Examining that rarest of beasts, the pension

Pension reform in 2006 helped strengthen accountability in the company-sponsored pension plan system.

But pensions have almost become a rarity, as fewer and fewer businesses seem to offer traditional pension plans these days.

If you'd like to learn about how pensions work and even how to track down an unclaimed pension fund, several websites can provide some answers.

Here are a few good places:

—AARP: Offers overview of how to track down pension funds that become "lost" for different reasons.

—Investopedia: Breaks down how pensions work, and employee and company perspectives on pensions.

—Know Your Pension: Provides a useful guide and answers to key pension questions.

—Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation: Info from government agency designed to protect retirement pension income.

—U.S. Department of Labor: Features variety of consumer information on pension plans.

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