Jeff Pabst, CRC
One of the primary responsibilities of your LAGERS retirement system is to ensure its members are properly educated about their retirement benefits. Because of this responsibility, there are several different educational avenues for you to receive information about your LAGERS benefits. Below are some of the excellent opportunities available to you.
Live Webinars. LAGERS has several live webinar events every month. Each of the webinars has a different focus on various topics. Some of the webinars may be more related to those who are nearing retirement. On the other hand, there are webinars that are specific to new employees and additional webinars that are focused on LAGERS’ employers. An attendee of a webinar can receive information about their retirement system without having to leave the comfort of their desk! Also, if you miss a live webinar, it may be available in our recorded webinar library. Click here to view the schedule for the upcoming live webinars!
Regional Pre-Retirement Seminars. LAGERS hosts regional pre-retirement seminars across the state every year. In 2017, there will be more than 35 seminars across the state and some regions will have multiple dates available to attend a seminar. If you are within 5 years of retirement, you will find a pre-retirement seminar to be beneficial as you prepare to retire. There are full-day seminars that include an in depth discussion about your LAGERS system, a presentation from the local Social Security Administration office and a Medicare presentation by Missouri CLAIM. However, we understand that you may not be able to attend an entire day session. So, we have abbreviated afternoon and evening sessions available in some regions of the state. These seminars are extremely beneficial and they don’t cost you anything to attend! So, attend a seminar and be sure to let you friends know they should attend one too. Click here to view remaining 2016 schedule.
Molagers.org. If you like to figure out information on your own, the LAGERS website is an excellent educational tool. Anything you could possibly want to know about your retirement system is on our website. The information includes eligibility, calculation, payment options and much, much more. Check out the LAGERS website here.
myLAGERS Portal. The myLAGERS portal is an excellent tool for your use. It give you access to your specific account information and gives you the ability to update your personal information, update your beneficiaries, generate benefit estimates, view previous annual statements and much more. The best part about this portal is the information is not generic. Instead it is specific to you and your working career at your employer(s). If you have used the portal before, you will need to enter your user name and password to re-enter the portal. If you have never used the portal before, you will need to complete the enrollment process by clicking the “Enroll Now” button. Click here to go to the myLAGERS log-in screen.
Social Media. Since you are reading this blog, you probably are aware of LAGERS’ social media presence. We have been on social media for a few years now and have been writing one blog per week for two years and counting! What we wish to accomplish through social media is to give you a daily update from your retirement system. These updates may be about the pensions on a national level or just different approach of how to interpret certain parts of your LAGERS benefits. Overall, our goal is to give you another means by which to receive information about your LAGERS system through a different lens.
These are some of the many learning opportunities you have at your disposal as a LAGERS member. Other opportunities include the Annual Meeting, printed publications, your annual statement and newsletters. Also, we offer employee meetings specific to your employer’s benefits, upon request from the employer. So, if you feel like you need more information about your LAGERS benefit, there are resources available to you and we are always available to help in any way possible, just let us know!
Jeff Pabst, CRC Communications Specialist