WRS News Online - Sept 2019 Edition

Health insurance premiums for state employees and retirees participating in the group health insurance program will increase by about 4% in 2020.

The annual It’s Your Choice open enrollment period is September 30-October 25. Watch for information and materials in the next few weeks. In the meantime, consider attending a benefits fair—we’ve scheduled more than 40 in locations statewide from mid-September to the end of the open enrollment period.

Even if you don't have a retirement date or year in mind, we recommend taking in one of our Preparing for Your Retirement presentations. Check out the fall schedule -- or stay home and take in our live webinar on September 26!

SWIB’s investment strategy is to grow and protect the trust funds of the WRS. To continue to be a premier public pension asset manager, SWIB must also invest in itself. Read how SWIB invests in the technology and people needed to manage more than $108 billion in WRS trust funds.

ETF's new website offers quicker, easier access to retirement, health and other benefits information, decision-making tools, and educational resources – all in a mobile-friendly design. Review WRS benefits by employer, use search filters to find educational events and health plans by location, share content via social media, and much more.

Wisconsin’s biennial budget bill, 2019 Wisconsin Act 9, became law on July 3. The budget didn’t make any changes to WRS benefit programs, but there are other current legislative proposals related to ETF and/or WRS benefit programs that may be of interest to you.

Nomination materials are now available for the Milwaukee Public School District Teacher member seat on the Teachers Retirement Board. ETF is seeking a diverse list of nominees.

Unique in the world of public pensions, SWIB’s Wisconsin Private Debt Portfolio provides SWIB a way to invest meaningful capital directly into Wisconsin companies that not only provide market rate returns, but also lead to enhanced economic activity throughout the state.

Group Health Insurance Program members: Have you ever needed medical care fast and didn’t know where to turn? A new video from ETF reviews available options and helps you decide which one would be best.

Chief Investment Officer magazine named SWIB Funds Alpha Manager Derek Drummond to its Class of 2019 NextGens list of money management professionals seen as rising leaders in the investment industry.

Last fall the Department of Employee Trust Funds participated in an emailed survey of more than 92,000 Wisconsin Retirement System members. Find out how we did and let us know if you’d like to participate in the 2019 Member Engagement Survey this fall.

A survey on how Group Health Insurance Program members are managing out-of-pocket costs points to the need for more help navigating their health care benefits and expenses.

Keep your happy, healthy way of life going by making your health a priority. Learn how the Well Wisconsin Program can help get you there. Schedule a health screening, complete a well-being activity, etc.

If you need help navigating health insurance plan designs and supplemental benefits, or if you have questions about how your insurance works, try using ALEX—it’s like having your own personal benefits counselor!

Software upgrades to a call routing system in the Department of Employee Trust Funds customer service call center will translate into better service the next time you contact us by phone. You’ll love the changes.

Esther Ancel, an emeritus professor of finance in the Lubar School of Business Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has been appointed to serve on the SWIB Board of Trustees as a public member.

A recent MarketWatch article was complimentary of the Wisconsin Retirement System, pointing out its consistent 100% funding levels and “trail-blazing” shared risk-reward design.

An article in the May edition of WRS News Online included provided basic information about how participation in the Variable Trust Fund affects your WRS account. If you want to cancel your participation, here is the form and information on filing deadlines.

Find out when the governing boards of the Wisconsin Retirement System and the SWIB Board of trustees are scheduled to meet.