Jeff Pabst, CRC
Do you already have a new year’s resolution? This year, I have a couple. The first is very similar to many Americans – I am going to try to live a healthier lifestyle. However, the other resolution is not quite as conventional for most Americans. I want to become more knowledgeable about planning for retirement. As a LAGERS member you have several opportunities to become more educated about your retirement benefits through LAGERS.
Pre-Retirement Seminars: First and foremost, if you are nearing retirement age, a LAGERS Pre-Retirement Seminar is a must. These seminars are designed to help a LAGERS member make educated decisions regarding their LAGERS retirement benefit. They will also include information about how the benefit is calculated, regular and early retirement provisions, in-depth discussions about payment options, taxes, cost of living adjustments and much more! Since there is so much information to absorb at one of these seminars, I would suggest you attend more than one before you retire. Click Here to view the schedule.
Live & Recorded Webinars: There are three live webinars hosted every month. These webinars are interactive and don’t require you to leave the comfort of your desk. The various topics include pre-retirement planning, separating from LAGERS covered employment, LAGERS overview, and much more. Don’t work at a desk? No problem. Each webinar topic is recorded and placed on our website for future view. Click here to view the recorded and upcoming webinars!
In-Person Employee Meetings: Each LAGERS employer has the opportunity to set up in-person group employee meetings on-site. These must be set up by the employer’s administration with LAGERS Member Services staff. Typically, there are a few different types of meetings set up by an employer such as a general overview of the LAGERS system and the benefits the employer is providing, a mini pre-retirement seminar specifically highlighting the benefits of that employer, or an explanation of a change in benefits. If you or your employer may be interested in an in-person employee meeting, send an email to [email protected]
myLAGERS Portal: The myLAGERS portal is absolutely one of the best retirement planning tools that you have at your disposal. The capabilities of the system were designed to give you more information about your personal LAGERS account and how it all works. One of the most powerful tools that the myLAGERS portal has is the ‘Benefit Calculator.’ This benefit calculator is essentially the same software that is used by internal LAGERS staff when a benefit estimate is requested by phone. It allows you to produce a benefit projection to an estimated retirement date based on the salary and service already on record with LAGERS. Unlike requesting a benefit estimate from the LAGERS office, the benefit calculator allows you to assume pay raises, increase service for purchases, and estimate the net monthly amount after taxes. The benefit calculator is just one of the wonderful tools available to you on the myLAGERS portal. Click Here to access the myLAGERS portal (click on the myLAGERS logo at the bottom of the page). If you have never used it before, click the “Enroll Now” button.
So, will you join me with my unconventional resolution and further educate yourself about retirement? If you do, your LAGERS system has plenty of opportunities for you to further your education about your retirement system.
Jeff Pabst, CRC Communication Specialist