Virtual Retirement Fair – Sept. 11-22, 2023
These sessions are now closed. Thank you to all who participated.
The retirement fair provided Ohio State employees the opportunity to learn more about financial planning and retirement. Employees connected with retirement experts and benefits representatives to gain knowledge, enhance their financial future and better understand their retirement plans.
The sessions focused on the mandatory plans – Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS), State Teachers Retirement System (STRS), and the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) – as well as Supplemental Retirement Accounts (SRAs) and other related topics.
While no further sessions are planned, helpful resources are listed in the sidebar on this page and the main retirement website.
Connect with our community of experts and representatives to gain valuable knowledge, enhance your financial future and better understand your retirement plans. No matter where you are in your career, it’s important to know how to save and plan for your future.
Human Resources is hosting a Virtual Retirement Fair. The series of webinars will be held Sept. 11-22 for Ohio State employees about making informed decisions about your retirement.
We know financial planning is important for you and your family. Invite family members to join you during any of your registered sessions.
The sessions are intended to provide education for all plan participants. Keep in mind that personal financial details and questions are best addressed directly with your financial planner or retirement provider.
To sign up, BuckeyeLearn registration links are in the below content for each session. Once in BuckeyeLearn, select “view details” under the session you would like to attend. Then click “request” to register. You will receive a confirmation email and Outlook calendar appointment following your registration.
Who should attend?
What topics will be covered?
The sessions will focus on the mandatory plans – OPERS, STRS and the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) – as well as Supplemental Retirement Accounts (SRAs) and other related topics will be covered to help you save and plan for your future, including
- Preparing to Retire under ARP, OPERS and STRS
- Basics of ARP, OPERS, STRS and SRA
- Considerations of your Legacy Retirement Accounts
- SSA and Medicare: Retirement 101 and Medicare Part A/B Enrollment
- Secure Act 2.0
Session Details
Session descriptions, dates, intended audience and registration information can be found below. You can choose to register for as many sessions as you would like.
To sign up, BuckeyeLearn registration links are in the below content for each session. Once in BuckeyeLearn, select “view details” under the session you would like to attend. Then click “request” to register. You will receive a confirmation email and Outlook calendar appointment following your registration.
Preparing to Retire under the Alternative Retirement Plan
for ARP participants within 5 years of retirement
- Tuesday, Sept. 12, 1-2 p.m.
- Wednesday, Sept. 20, 12-1 p.m.
Review Ohio State retirement eligibility requirements and a timeline for the ARP, sick payout eligibility, retiree benefits and more. Following the overview presentation, ARP provider representatives will host break-out sessions to cover various topics such as retirement tools and planning, assessment of overall retirement readiness, distribution options and practical strategies for retaining your account balance in retirement.
Alternative Retirement Plan Basics and Tools
for early to mid-career ARP plan participants
- Thursday, Sept. 14, 12-1 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 21, 9-10 a.m.
Better understand the basics of the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) and what you should be doing in your early or mid-career to help save for your future. Ohio State benefits professionals will give you an overview of the plan and insights on how your plan works.
Ohio State retirement plan provider representatives will also host breakout sessions to discuss topics such as calculating your retirement needs, exploring available tools and resources, expert guidance on retirement savings options and maximizing the benefits of scheduling a personalized one-on-one retirement planning consultations. These practical strategies and expert guidance can help you improve your financial well-being and achieve your financial goals.
Exploring Ohio State Legacy Accounts: What You Need to Know
for anyone who contributed to a university sponsored plan prior to January 1, 2021 (ARP, 403(b), 457(b), or executive retirement plan)
- Wednesday, Sept. 13, 12-1 p.m.
- Monday Sept. 18, 9-10 a.m.
If you contributed to an Ohio State ARP, 403(b), 457(b) or executive retirement plan prior to January 1, 2021, you may have a legacy account(s). This means it may be held with a terminated provider or in legacy investments with an approved provider. Transferring your legacy investments to the current investment lineup may provide you with lower record-keeping and investment managing fees, as well as a simplified approach to choosing your investments. In this session, Ohio State benefits professionals and retirement consultant will walk through considerations for moving your legacy investments, steps to do so and how to take advantage of enhancements to the plans.
