IPERS was founded on July 4, 1953, to provide a dependable and economical retirement plan for Iowa’s public employees. For over a half century, IPERS has provided Iowa’s public employees with guaranteed retirement income. Today, IPERS invests and safeguards approximately $43 billion in assets, each year collecting over $1.3 billion in contributions and paying more than $2.3 billion in retirement, death, and disability benefits.