workers). JJ felt old plan was just too expensive. So much for people over $$$.
 




Mass exodus end of 2025, I know many folks who will be departing, myself included. grab some popcorn…
Was on a JNJ financial call Feb 6, 2024. On one slide they had this:
  • No advantage to leaving at 12/31/2025 since FAP is preserved and new formula is competitive
This is not a paraphrased, a quote. IMO they know it’s coming and are find themselves worried they have tipped the scales a bit too far.

Why would anyone stay after the pension formula is frozen? These companies are more alike than different. Take your talents and success to another company and receive way better salary with similar benefits. Well known successful oncology rep from plain states left back in 2020 (not on pension plan). She made 75K more (salary increase and bonus) in the remaining 6 months of the year than she would have if she stayed.
 




15 Biggest Companies That Offer Pensions

First ones out of J&J and into these “full” pension companies get the better jobs:

Accenture
Abbott
Eli Lily
Merck
P&G

Funny that one of the original justifications for changing the J&J pension plan was “to be competitive” - smells very much like more very expensive McKinsey crap.

Phase 1 - new employees hired after Jan 01. 2016 (nothing said at that time about this eventually applying to “grandfathered”employees) to new 15% plan

Phase 2 - everyone including “grandfathered” employees on January 01. 2026 - to new 15% plan. Justification was “to put all employees on the same plan and be “more” competitive”

(yes my friends Phase 2 was originally planned when Phase 1 was implemented, it was not an afterthought)

I just wondered how much money we paid to McKinsey for this load of crap. One hundred million dollars minimum.
 








15% of total pay or base pay? And I believe the 15% reflects the nominal dollars you receive at retirement age—so it’s worth much less than 15% if you’re 30 years from retirement age.
100% correct about the nominal dollars at retirement even if you are much closer to retirement than 30 years. Since 2020 Americans have lost 24% of their purchasing power! You have to upgrade your job every three to four years just to break even with your salary. I'd rather take the salary now than have dollars in the future.
 




I am lucky to have 25 years under my belt with an old pension plan. Still need another 10-12 years. So the pension would be combined form old pland and the new one that starts on January 1, 2026. The 15% will be a total ( base plus bonus). You can run projected simulations on the J&J benefits retirement hub. Mine projects approximately $8500 - 9000 a month. They had published actuarial tables back in 2020 when they first itroduced the change. Most impacted ( those who were hired before 2015) are those that at the time of the change will have about only 5 or less years with an old FAP plan. People like me (20-25 years with an old FAP plan) will have a mild impact and people who are over 25 ( 25-35 years with an old FAP plan) will have almost no impact. My actuarial table measured my impact to be an 18% reduction of my total monthly payout if i compare the payout of the combined pension I will get vs the theoretical pure FAP pansion payout if they didn't phase out the pension. Of course I was upset, but it is still not bad compared to other people. I think this is part of the decade long multifaceted effort to make a company leaner, a war of attrition. Even if it hurts talent retention. No more loyalty expected and none will be given. I predict a massive exodus during the second half od the 2025 of the age group 55-65 and those who just decide that finding a job with an increase in salary greater than their 15% new pension. If you find a job with a 25% increase, just invest this money in the 401k plan in your new company and you will have a better return. So in 2026 J&J becomes a player on the same level as its competitors because the main magnet that kept employees for decades is removed. Those here who say that "the yare surprised and concerned they tipped the scale too far", I do not believe it. The senior leadership is smart. It is all calculated based on the characteristics and psychology and behavious of younger demographics that is entering the work force. Noone wants to stay more than 5 years in one place. It is a GIG mentality. Most do not care about pension. The old glorious image of J&J as an american symbol of loyalty, stability, american family and american job protection is long gone. Now it is a faceless international conglomerate where you are an easily replacable pawn and they are running a layoff excercises every several months. How sad it is. But this is just a microcosm of what is happening in the United States. The country is changing.
 




So true, wit one disagreement, they aren’t waiting for exodus in middle of 2025, they want to cut now and u will see 15,000 + reduction across the globe. Let’s face it J&J is too top heavy and very bloated …even after Consumer divesture, J&J has 135,000 employee which is not a sign of healthy company… the bloated size with bad leadership over last 7-8 years have resulted in J&J missing goals in every segments and now far behind Other competitors either in robotics, CART, orthopedics, consumer health care and vision care… it started with Weldon, got worse with Alex and now JD is trying to clean the mess but is having very tough time to do it.. as he wants to show a employee friendly image while trying to change the course of a bloated company … did clean up of Methai, Najat, Medtech chairman but needs a surgery to cut fat
 




So true, wit one disagreement, they aren’t waiting for exodus in middle of 2025, they want to cut now and u will see 15,000 + reduction across the globe. Let’s face it J&J is too top heavy and very bloated …even after Consumer divesture, J&J has 135,000 employee which is not a sign of healthy company… the bloated size with bad leadership over last 7-8 years have resulted in J&J missing goals in every segments and now far behind Other competitors either in robotics, CART, orthopedics, consumer health care and vision care… it started with Weldon, got worse with Alex and now JD is trying to clean the mess but is having very tough time to do it.. as he wants to show a employee friendly image while trying to change the course of a bloated company … did clean up of Methai, Najat, Medtech chairman but needs a surgery to cut fat
who is fat?
 








So true, wit one disagreement, they aren’t waiting for exodus in middle of 2025, they want to cut now and u will see 15,000 + reduction across the globe. Let’s face it J&J is too top heavy and very bloated …even after Consumer divesture, J&J has 135,000 employee which is not a sign of healthy company… the bloated size with bad leadership over last 7-8 years have resulted in J&J missing goals in every segments and now far behind Other competitors either in robotics, CART, orthopedics, consumer health care and vision care… it started with Weldon, got worse with Alex and now JD is trying to clean the mess but is having very tough time to do it.. as he wants to show a employee friendly image while trying to change the course of a bloated company … did clean up of Methai, Najat, Medtech chairman but needs a surgery to cut fat
Get rid of Directors, way too many. Earning $250-$400k base plus up to $150k bonus plus LTI. For what? Not value-added. CUT THE FAT.