OPERS Ready to Retire
for OPERS Traditional Pension participants within 5 years of retirement eligibility
- Monday, Sept. 11, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This webinar includes two presentations conducted back-to-back. In part one, you’ll learn about calculating your monthly payment, applying for retirement, and how Social Security may be affected by your OPERS retirement benefits. Part two will cover OPERS Health Care, including eligibility, understanding your allowance, using a Health Reimbursement Account, plan selection, and re-employment.
Estimating Retirement Income with OPERS and Closing the Gap
for OPERS participants
- Thursday, Sept. 14, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Wednesday, Sept. 20, 10-11 a.m.
Assess your financial wellness, review your current spending habits and estimate your retirement income with tools presented by OPERS educators. These strategies can help you identify any gap between what you have in retirement and what you will need. Presenters will also identify strategies to eliminate any gap.
Understanding the Value of Your OPERS Retirement
for OPERS Participants
- Monday, Sept. 11, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
This session will help educate participants about OPERS benefits for future financial security. Review the basics of your OPERS account, the state-mandated retirement program for staff. It covers topics such as the 10% deduction from paychecks for retirement funding, the 14% employer contribution, current benefit qualifications, the value of a pension, what happens if you leave public employment, and a comparison of retirement health care benefits.
STRS General Information Overview
for STRS participants all career stages
- Monday, Sept. 11, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
For participants with limited knowledge about your STRS retirement plan, this session provides an overview of the plan basics and benefits. It will offer a general overview of the benefits provided under each STRS retirement plan during a member’s career and retirement and addresses the topics of: service retirement eligibility criteria, benefit payment options, survivor benefits, disability benefits and purchasable service credit.
While it can be most beneficial to have this knowledge early in your career, this meeting is also appropriate in the mid and late stages of your career.
STRS Retirement Countdown 12 Months and Out
for STRS Participants 12-18 months from retirement
- Tuesday, Sept. 12, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Review the process for completing the online Service Retirement Application, plan of payment options, designation of single or multiple beneficiaries and enrollment in the STRS Ohio Health Care Program. The webinar, presented by STRS educators, will also include an overview of the retirement process and offer an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.
STRS Tools and Financial Fitness
for early to mid-career STRS participants
- Monday, Sept. 18, 1-2 p.m.
Learn valuable information on how to enhance your overall financial well-being and make progress toward achieving a financially secure retirement. The webinar, presented by STRS educators, covers a range of topics, including an in-depth review of STRS Ohio benefits and how they impact your financial health. It will also provide information for a financial evaluation to assess overall wellness, practical strategies for budgeting and reducing debt, insights into retirement savings options, asset allocation models, and selecting the right investment mix.
403(b) and 457(b) Supplemental Retirement Plans
for all Ohio State employees
- Wednesday, Sept. 13, 9-10 a.m.
- Tuesday, Sept. 19, 12-1 p.m.
Learn how a 403(b) and 457(b) pre-tax and/or Roth can supplement your OPERS, STRS or ARP account and what you can do now to build a financially secure retirement. This session can help you get an SRA started or gain strategies on how to better understand and leverage the account you already have set up.
Ohio State benefits professionals will provide a general overview including the differences between a pre-tax and Roth SRA, additional tools and resources, and other considerations.
The overview will be followed by breakout sessions with SRA provider representatives. The breakouts will cover essential topics, including calculating your retirement needs, exploring available tools and resources, expert guidance on retirement savings options, and maximizing the benefits of personalized one-on-one retirement planning consultations.
Supplemental Retirement Plans and Your Final Paycheck
for all employees within 5 years of retirement
- Wednesday, Sept. 13, 3-3:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2-2:30 p.m.
Review what will be included in your final paycheck and how to defer all or a portion of that paycheck into a SRA. During this session, you will learn how to calculate an estimate of your final paycheck, how to elect or change 403(b) and/or 457(b) contribution amounts, as well as tools and resources to assist you along the way.
Exploring Ohio State Legacy Accounts: What You Need to Know
for anyone who contributed to a university sponsored plan prior to January 1, 2021 (ARP, 403(b), 457(b), or executive retirement plan)
- Wednesday, Sept. 13, 12- 1 p.m.
- Monday Sept. 18, 9 – 10 a.m.
If you contributed to an Ohio State ARP, 403(b), 457(b) or executive retirement plan prior to January 1, 2021, you may have a legacy account(s). This means it may be held with a terminated provider or in legacy investments with an approved provider. Transferring your legacy investments to the current investment lineup may provide you with lower record-keeping and investment managing fees, as well as a simplified approach to choosing your investments. In this session, Ohio State benefits professionals and retirement consultant will walk through considerations for moving your legacy investments, steps to do so and how to take advantage of enhancements to the plans.
