Your MyTFFR account provides direct access to information about your retirement benefit.
Help protect your account by following these simple steps:

• Claim and manage your account. Check your account regularly to make sure your retirement salary and service credit are reported correctly. Register at rio.nd.gov/mytffr.
• Use a unique password. Don't reuse your MyTFFR password for email, banking or other accounts. A unique password helps to protect your account if another service is breached.
• Keep your information current. Review your contact information and beneficiary designation regularly, especially after a major life event such as marriage, divorce, birth or death.
• Use the Contact Us tile when you have account questions. Using MyTFFR’s Contact Us tile to communicate with RIO helps to protect confidential information.
• Watch for scams. Treat any call, text, or email asking for login or banking details as fraud. Call RIO using the contact info on our website, not the information in the message.

TFFR members who are nearing retirement are invited to attend a 90-minute group benefit presentation that provides an overview of the pension program, your benefit options, and the retirement process. RIO will host presentations both virtually and in person from September through November 2026.

⮞ Pre-registration is required. Learn more or register for an Upcoming Event.

TFFR welcomes hundreds of new members every year. This fall, RIO will roll out a campaign to help newly enrolled members take their first steps toward understanding their retirement benefit.

The campaign will provide resources on how TFFR differs from traditional retirement plans, how members become vested, and how retirement benefits are calculated. Members will also learn how to access and navigate the MyTFFR Member Self-Service Portal.

Staying informed about your retirement benefit helps you make the most of your TFFR membership and take ownership of your financial future.

⮞ Curious about these new resources? Visit TFFR's New Member webpage.

As a TFFR member, you have a strong foundation for retirement. Your defined benefit pension provides guaranteed lifetime income based on your years of service and salary. But a fully secure retirement requires building additional savings, whether through a supplemental retirement account, an IRA, or other personal savings.

Early Career: In your 20s, retirement feels far away, and it's tempting to put saving on the back burner. But time is your biggest asset. Even small contributions to a supplemental savings account now can grow substantially by the time you retire.

Mid-Career: By your 30s and 40s, it's worth taking a closer look at the full picture: your TFFR benefit, any supplemental savings, Social Security, and other assets. This is a natural time to sit down with a financial planner, especially as your finances become more complex when a home, family, or other obligations enter the mix.

Approaching Retirement: In your 50s and 60s, focus shifts to fine-tuning. Paying down debt, estimating your TFFR benefit, and getting comfortable with what a fixed retirement income will look like all become more concrete. TFFR's benefit estimator and planning presentations can help you understand what to expect.

A Resource to Help: For TFFR members who want a deeper dive into personal financial planning (budgeting, saving strategies, or working with the different stages of life), the Bank of North Dakota's free Smart with My Money platform offers tools and articles to help fill in the gaps around your retirement benefit.

Retirement planning isn't a one-time task. It's something to revisit as your career and life circumstances change. Starting early, and checking in periodically, puts you in the best position when the time comes!

Get to Know Your TFFR Trustees:

MIKE BURTON

I think I have been involved in education almost my entire life. I went from K-12 in public schools, to a BS degree from NDSU in science, then 41 years as a science teacher in Fargo Public Schools. During my teaching years, I also earned an MS degree from Mississippi State University in earth science. While teaching, I was always involved with working for teachers as building rep, president and chief negotiator for the Fargo Education Association and a board member for NDEA, now NDU. I also held many offices with the North Dakota Science Teachers Association, was a president of the National Earth Science Teachers Association and served a term on the board of the National Science Teachers Association.   After retiring from teaching, I got involved with the North Dakota Retired Teachers Association, Cass County Area Retired Teachers Association, Fargo Retired Teachers Association, and as a trustee on the TFFR board.

I was motivated to become a member of the TFFR board because of the high regard I hold for people that teach. I also thought it would be interesting and challenging.

The most challenging thing TFFR does is its basic job, provide a promised sum of money to each retired North Dakota teacher each and every month for the total of their retired life. It still amazes me that TFFR must produce over $20,000,000 monthly not only to pay member benefits, but also reduce the unfunded liability to zero by 2042, and they are doing it.

I try to stay informed about issues affecting the education profession, especially those affecting pensions, by reading the publication Pensions and Investments and participating in online classes and discussions presented by the National Education Association, National Council on Teacher Retirement, National Institute on Retirement Security, NDSU Challey Institute, and Pensions and Investments. Most of these organizations are involved in pensions or the economy in general. I have also attended several conferences put on by NCTR.

A message for members, pay attention to your pension plan. I know as a teacher I had so much going on in my life that my pension really didn’t concern me until I got close to retirement. Your TFFR pension is a defined benefit plan, and these plans are under attack across the nation. Pay attention to what is happening in North Dakota and also be aware of what is happening in other states.

As I look forward to my last year as a TFFR board member, I have been honored to serve the teachers of North Dakota. I wish all the retired teachers the best possible retirement. And to active teachers, rest assured that after your years of service a pension will be there for you.