Retirement Planning

Retirement Planning Services

For nearly 70 years the Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel (MARSP) organization has been dedicated to promoting continued education of retired and active school personnel and assisting retired personnel in matters that require help for their well-being. MARSP has an organization dedicated to looking ahead to retirement and those already retired: MARSP RETIREMENT PLANNING SERVICES (MRPS).

We believe that retirement is a time to relax and enjoy the best of what life has to offer. However, understanding your retirement plan and making financial decisions can be just the opposite. You’ve made the initial step in attending a Pension Seminar. Now is the time to review your potential retirement income to help determine how to maximize your benefits.

MARSP RETIREMENT PLANNING SERVICES strives to bring you quality service from a knowledgeable staff to help you make informed decisions regarding your retirement planning, including your MPSERS options.

Mistakes made today can be very costly to your financial future. Our focus is to help you create a retirement strategy that’s comfortable today, and tomorrow.

MRPS Pension Seminar

MARSP’s retirement planning experts present: the “MRPS Pension Seminar” with all the essential information needed to start thinking about retirement. This seminar is available to all public school and community college employees who are members of the MPSERS retirement plan.

Topics include:

  • Health Insurance
  • Purchasing Service Credit
  • Pension Options
  • Retirement Planning and how to maximize your pension
  • Rights as a Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS) retiree and who is best to represent those rights
  • Any other questions about retirement

The seminar is guaranteed to be:

  • Informative for those who are ready to retire and those who may not be ready for retirement for a few years
  • Presented in a simple easy –to-understand language
  • Insightful and realistic about the challenges and rewards of retirement

Staff will:

  • Learn the steps they need to take to retire
  • Gather information on a wide variety of topics associated with retirement
  • Discover aspects of retirement they may have not considered

Pick the day, time and place and we will teach your staff the skills needed for a successful retirement.

For more information contact the MARSP Events Coordinator at (517) 337-1757 or toll free (888) 960-4022 or submit the form to the right.

Social Security Estimator

Use this tool from the Social Security Administration to find your estimated Social Security payment. Your payment is calculated based on how much you’ve earned throughout your life. The amount will be higher the longer you wait to apply, up until age 70. The timing is up to you and should be based on your own personal needs.

The Road to Retirement

Planning your retirement actually begins when you receive your very first paycheck.  Your retirement should be an ongoing process even after you retire.

Checklist For Retirement Planning:

First Years

  1. Start investing for retirement
  2. Get life insurance for self and family
  3. Invest in a home
  4. Start leisure time activities
  5. Collect vacation brochures
  6. Invest in a career wardrobe
  7. Enjoy your family and friends
  8. Adapt a healthful lifestyle
  9. Enroll and participate in professional organizations

Middle Years

  1. Check and update investments
  2. Update and check your travel plans
  3. Identify professional advisers such as: legal, financial, etc.
  4. Strengthen friend and family relationships
  5. Continue a healthy lifestyle
  6. Weed and organize your closets
  7. Maintain activity in professional organizations
 

Five Years Before and up to Retirement

  1. Check with MPSERS concerning your pension and insurance benefits
  2. Update life insurance needs
  3. Finalize your social security statement
  4. Evaluate your personal financial status
  5. Review retirement plans with professional advisers
  6. Discuss and explore with your spouse retirement living situations
  7. Include your spouse in your network of friends
  8. Continue to live a healthful lifestyle
  9. Curb major wardrobe purchases
  10. Enroll in MARSP and other retirement organizations

“The Whole Retirement Story”

“The Whole Retirement Story” is a video presentation detailing how MARSP fits into your retirement story.

The Whole Retirement Story – Prezi format

The Whole Retirement Story – PDF format

Why should I join MARSP while I’m still working?

Membership in MARSP is an important tool in the retirement planning process. While you are busy working for Michigan’s children, MARSP is busy working to protect your future.

MARSP offers associate memberships to active public school personnel with the following benefits of membership:

  • Free resources available to active school employees regarding pre-retirement planning and advocacy.
  • Information regarding DonorsChoose.org where teaching staff can apply for classroom project funding.
  • Access to MARSP’s full-time staff to answer all your legislative and health insurance related questions.
  • Informative newsletters to keep you up-to-date on retirement news and happenings.
  • Member-only discounts on travel, medical air transport services, life insurance, Dell® and Apple® products, plus many more!

MARSP has one mission, to preserve and protect the pension and health benefits earned by public school retirees. Our motto is “Protecting Your Future.”If you have any questions, feel free to call our office at 888-960-4022, where a MARSP staff member (not a menu of buttons to press) will answer your questions.