Spring 2024 Road to Retirement schedule available; get a jump start with helpful program resources

The spring 2024 Road to Retirement virtual conference, a semiannual financial wellness and retirement planning program open to all benefits-eligible faculty and staff, will take place March 6-8. Human Resources looks forward to faculty and staff participation in the conference and encourages individuals to take advantage of the many presentations and resources offered to help them plan toward a successful retirement.

Road to Retirement brings together a variety of experts and resources in one place to address relevant financial wellness and retirement planning topics.

Preparing for retirement is just as important as the work put into building a successful career. It’s never too early or too late to lay a solid foundation for the years spent in retirement.

This event will help individuals better understand what steps to take next as they continue building their retirement plan. Participating organizations include the Center for Healthy Living, Fidelity, HSA Bank, Purdue HR Benefits, INPRS-PERF, Social Security Administration, TIAA and more.

Sessions are available to help employees financially prepare for retirement while they are in their working years or getting started in their career, such as:

• “Five Money Musts”
• “HSAs: From Safety Net to Nest Egg”
• “Get to Know Your Retirement Program”
• “Identify and Prioritize Your Savings Goals”
• “Understanding Roth vs. Pre-Tax Contributions: Is a Roth Contribution Right for You?”

For those within a few years of retirement, there are several sessions available:

• “Fundamentals of Retirement Income Planning: How to Plan for the Income You’ll Need in Retirement”
• “Top Things to do Before You Retire”
• “Understanding Social Security Retirement Benefits for Purdue University”
• “Under-65 Retiree Healthcare Options”
• “PURA Healthcare Plans for Medicare-Eligible Retirees”

Employees participating in a PERF retirement plan are invited to attend PERF-specific presentations in-person on the West Lafayette campus in Stewart Center, Room 209, or virtually via Zoom on March 6 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. 

View the full program schedule here. Many presentations will be offered live, while others are prerecorded for viewing anytime. Please note: Individuals should register for each live session they plan to attend via the link posted on the conference schedule website above.  tool

Get started: pre-program preparation encouraged

There are a few things participants can do ahead of time to prepare themselves for the information they’ll receive from the Road to Retirement program. We encourage everyone to take the time to review the following links:

• Financial wellness
  • See how your budget stands with Fidelity’s Budget Checkup tool
  • Log in to your Fidelity account and use the Financial Checkup to see your scores across savings, debt management, budgeting and financial protection categories.
  • If you are dealing with student loan debt, check out Fidelity’s Student Debt tool 
• Social Security  
  • Create a my Social Security account.
  • Check out the Retirement Estimator.
  • Review the Retirement Toolkit.
  • See the Benefits Planner: Retirement for detailed information about your Social Security retirement benefits, including when to apply.
• Medicare
  • Visit the Medicare website.
  • Review Medicare costs at a glance.
  • Learn
  • Check out the Find & Compare Providers Tool.
  • Read how to apply online for just Medicare.
• Retirement plans
  • Log in to review Fidelity retirement account details.
  • Log in to review PERF retirement account details, if applicable.
    • First time registrants should enter their PIN number. Call INPRS at 844-GO-INPRS for assistance.
  • Log in to review TIAA retirement account details, if applicable.
• Additional Purdue resources for your review
  • Purdue pre-65 and post-65 retiree medical plan premiums.
  • HSA Bank (HSA/FSA/HRA) account details, if applicable.
  • Purdue University Retirees Association

• Checking out these resources prior to or during the Road to Retirement conference will be beneficial to individuals as they continue to plan for retirement. For those within two years of retiring, this checklist is an easy way to help them stay focused and on track.

  Human Resources hopes faculty and staff attend this virtual event as they plan their path to retirement. Don’t forget, attendees are welcome to share the schedule of information with their retirement-planning partners.

  Questions can be directed to Human Resources via email at hr@purdue.edu or by calling 765-494-2222.