# Uncle Vanya (from the sidewalk) talks about a 500,000 ruble salary for employees of a non-state pension funds. A story

Henry de Overwood

MMMDCCLXXX. Uncle Vanya (from the sidewalk) talks about a 500,000 ruble salary for employees of a non-state pension funds. A story. - March 10, 2026.

Uncle Vanya (from the sidewalk) talks about a 500,000 ruble salary for employees of a non-state pension funds. A story.


I'm walking through Rostov. Uncle Vanya is standing on the sidewalk and smoking.


He looks at me and says:


- "I told you that the pension business is a 'super-profitable business.'"


- "That's an exaggeration," I reply, "it's hyperbole."


- "Did you know that in December 2025, there were only two industries [branches] in Russia where the average salary exceeded 500,000 rubles? Those were non-state pension funds (NPFs) and financial intermediation."


- "So, it's the 'non-state pension funds,'" I say. "And I transferred my funded pension contributions (507,340 rubles) to a state fund-the Pension and Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation (also abbreviated in Russian as the Social Fund of Russia, SFR). There's a difference: a PRIVATE [non-state] FUND is one thing, and a STATE FUND is another."


Uncle Vanya looks at me ironically:


- "You see the trolleybus?"


- "I see it," I reply.


- "What difference does it make whether the transport company is owned by the state (by the municipality) or by a private owner? Will the trolleybus's wheels or its design would be changed depending on the type of ownership?"


- "The shape of the wheels won't change, nor the steering wheel, the cabin, the interior. Everything will be the same," I say.


- "So if the NPF average salary exceeded 500,000 rubles in December 2025, that means the pension business is incredibly profitable."


- "And why do they tell me (Decision No. 57 of January 28, 2026, payment case 227315): '...to refuse ... NO FUNDS FOR PAYMENT'-even though I transferred 507,340 rubles (as the funded pension contributions) in October-November 2025 [which allows to pay to me 2,285 rubles a month (as a funded pension) for 18.5 years, even without the investing (by the Fund) of the contributions received?"


Uncle Vanya smiled:


- "Get on the trolleybus and think!"


I thought: may be to take the trolleybus a short distance?


- "Thanks for the advice, Uncle Vanya," I said and got on the trolleybus.


March 10, 2026, 9:23 AM


Translation from Russian into English: March 15, 2026 09:36

Владимир Владимирович Залесский ' Дядя Ваня (с тротуара) рассказывает о зарплате 500000 рублей в НПФ. Рассказ. '


{ 3809. Дядя Ваня (с тротуара) рассказывает о зарплате 500000 рублей в НПФ. Рассказ. - 10 марта 2026 г.

MMMDCCLXXX. Uncle Vanya (from the sidewalk) talks about a 500,000 ruble salary for employees of a non-state pension funds. A story. - March 10, 2026.


Vladimir Zalessky Internet-bibliotheca. Интернет-библиотека Владимира Залесского}


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