SSA and Medicare Part 1: Retirement 101
for all Ohio State employees
- Tuesday, Sept 12, 3-4:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 21, 12-1:30pm.
Although Ohio State employees do not contribute to Social Security while working at Ohio State, you may have contributed to Social Security with a previous employer. Hear from Social Security Administration (SSA) representatives about retirement essentials such as mySocialSecurity, early vs. late retirement options, spouse/survivor benefits, and how work affects Social Security benefits. Presenters will also cover the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) and how it can affect OPERS, STRS, and ARP participants.
SSA and Medicare Part 2: Medicare Part A/B Enrollment
for mid- to late- career Ohio State employees
- Friday, Sept. 15, 1-2:30 p.m.
- Friday, Sept. 22, 11 – 12:30 p.m.
SSA representatives will provide information about Social Security and Medicare. This session covers enrolling in Medicare Parts A and B via Social Security. It will cover a comprehensive overview of Part A/B enrollment periods, regulations for beneficiaries with higher incomes, and the Medicare Prescription Extra Help program for those with lower incomes.
Ohio State: Preparing to Retire
for faculty and staff up to 5 years from their anticipated retirement date
- Friday, Sept. 22, 12-1:30 p.m.
Learn about retirement eligibility, a timeline of events leading up to retirement, an overview of your final paycheck, post-retirement benefits and considerations when planning a retirement from Ohio State. After Ohio State benefit professionals cover those topics, they will also have additional time to address general questions from attendees.
To get the best experience, consider reviewing your annual retirement statements from OPERS, STRS, and/or social security prior to the meeting.
Secure Act 2.0
all Ohio State employees
- Friday, Sept. 15, 11-11:45 a.m.
The SECURE 2.0 Act became law on December 29, 2022, and included a number of provisions to help Americans save through employer-sponsored plans. It was intended to expand coverage, increase retirement savings, and simplify some retirement plan rules. With the many nuances and intricacies of this law, Ohio State benefits professionals will explain considerations of SECURE 2.0 in relation to the university-sponsored retirement plans (ARP, 403(b), 457(b), executive retirement plans).
Sessions at Glance
Sessions will be held Sept. 11-22 for Ohio State employees. Descriptions for each session can be found above under Session Details.
| Sept. 11 | Sept. 12 | Sept. 13 | Sept. 14 | Sept. 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRS General Information Overview 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Register |
STRS Retirement Countdown 12 Months and Out 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Register |
403(b) and 457(b) Supplemental Retirement Plans 9-10 a.m. Register |
Estimating Retirement Income with OPERS and Closing the Gap 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Register |
Secure Act 2.0 11-11:45 a.m. Register |
| OPERS Ready to Retire 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Register |
Preparing to Retire under the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) 1-2 p.m. Register |
Exploring Ohio State Legacy Accounts: What You Need to Know 12-1 p.m. Register |
Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) Basics and Tools 12-1 p.m. Register |
SSA and Medicare Part 2: Medicare Part A/B Enrollment 1-2:30 p.m. Register |
| Understanding the Value of Your OPERS Retirement 2:30-3:30 p.m. Register |
SSA and Medicare Part 1: Retirement 101 3-4:30 p.m. Register |
Supplemental Retirement Plans and Your Final Paycheck 3-3:30 p.m. Register |
| Sept. 18 | Sept. 19 | Sept. 20 | Sept. 21 | Sept. 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exploring Ohio State Legacy Accounts: What You Need to Know 9-10 a.m. Register |
403(b) and 457(b) Supplemental Retirement Plans 12-1 p.m. Register |
Estimating Retirement Income with OPERS and Closing the Gap 10-11 a.m. Register |
Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) Basics and Tools 9-10 a.m. Register |
SSA and Medicare Part 2: Medicare Part A/B Enrollment 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Register |
| STRS Tools and Financial Fitness 1-2 p.m. Register |
Supplemental Retirement Plans and Your Final Paycheck 2-2:30 p.m. Register |
Preparing to Retire under the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) 12-1 p.m. Register |
SSA and Medicare Part 1: Retirement 101 12-1:30 p.m. Register |
Ohio State: Preparing to Retire 12-1:30 p.m. Register |