If you were employed by New York City or New York State prior to working for the city Department of Education, you may be able to buy prior service credit that would increase the size of your prospective service pension and may more quickly qualify you for retirement benefits.

By investing part of your paycheck in a tax-deferred annuity, you take an important step toward a secure retirement.

As members of the UFT, you are entitled to a benefit that is becoming as rare as it is important — a traditional defined-benefit pension plan, the gold standard of retirement plans, which guarantees a lifetime annuity of regular payments based on your years of service, your salary and your age.

Many of us who retire at age 62 can expect to live longer than our forefathers. But to be safe, it's important to prepare by having family discussions about what to do in the event of a debilitating illness or death. Here is a list of topics to discuss and the legal documents to have.

Whether you are a new member, in mid-career or close to retirement, there are steps you can take to learn about your pension benefits and stay on track as you progress down the road to a financially secure retirement. 

You possess a valuable financial asset from participating in a defined-benefit pension system and saving money in a tax-deferred annuity. That’s why it’s important to designate beneficiaries, keep your beneficiary designations current after life-changing events and make sure the latest contact information for your beneficiaries is on file with your pension system.