Retirement Forms, Resources and Videos
Explore the collection of retirement forms, resources and videos, as well as a glossary of retirement terms below.
General Retirement
- Retirement Program Election
- Request for Prior Service Credit Certification
- Request to Rehire Retired Faculty/Staff Member
- Retirement Distribution Certificate Request
Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP)
Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS)
- Notice of Re-Employment of an OPERS Retiree
- OPERS Authorization for Release of Account Information
- OPERS Independent Contractor Acknowledgement
State Teachers Retirement System (STRS)
- STRS Authorization for Release of Account Information
- STRS Exemption from Contributions for Student Employees
- STRS GTA Retirement Election
- STRS Reemployed Retiree Notification
- STRS Verification of Employment and Employer Health Care Access
Supplemental Retirement Account (SRA)
- 403(b)/457(b) – enroll/update provider or contributions (via NetBenefits) – Note: ODC enrollments and payroll contribution changes must be made directly with ODC at ohio457.org.
Executive Retirement Plans (RCP/415(m))
All video links will direct you to YouTube.
Faculty Retirement
- Understanding Faculty Retirement Plan Choices video (12:53)
- Details of Faculty Retirement Plan Choices video (19:13) | Presentation Slides
Staff Retirement
- Understanding Staff Retirement Plan Choices video (10:22)
- Details of Staff Retirement Plan Choices video (17:32) | Presentation Slides
General Retirement
The Office of Human Resources offers webinars on health and wellness benefits and retirement options for new and newly eligible employees. Benefits consultants will compare key features of the plans and address issues you need to consider when making your decisions. Learn more about these webinars.
- Actively Managed Funds
- Funds that seek to perform better than comparable indices, but with greater risk. While actively managed funds seek to outperform the market, they also carry the risk of underperformance.
- Annuity
- An investment that allows you, at the time of retirement, to receive regular payments for a time period that you select—a fixed number of years or your entire lifetime. Annuities are a means by which you can secure a steady cash flow during your retirement years.
- Asset Allocation
- The process of dividing investments among different kinds of assets, such as stocks, bonds and cash, to balance risk and reward.
- Asset Class
- A specific category of investments, such as bonds, U.S. stocks or international stocks, that generally exhibit similar risk and return characteristics.
- Capital Preservation Funds
- Funds that aim to protect the invested money by choosing insured accounts or fixed-income investments that promise a return of principal.
- Default Provider
- The provider selected to be the administrator for all plan accounts until the participant makes an ongoing provider election. Fidelity is the default provider.
- Diversification
- The process of spreading your savings across more than one asset or asset class to reduce risk and minimize the volatility that can result from putting your entire savings in one type of investment (asset class).
- Expense Ratio
- A measure of what it costs to operate an investment, expressed as a percentage of its assets. These are costs the investor pays through a reduction in the investment’s rate of return.
- Index Funds
- Funds that are structured to mirror the performance of a particular investment index, like the S&P 500®. Passively managed, index funds typically have lower fees than actively managed funds.
- Legacy Provider
- A provider that administered one or more of Ohio State’s retirement plans prior to December 31, 2020, but that, going forward, will not be allowed to receive future plan contributions, rollovers or transfers or offer the new tiered investment lineup. They will continue to administer existing accounts using the legacy investment options.
- Mutual Fund
- A financial vehicle that allows a group of investors to pool their money with a predetermined investment objective. Each mutual fund has a fund manager who is responsible for investing the pooled money into specific securities (usually stocks or bonds), in accordance with a stated guideline. When you invest in a mutual fund, you are buying shares of the mutual fund and you become a shareholder of the fund.
- Ongoing Providers
- A select group of providers that Ohio State has chosen to continue administrative services to plan participants after January 4, 2021. The ongoing providers will offer the plans’ new tiered investment lineup.
- Passively Managed Funds
- Funds that are structured to mirror the performance of a particular investment index, like the S&P500®. These funds, also called index funds, typically have lower fees than similar actively managed funds.
- Provider
- An organization responsible for the day-to-day administrative functions of the plan(s). This includes keeping track of your account and investments, providing education, answering questions and communicating with you about your account.
- Share Class
- Some investment funds and companies offer more than one type or group of shares, each of which is considered a class (e.g., “Class A,” “Admiral” or “Institutional” shares). For most investment funds, each class has different fees and expenses, but all of the classes invest in the same pool of securities and share the same investment objectives.
- Target Date Funds
- A set of premixed funds that are diversified and automatically adjust their asset allocation to become more conservative as you near the target retirement age of 65.
- Vesting
- When an employee has acquired a right to retirement funds, which consist of their own contributions and may also include contributions from their employer.