economics correspondent paul solman has our story. it's part of his on-going reporting, "making sense of financial news". >> hi, welcome to "sesame street." look what elmo has. >> reporter: a new financial literacy initiative from "sesame street." "money tips for tots" starting with savings. ♪ we save. it's okay. what a save, yeah, elmo's gonna save ♪. >> reporter: in elmo's gonna save, that would distinguish him from a host of grown-up minners, more than a third of whom have a mere $1,000 or less socked away. in total. 29% of us report not having saved one penny for retirement. related, perhaps, we can't calculate our way out of a paper bag. get this-- americans 50 or older were asked, "suppose you had $100 in a savings account, and the interest rate was 2% per year. after five years, would you have more than $102. exactly 102, or less than $10 two? 2% interest. five years. what portion of the country didn't know that more was the blindingly right answer? half. it might explain why 1.5 million americans filed for bankruptcy last year

. >> ifill: from rhode island, paul solman reports on the risk to retirees and taxpayers alike when billions of dollars from state pension funds are tied up in the stock market. >> we'd be asking people, do you want to pay higher taxes in order to avoid taking the risk in the stock market? i think most people would say no to that. >> woodruff: and we continue our collaboration with "the economist" magazine to highlight the art of filmmaking. tonight, jeffrey brown talks to "my perestroika" director robin hessman about children growing up as the soviet union fell apart. >> for every individual, it was a complicated process and still is today. there are many conflicting feelings on the changes and the effects of those changes on their everyday lives. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> i mean, where would we be without small businesses? >> we need small businesses. >> they're the ones that help drive growth. >> like electricians, mechanics, carpenters. >> they strengthen our communities. >> every year, chevron spend

tonight in his third story from rhode island, economics correspondent paul solman looks at the debate over how to calculate investment returns for that state's troubled pension fund. it's part of his ongoing reporting effort: "making sense of financial news." >> i'd like to call the meeting to order. >> reporter: rhode island treasurer gina raimondo, a democrat, presiding over the board that runs the state's $7 billion pension fund. >> we're still about a billion dollars off where we were before the market crashed when we were at $8.4 billion. >> reporter: the fund is now billions in the hole, in part because of past investment assumptions that proved too bullish. >> what we're trying to do is set the most probable scenario that we believe will come to play based on the data that we have today. >> reporter: the question here is one confronting states across the country. what's a realistic rate of return assumption? the answer could mean higher taxes, lower pensions, bitter politics. >> i'm going to ask you to please put the politics aside. i know there are pressures. i feel these pres

plus, economics correspondent paul solman explores the connection between self-control and your financial well-being. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.oprg. jeff? >> brown: and that's the newshour for tonight. on tuesday, we'll look at aids 30 years after the first diagnosis. i'm jeffrey brown. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. we'll see you online, and agn here torrow evenig. thank you, and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: chevron. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

plus, on our making sense page, paul solman looks at the latest data on home prices and explores some of your questions on mortgages. also there, find an interactive map that tracks how housing prices are faring where you live. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. judy? >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. on wednesday, we'll look at the vote on austerity measures in greece aimed at staving off default. i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. we'll see you on-line, and again here tomorrow evening. thank you, and have a good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: chevron and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group a