By Antonia Ayres-Brown, includes “Although markets have tumbled since the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state’s pension systems are reassuring retirees that payments will be processed as usual. ‘We’ve prepared for an eventuality like this,’ said Dave Urbanek, a spokesperson for the Teachers’ Retirement System. ‘Our top priority is to protect assets, so we’ve been in what we call a ‘defensive posture’ for the last several years.’ …”