Jeff Pabst, CRC
Very soon, you will be receiving your Member Annual Statement. While this piece of paper may not seem like much, it is a beneficial tool in your retirement planning arsenal. As you may know, your LAGERS retirement benefit will provide you with a secure stream of income when you retire. Coupled with your own personal savings, Social Security, and other sources of income, your LAGERS benefit will help you achieve financial independence when you decide to retire in the future. So, one of the first things that your annual statement may help you do is plan your retirement saving efforts by you knowing how much to expect from your LAGERS benefit.
Your annual statement gives you a wide range of information to interpret. So, I thought I would discuss some of the terminology on your annual statement
- Personal Information will include your hire date, your date of birth, your vested status and your total years of service credit.
- What you’ve earned as of December 31, 2018 will show how much you have earned as of the end of the year. In other words, if you were to terminate employment in the near future, this is approximately what your benefit would be at normal retirement age. Keep in mind, this amount is based on your service to December 31, 2018 and as you continue to work, you continue to earn months of service credit that will increase your future benefit.
- What you could earn if you keep working will show you a projection of your LAGERS benefit if you work until your retirement age. This section shows you how remaining with your current employer under LAGERS will assist you in becoming financially independent in retirement.
- Beneficiaries this is your current beneficiary(s) listed with LAGERS. If you need to update your beneficiaries, you can do so online through the myLAGERS portal or submit a Change of Beneficiary Form from our website.
- Your LAGERS Account Balance will show your employee contribution balance including any contributions for purchasing service credit. If you have not made contributions at any time in your career, a balance will not be listed. This account balance does not have an effect on your benefit amount as your benefit is determined using a formula.
- Your last 10 years of Salary Reported to LAGERS will show the last 10 years of wages reported to LAGERS. If you do not have 10 years of service under LAGERS, it will show what wages have been reported for the service you have earned.
Member Annual Statement vs. Benefit Estimate. The annual statement is an excellent way to understand what your LAGERS benefit will pay you in the future and is a great tool to help you plan your retirement savings. However, another tool at your disposal when you near retirement is a benefit estimate. The benefit estimate has some similar functions to your annual statement, but it is a benefit projection based on an exact estimated retirement date you provide. Additionally, benefit estimates illustrate each of your available payment options, including the partial lump sum and what your potential beneficiary would receive with each option. You can generate and save benefit estimates on the myLAGERS portal 24/7. If you’re not signed up for a myLAGERS account, simply click this link and click “Enroll Now.” However, if you do not wish to have a myLAGERS account, you can have an estimate mailed to you by calling the LAGERS office at 1-800-447-4334.
So, the next time you are thinking about your financial plan for the future, be sure to look at your annual statement to help you know what to plan on from your LAGERS benefit. As always, if you have any questions regarding your statement or any other aspect of your LAGERS benefit, feel free to contact the LAGERS office!
