Monthly Archives: December 2014

Top Five Pre-Retirement Goals For NYSLRS Members in 2015

This is the time of year when people set goals for themselves. At the New York State & Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), we believe in setting realistic financial goals, especially when it comes to preparing for retirement. Here are five goals we think you can achieve in 2015:

  1. Choose a sensible savings plan that works for you. There are several ways to save for retirement, including starting a deferred compensation plan like the New York State Deferred Compensation Plan. The most important part of developing a savings plan is to start early. The sooner you start saving, the more time your money has to grow. And if you’re nearing retirement age, “binge saving” is always an option worth considering. Check out our Weekly Investment Plan to see how making a weekly investment can grow by age 65.

  2. Track your current and future monthly expenses and income. We feature worksheets to help you prepare a post-retirement budget on our website. Keep track of what you spend now for a month or two to get an idea of how you spend your money. You should include periodic expenses, such as car insurance payments, or property and school taxes as well. Use another of our worksheets to help you summarize your current monthly income and estimate your post-retirement monthly income. Having a post-retirement budget can help you decide how to spend money in retirement, and if you’ll need to supplement your pension.

  3. Request a NYSLRS retirement estimate. A NYSLRS retirement estimate provides you with an estimation of what your pension could be based on the information we have on file for you. You should request an estimate 18 months before your anticipated date of retirement. Many members don’t request an estimate because they don’t know their exact retirement date, but don’t let that stop you. It’s a good way to determine how retirement ready you are. At the very least, you should use our online Benefit Calculator to estimate your pension based on information you enter. Have your Member Annual Statement handy to help fill in key information.

  4. Pay off your NYSLRS loans, if you have any. An outstanding loan balance at retirement will permanently reduce your NYSLRS retirement benefit. You cannot make loan payments after you retire, and the reduction does not go away after we recover the funds. Visit our website for information about making additional payments or increasing your loan payment amount.

  5. Consult a financial planner or accountant. Financial planners don’t manage your money, but will assess your present financial condition and develop a practical plan to meet your specific goal and needs.

If you ever have any retirement-related questions, please contact us. And Happy New Year!