Events and Event Descriptions

Credit Checkups

UW Credit Union

Gain a better understanding of your finances with an Express Credit Checkup.

During this confidential, no-cost 30-minute appointment, you will meet virtually one-on-one with a UW Credit Union financial specialist to review your credit report and discuss your financial goals. The Express Credit Checkup is tailored specifically to your needs — from understanding your credit score to exploring opportunities to save money.

Our financial experts can help you:

  • Learn how to improve and maintain a good credit score
  • Find ways to save time and money
  • Build confidence in your finances

Make sure to bring an ID, such as a driver’s license or government issued photo ID! Also decide if you want the representative to retrieve your credit score (if you have a freeze on your credit, you will need to unfreeze it through Experian prior to your appointed time so your credit can be retrieved).

Individual Counseling Sessions

Fidelity Counseling Sessions (403(b) Program)

One-on-one counseling sessions are a free service available to both participants in the program as well as those considering participation. Counseling sessions are open to all employees and do not obligate you to open an account with any provider. Sessions are generally held for 30 or 45 minutes, depending on location.

TIAA Counseling Sessions (403(b) Program)

One-on-one counseling sessions are a free service available to both participants in the program as well as those considering participation. Counseling sessions are open to all employees and do not obligate you open an account with any provider. Sessions are generally for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on location.

Empower Counseling Sessions (WDC 457 Program)

Schedule a meeting with your local Wisconsin Deferred Compensation (WDC) 457 Program Retirement Plan Advisor (RPA) to discuss topics like your asset allocation, your savings rate, your planned retirement age, and your retirement income needs – and how they all work together to create your retirement readiness.

Webinars

Webinars are available systemwide. Click on the title of the event to jump to the description below.

Webinars Descriptions

Affording Life Events

During your lifetime you will encounter life events that may cause financial stress. Through planning, research, and budgeting, you can confidently face whatever comes your way. This session will provide you with tips and tools to plan and prepare so you can afford the life events that are important to you. We’ll brainstorm a list of events, potential expenses, and discuss how much you might need to borrow and/or save to reach your financial dreams.

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Basics of How and When to Claim Social Security

Understand Social Security. Considerations for claiming Social Security benefits. Decide when to take Social Security benefits

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Breaking the Cycle of Paycheck to Paycheck

When you feel like you’re living paycheck to paycheck, it can be difficult to think about setting aside money for an emergency, retirement, or other financial goals. In this session we’ll review different strategies, options, and methods that can help you transition from living paycheck to paycheck to feeling more in-control of your money and how it’s being spent.

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Create a budget and build emergency savings

Learn about different components of a budget. Use Fidelity’s 50-15-5 saving and spending guideline. See how emergency savings are a critical part of your budget.

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Elevate Wisconsin: The Course to Financial Security

The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) provides a free personal finance educational center for state employees. The effort is called ELEVATE Wisconsin™: The Course to Financial Security. 

At this session you will learn more about ELEVATE Wisconsin – an event-driven financial wellness program providing interactive, effective, and unbiased online instruction in personal finance and investing fundamentals to Wisconsin employees. The program provides:  

  • A personalized financial wellness platform where participants can access tutorials, interactive calculators, videos, and more! 
  • Pre- and post-quizzes to determine knowledge acquisition and measure program effectiveness. 
  • Certificates, points, and badges to motivate individuals to keep on learning. 
  • Access to the Financial Fitness SCORE™, a financial fitness checkup that allows users to benchmark their overall financial health – aptitude, behavior, and confidence. 
  • 24/7 online access from any device – smartphone, tablet, or computer. 

Begin your financial fitness journey by signing-up for free at: https://www.financialfitness.center/classroom/elevate-wi/signup.

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Feel Safe with an Emergency Savings

We all know that when emergencies arise, crisis mode activates. The goal of this session is to help you build an emergency savings on your budget, learn how to maintain it, and how to shatter the guilt when it comes to tapping into it. You’ll be provided practical steps to make you feel safe when unexpected expenses arise.

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Five Money Musts

Understand what a budget is and why you need one. Know how to use credit and manage debt. Recognize how investing can help you reach your money goals. Start thinking about retirement.

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Gaining Insights: Navigating debt and develop good habits

Whether you’re just starting out or want to improve your day-to-day financial skills, this webinar will help you learn how to manage your money and balance your priorities so you can enjoy life now and save for the future.

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Home Buying: the Best Investment

In today’s economy, there are few investments that offer as good of a return than a home. In this session, we will explain the process of buying a home and the preparation that’s necessary for such a major, long‐term investment. We will cover terminology and provide you with resources so you can make informed decisions when buying a home.

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Identify and Prioritize Your savings Goals

Learn how to save for each goal. Get next steps for savings.

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Invest for Success: 5 Principles You need to know

No matter where you are in your career journey, this webinar can help you understand the key principles of investing for retirement. From compounding to taxes to choosing investments, you’ll learn that how you invest for retirement is just as important as how much you save!

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Investing in Your financial future: Intro to the 403(b) Program

The UW 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Program (SRP) allows employees to invest a portion of their income for retirement on a pre-tax basis, after-tax (Roth) basis, or a combination of both. Learn the basics of this plan and if it is right for you.

