Good morning,
Every October, the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (MERS) hosts an annual conference for program participants. Sessions include topics such as our defined benefit (pension) program and 457 accounts. This year, we sent Paul Robinson (Heavy Equipment), Paul Schneider (District 3) and Chris Quinter (IT) as the WCRC representatives. Now that they are back, we asked each of them to share a little about the experience:
Paul Robinson – “The meetings were incredibly informative. Every session had new information and really made you think about how important putting money away is for a better retirement. I also really appreciated the 5-star accommodations.”
Paul Schneider – “Even as someone who has been at WCRC for a long time, I found a lot a useful information at the MERS Conference. My biggest takeaways were to make sure that your beneficiaries are up to date, even if you aren’t close to retirement. Also, if you have a question, call MERS (800) 767-6377 or call HR. Don’t depend on hearsay or rumors, get the information directly from the source.”
Chris Quinter – “I would highly recommend this conference to anyone at WCRC. As a relatively new employee, I’d never taken the time to fully understand the MERS program and this conference enabled me to block out the normal day-to-day distractions to be able to fully understand it. The biggest thing I learned is not to wait. For example, they talked a lot about the benefits of creating a 457 account as a supplement to your pension. With a 457, the sooner you start contributing to it, the better off you’ll be when your retirement date comes. Obtain an understanding of the MERS program as soon as possible and encourage your staff and coworkers to do the same!”
Click here to check out all the great conference materials.
We’re so glad this was a valuable experience, and we look forward to sending another three employees next year!
In the meantime, there is a wealth of information on the MERS website, including several opportunities to learn more or sign-up for a 1-on-1 meeting with a MERS representative. We also encourage all employees to check out their MyMERS account, (if you haven’t logged in since April of 2021, it will prompt you to create a new account). A pension is one of the best benefits that we offer and I encourage each of you to learn as much as possible about it.
I hope that you all have a wonderful, relaxing weekend.
Take care and stay safe,
Sheryl
