I presume you are vested in this pension plan. If you are run over by a bus tomorrow, what happens to the $19K? Do your heirs get it? Or does the company keep it?

Keep in mind, if its a qualified pension plan, you probably have the option to take that $19K as a rollover to an IRA. Then you don't pay income taxes on it until you take distributions from the IRA. So you can invest your money tax free. (You can also do a Roth conversion to avoid future income taxes by paying taxes now or in a favorable year on the amount converted.)

And once its in an IRA its your money, and your heirs will get it as beneficiaries if anything happens to you.