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Managing Your Money in TouGh Times

For years, we have heard that if you follow sound financial practices and stick to a plan with a solid foundation, you will come out ahead. Financial times today have changed not only the rules, but also how we need to react. In this session, we will give you new ways to think and actions to implement to help you survive tough financial times, and come out even, or potentially ahead.

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Paying Down Debt While Saving

When you have debt, sometimes it can feel like you need to choose between paying it down or putting aside money for your financial goals. In this session we’ll talk about strategies for paying down debt while still making space for savings.

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Preparing for Retirement

Many Americans underestimate how much money they will need to save by the time they retire. Perhaps that’s because only 38% of workers have tried to calculate their retirement income needs. Those who performed the calculation were three times more likely to be very confident about being able to live comfortably in retirement compared with those who had not done the calculation. In this session, we will help you: calculate the cost of retirement, develop a plan to pursue your goals, consider investment strategies, and analyze ways to potentially protect your retirement portfolio. 

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Retirement Planning: An Action Plan

What steps do you need to take to get ready for and enjoy your retirement?  

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Saving for Higher Education with an Edvest 529 College Savings Plan

Setting a college savings goal and developing a strategy as early as possible can fit within a well-planned household budget. 

Join the Wisconsin Saving Program to learn about the many benefits to saving for higher education with an Edvest 529 College Saving Plan. Edvest is a state-sponsored, tax-advantaged 529 college savings plan that helps families and individuals plan and save for the cost of higher education. It only takes 15 minutes to open an account and is easy to manage. Once an account is open, you can set-up recurring automatic contributions through payroll direct deposit or through your bank or credit union account. 

Edvest is available to any citizen or taxpayer and funds can be used to help cover the cost of tuition, apprenticeships, room and board, books, supplies, as well as computers, related supplies, technology, and more! You can even use the funds pay back your own student loan debt.

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Tackle Debt and Understand Your credit score

Discover different strategies for paying down debt. Learn how to better understand credit scores. Take better control of finances.

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Take Control of Your Financial Life: Managing Income and Debt

It’s your budget—take control. Everyone talks about a budget, but how many of us actually make one? Most people have some debt, but how many understand its effects on their lives and their futures? Let us show you the real impact of budgeting and debt—and how to help make your money work.

We’ll explain the big picture of budgeting:

  • Learn the importance of cash flow—and how to use it
  • Change how you look at saving and spending
  • Understanding debt and how to manage it

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Tax Tips

This session will help you understand the secrets of reducing your taxable income, how to breakdown the federal tax reporting system and how to remove the mystery behind the ever‐elusive tax return. You discover simple changes to make regarding deductions and exemptions, and learn the four tax‐saving strategies to help reduce your taxable income.

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The Starting Line: Savings Essentials to Creating a Plan

There’s no time like the present to save for the future. Sometimes it’s hard to think about retirement when you’re just starting out in your career. The truth is, that’s when thinking ahead can do the most good! It all starts with some practical knowledge.

We’ll help you get ahead of your retirement saving with some tools and information you can use right now:

  • Learn the real effect of time on money thanks to compounding and dollar cost averaging
  • Understand debt and how to manage it
  • See how budgeting can find money and help you save it

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WRS: How to Retire

Are you a teacher who has to decide if you are ready to retire or if you want to continue working next year? In this webinar, we will talk about how to request your retirement estimate/application, what to do with it once you have received it, and how to complete it.

*You do not have to retire just because you request a retirement estimate/application. Upon eligibility, you may request a retirement estimate/application once every 12 months. You may request it for ‘informational purposes only’ if you are not quite ready to retire.

By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:

  • Apply for and receive a Retirement Benefit Estimates and Application (ET-4301).
  • Navigate the sections of the retirement application.
  • Complete an accurate retirement application and avoid mistakes that would cause your application to be voided and returned.
  • Submit completed retirement application to ETF.

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WRS: Annuity Options

When you get your retirement estimate, you’ll see that there are many options for receiving your retirement benefit. You can choose to receive the payment for your life or extend it beyond your life to your loved ones. The choice is yours. We’ll discuss how each option impacts the size of your payment and affects your loved ones.

By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:

  • Define and explain annuity, annuitant, beneficiary and named survivor.
  • Compare the different annuity options.
  • Find resources with more information.
  • Identify the next steps for you to choose an annuity option.

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Write Your Next Chapter: Understanding Key Milestones

Learn a number of strategies for better managing your money for life’s biggest goals. Gain the knowledge and confidence you need to create, adjust, or realize your current plans!

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Your Journey to Retirement

Learn about the value of enrolling in the WDC program and the benefits of saving and investing for your retirement. 

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Your Stepping Stones to Retirement

Learn how your Social Security, Wisconsin Retirement System pension, and WDC savings account bring you closer to a secure financial retirement. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to review this important information!

Presented by the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF), Social Security Administration (SSA), and the Wisconsin Deferred Compensation (WDC) 457 Program.

Topics include:

  • Wisconsin Retirement System: eligibility and benefits; Core and Variable Trust Funds; annuity options; beneficiaries; and working in retirement
  • Social Security: eligibility for retirement benefits; how early retirement affects your benefits; qualifying for survivors and spouse benefits; when to file for Medicare
  • WDC Program: WDC basics including contribution limits; investment options; pre-tax vs. Roth contributions; rollovers; and retirement readiness reviews

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Updated: 02/15/2023