Welcome to your December 2025 issue of the Proactive newsletter. 

With the holidays near and as the calendar winds down, this is an excellent time to pause and take a breath. 

While ‘tis the season for celebration and fun, these days can also be hectic and stressful. Between work, home, finances, travel, and everything else in your day-to-day life, one can easily get caught up in the crush. 

Perhaps a suggestion: Slow down. Take a moment and focus on what truly matters: Those people you’re around and surrounded by. Your family, friends, co-workers, and community are genuine connections who make this and every time of year meaningful. 

We want you to find your balance and identify priorities so you can build the life you want. Your journey – both for life and retirement – is many small steps made thoughtfully. We’re here to help you. 

Wishing you a safe, peaceful, and healthy holiday season and a great start to the new year. 

Beginning Aug. 25, the Roth 457 savings option was added to the State of Michigan 401(k) and 457 Plans (the Plans), giving you another after-tax contribution choice. Because contributions to the Roth 457 options are after-tax, they offer you the opportunity to take tax-free distributions when you retire.  

As long as you don’t withdraw from your account for at least five years (beginning Jan. 1 of the year of your first Roth contribution) and before age 59½, you will not pay taxes on your investment earnings. When you’re ready to contribute, log in to your Voya Financial account and select the Plan you want to update. Go to Contributions & Savings > Manage Contributions or call the Plans Information Line at 800-748-6128.

Michigan Unclaimed Property is a State of Michigan resource used to check to see if your name (or your business name) has any forgotten assets. Michigan Unclaimed Property has millions of dollars in lost or forgotten assets on record. Some examples of unclaimed property include dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, stock certificates, and abandoned safe deposit boxes. These items are turned over to the state as required by law. 

Earlier this year the Department of Treasury / Michigan Unclaimed Property rolled out a website redesign making it easier than ever to see if they are holding property in your name. The database is updated throughout the year so it’s good to occasionally check. 

Michigan Unclaimed Property returned more than $150 million to rightful owners or heirs last fiscal year. For more information, check out the Treasury Talk Podcast How to Find Your Missing Money. 

If you’re looking to apply for retirement heading into 2026, we’re here to help with a new resource available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Offered on the ORS YouTube channel, our Applying for Retirement — Defined Benefit Plan video walks you through the process of applying for your Michigan Public School Employees’ Retirement System Defined Benefit pension in miAccount.  

In the video, you’ll find guidance for:

• Logging in to a MiLogin account.
• Adding and removing State of Michigan services to your MiLogin account.
• Navigating ORS’ miAccount platform.
• A step-by-step walkthrough of the Defined Benefit retirement application process, with commentary from an ORS expert along the way.

It’s never too late to learn — whether you’re a new employee or you’re in the middle of your career.  

Retirement 101 is a YouTube video series we’ve developed to provide you with basic explanations about key retirement terms and concepts. We hope that with these building blocks, you can build a strong financial foundation and successfully prepare for a fulfilling retirement.  

Jump in and check out our Retirement 101 playlist — after all, knowing is half the battle.