Retirement Planning Workshops

[Pat Lynch]

For members of the Tampa Fire & Police Pension Fund:

Next week there will be two sessions of our annual pre-retirement workshop. This year, the Board of Trustees has hired Jeff Helms, a certified retirement coach, to provide easy to understand insight into planning for retirement and maximizing your financial future.

In addition to the traditional pre-retirement workshop consisting of our optional forms of payment, DROP, 13th Check and deferred comp, Jeff will cover “The Five Key Risks” all retirees face and how to immunize yourself against them AND “Discovering a RICHER Retirement Strategy” – a step-by-step plan for creating your dream retirement.

All members are welcome to attend, regardless of how close or far you are to retirement. There is no cost to attend and refreshments will be provided. Your significant other is also invited. It is NOT necessary to call in advance and reserve a seat this year.

Dates: Monday, August 11th 2:00 p.m. & Tuesday, August 12th, 10:00 a.m. (same material both days)

Location: Tampa Convention Center, Rooms 24 & 25

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Pat Lynch, Chairman
Tampa Fire & Police Pension Fund

[Pat Lynch]

Don't forget, the Pre-Retirement Workshops are Monday, August 11th at 2:00 p.m. and Tuesday, August 12th at 10:00 a.m. Both workshops are at the Tampa Convention Center and are FREE to all members of the Tampa Fire & Police Pension Fund and their significant other. Refreshments will be provided.

THEY NEED TO HAVE A FEW OF THESE WORKSHOPS IN THE EVENING.

Horrible time of the year for these meetings unless you are retiring or have no kids, any way to do these seminars at other times?

[Pat Lynch]

Horrible time of the year for these meetings unless you are retiring or have no kids, any way to do these seminars at other times?

Actually, there's a very good reason for having the workshops in August. There is an important date nearby and we want to help inform and remind our members of their "options" around that date.

If you retire or enter DROP prior to 09-30-2008, you are eligible for a COLA in January 2009 and a 13th Check in June 2010. If you wait until after 09-30-2008, you will not be eligible for your first COLA until January 2010 and your first 13th Check until June 2011.

If you exit DROP prior to 09-30-2008, you will receive your DROP money in December 2008. If you wait and leave after 09-30-2008, you will not receive your DROP funds until December 2009.

So that's the reason for the workshops being in August. Each time they have been offered one on Cycle A and one on Cycle B. I know the times don't always work for everyone but we are trying to accommodate as many of our members as possible.

We will be having some more workshops in November. The pension board hired Jeff Helms, a certified Retirement Coach and Certified Financial Analyst, to present 4 quarterly workshops over the next year, so he will also be back in February, May and August next year. Each of the workshops will present new information. In the past our retirement workshops have been geared towards people near the end of their careers. The workshops that Jeff will be conducting will be suitable for all active and retired members, although some parts will obviously only apply to certain sectors.

If anyone would like to get on the e-mail list for a notice of the workshops, send me an e-mail. The notices are also posted on our web page on the City website.

http://www.tampagov.net/dept_fire_and_police_pension

Pat Lynch
Chairman

Some people will complain when you give them a brick of gold - they have to take it to the bank.

These work shops have been invalueable. They provided information so I could make timely, key decisions regarding my financial future that will affect me and more importantly, my family's future when I am gone.

After looking at the package documents provided at these meetings, I have never felt more fortunate in my life.

I urge everyone to attend next time around no matter where you are in your career at TPD

Being informed puts you at a much greater advantage

Was the cycle you mentioned the 1 on 3 off the fire fighters work?...Also like i said convient if you are retiring or have no kids since they are home and we do appreciate these seminars, just pointing out the limits of dates just before school goes back n session and difficulty for firefighters not on a 40hr week.

[chipdeblock]

I've been going to these workshops for the past 5 years or so and, without a doubt, this was the BEST one by far. The amount of information available, especially with the Financial Planner they lined up for us, makes this Workshop a priority for everyone. You simply cannot afford to miss this, even if you are years away from DROP or RETIREMENT (that's when you need to start getting your ducks in a row).