This is the last column for this school year, and so it is a good time to look both back and ahead.

We negotiated a new contract with Mayor de Blasio that gave us two years of retroactive raises. These two 4 percent gains in salary will increase the pensions of all who have retired since Nov. 1, 2009, and all who will retire in the future. It is an outstanding accomplishment for our members.

For those of you returning in the fall, use the time over the summer to refresh yourself for the next school year. Last year at this time, we knew that returning teachers would be working under a new evaluation system that had many frightening uncertainties. In the coming school year, we will again have a new evaluation process, but this time it has important modifications that were negotiated by the UFT and the Department of Education, not mandated from above.

For those who are retiring this summer, we wish you a healthy, happy, long and financially secure retirement. We thank you for your service and remind you that you have more than earned all the benefits you will receive.

If you have taken advantage of all of the UFT’s retirement services, you should have:

• an estimate of your retirement allowance;
• an estimate of your expenses in retirement; and
• information on your post-retirement health and Welfare Fund benefits.

You should also have taken the following steps:

• made estate plans and prepared a will and any other related documents recommended by your attorney;
• had a discussion about your retirement plans with your spouse or significant other, children and other confidants;
• made a decision on how you are going to invest your Tax-Deferred Annuity account, which is for many members their largest fiscal asset; and
• decided on whether to take a partial lump-sum withdrawal of funds before retirement, such as by taking a loan at retirement.

Pension clinic

The UFT pension clinics are designed for members who are thinking of retiring in a year or two. Many members participate in the clinics during the summer. If you are thinking of retiring in a year or two, or even if you plan to retire later but are a long-term planner, check this page for dates and times of upcoming clinics. Topics covered include:

• terminal leave and termination pay;
• how to calculate an estimate of your retirement allowance;
• the Tax-Deferred Annuity;
• TRS investment programs;
• how to use your pension to provide for heirs or beneficiaries (optional forms of retirement allowance), if you choose to do so;
• partial lump-sum withdrawals; and
• retiree health insurance and Welfare Fund benefits.

Summer pension services

During the summer, the UFT will have pension consultants available for phone inquiries from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Thursday at the union’s headquarters. Retired members should call 1-212-598-9536, and in-service members should call 1-212-598-6866.

In-person consultations will be available only in cases that need immediate attention such as for members approved for disability retirements. Full service in the borough offices will begin again in the fall when school reopens.

Teachers’ Retirement System hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. The TRS is located at 55 Water St., 2nd Floor, in Manhattan. Have available a photo ID — government or school — if you visit the TRS. The TRS’ phone number is 1-888-869-2877.

TRS reminders

Investment changes: In-service members and retirees with deferred TDAs who wish to change their investment choices in their Tax-Deferred-Annuity accounts beginning Oct. 1 must apply for the changes before Sept. 1.

Health insurance: Board of Education health insurance personnel will be at the TRS to accept health insurance applications until June 29.

Retirement applications: The TRS office will be open to accept retirement applications on Saturday, June 28, and Sunday, June 29, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Here are three questions to ask yourself for your retirement to go smoothly and for you to provide protection for your loved ones in the event you pass away prior to retirement:

• Have you filed a TRS enrollment application?
• Have you provided the TRS with proof of your date of birth?
• Do you have your designation of beneficiary on file at the TRS for both your Qualified Pension Plan (regular pension) and TDA? You need both if you participate in the TDA program.

Retirement security for all

UFT members planning to retire this summer can rely on what I call the three pillars of retirement security: Social Security, a pension and employer-provided health insurance.

Many UFT members also have a fourth pillar to bolster their retirement security: the TDA program.

In contrast, most Americans have only one or two of these pillars. While our retirement income and benefits will be reliable and secure, that of most Americans will be shaky and uncertain.

Consider that only half of American workers have access to any type of employer-sponsored retirement plan, and only a fraction of those have a pension plan. Thirty-eight million households have no retirement account assets. Among those that are near retirement, the median balance in their retirement accounts is only $12,000.

We must do something about this great discrepancy between the dwindling number of people with retirement security and the growing number without. At the AFT convention this summer, there will be a resolution titled “Retirement Security for All.” It will call for the AFT to support initiatives at the state and national levels to ensure that more Americans can retire with dignity.

To all, have a great summer. We will be back in the fall.