Florida Police Officers Pension: Solvency Alert

If you are one of the 650,000 police officers who depend on the Florida Retirement System (FRS), your retirement security is mathematically at risk. The fund operates with a funding ratio of only 82.1%—well below the 80% threshold considered healthy.

What This Means for Your Retirement

A funding ratio of 82.1% means that for every $1.00 the fund owes you in retirement, it currently holds only $0.82 in assets. The remaining gap must come from:

• Future investment returns (increasingly unlikely at 7%+ return assumptions)
• Increased taxpayer contributions (politically difficult in Florida)
• Benefit cuts to retirees (the most mathematically likely outcome)

The Florida Inflation Factor

Even if your nominal pension remains intact, Florida's local inflation rate of 4.8% is eroding purchasing power faster than standard COLA adjustments. A fixed $2,800/month payment today buys significantly less by 2051.

Wealth Protection Strategy for Florida Police Officers

Smart police officers in Florida are not waiting for political solutions. They are:

1. Maximizing 457(b) or 403(b) contributions to build a personal safety net outside the pension system
2. Opening a Self-Directed IRA with physical precious metals (per IRS Code 408(m)(3)) for counterparty-free diversification
3. Requesting pension buy-out analysis if offered by Florida Retirement System (FRS)
4. Consulting a fee-only fiduciary advisor (not a commission-based salesperson)