Are You Financially Fit? Get a Checkup and Find Out!
You
may be physically fit, but are you financially
fit? Find out now – get a confidential and free Financial Fitness Checkup from ETF.Through
November 25 ETF is offering the checkup to all WRS covered employees and their
friends and families. Take the online survey to get your financial wellness
score and helpful resources to improve your financial well-being. More Financial Wellness>
The EMPOWER campaign has garnered
state and national attention for its creative, educational approach to engaging
and inspiring women to save for retirement. ETF staffers Tarna Hunter and
Shelly Schueller, who founded EMPOWER, recently received the 2015 Innovator
Award from Pensions & Investment
Magazine and the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association. More Recognition>
Pay Attention to Year-end Deadlines
Are you thinking about retiring soon? What about
supplementing your WRS retirement benefit or withdrawing a recently-submitted
health insurance application/change? If you’re in this camp, be aware of
important end-of-year deadlines. More Year-end
Deadlines>
Should you retire before the end of the year, or wait until just after the start of the new year? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Picking a date that provides the optimal retirement annuity amount depends on your individual WRS account history. We have a few things for you to consider in your decision-making process. More Retire>
Several bills affecting the
WRS were introduced in the 2015-2016 session. The bills that have had recent
activity are briefly described here, along with links to the proposal’s status. More Legislative Update>
Investing for Retirement
More than 250 individuals participated in the Investing
for Retirement presentation, offered by the EMPOWER campaign. Now you can view the recorded webinar 24/7 and learn how to “live to 95
and not run out of money”. Keynote speaker Bob Schulz (a.k.a., The Retirement
Guy) shares tips on how to become an educated investor, avoid making common
mistakes, learn simple rules on personal finance, and more.
Other News & Features
Teachers Retirement Board Election Set
Four candidates have
filed nomination papers for three available Teachers Retirement Board seats. ETF has scheduled a Teachers Retirement Board
election for February 2015. More Board Election>
2016 Rates and
Adjustments: Watch for Announcements
At
this time of year members often ask about upcoming effective rates and annuity
adjustments for the Core Trust Fund. Watch for this news in January and February.
But we do have preliminary projections. If the Core Fund achieves the 7.2% actuarial assumed rate of return, active employees can
expect a Core effective rate in the range of 7.9% to 8.3%. More Rates>
Upcoming
Board Meetings
The next Group Insurance Board meeting is set for November
17 and the Joint Retirement Board Meeting is set for December 10. Both meetings
are in Madison. Find out what’s going on when, learn more about the boards. More Board Meetings>