Category: Payroll & Benefits

Wisconsin Deferred Compensation (WDC) Sessions

Scott Schewe, representative from WDC, will be available to meet individually with employees regarding their current WDC enrollment and for those interested in learning more about the program and planning for retirement by investing before tax dollars.  Please click on the links below to see flyers with information about WDC’s Program highlights and new options.

Wisconsin Deferred Compensation Program Features and Highlights

Wisconsin Deferred Compensation Roth Option

When:   Monday, April 9th, 8:00 am to 4:30pm

Where:   University Union Building, Wequiock Room #101A (lower level)

To schedule a meeting with Scott, call the WDC Office in Madison at 1-608-241-6604.

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or ext. 2390 if you have any questions.

TIAA CREF Counseling Sessions

TIAA CREF INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING SESSIONS – March 26-27, 2012

TIAA CREF is offering individual and confidential counseling sessions where you can discuss your financial situation with a TIAA CREF consultant.  They will be available to help you achieve your financial goals by investing in financial solutions and help simplify your retirement planning.

Please see the flyer for more information about TIAA CREF sessions at UWGB.   To schedule a consultation with representative Chad Stein, call 1-866-843-5640  Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 8:00pm (EST), or register at www.tiaa-cref.org/letstalk1.

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390 with any questions.

Health Insurance Survey

HRS Benefits – ETF Annual Heath Insurance Satisfaction Survey Message is Legit

We have been receiving questions regarding a message from the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) that was sent to some UW System employees regarding participation in an Annual Heath Insurance Satisfaction Survey.

We wanted to take a minute to confirm that the message is genuine.  Each year the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) contracts with a survey vendor to conduct the Consumer Assessment of Health Care Systems (CAHPS) survey.   This year, ETF has contracted with the vendor Morpace to conduct a survey of selected state employees and retirees starting the week of March 5th.  The study is expected to be completed in May, but could go as late as the early part of June.

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or ext. 2390 if you have any questions.

T. Rowe Price Retirement Webinar

T. Rowe Price, one of the investments companies in the UW TSA 403(b) Program, has made available the recorded webinar Retirement Investing from Beginning to End (http://www.wisconsin.edu/hr/benefits/retsav/trpwebinar.htm).  This 22-minute program is a comprehensive presentation that explains asset classes, reviews the concepts of risk and return, and helps employees make the most of their investment choices.   The plan’s investment options are profiled using market capitalization, investment style, and geographic characteristics.

Please take advantage of the opportunity to view this free webinar which will be available until 6/30/2012.

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or ext. 2390 if you have any questions.

T. Rowe Price Live Webinars

T. Rowe Price Live Webinars — Weeks of February 6 and February 13

T. Rowe Price will offer two live webinars this spring semester – Retirement Investing from Beginning to End and Retirement Milestones – both at various times. These are live presentations over the web, and there will be time for you at ask questions and get your questions answered. You may sign up and watch the presentations on your own computer. Listen to the audio portion on the telephone.  Registration Link – Web Meetings: http://rpstrowepricereg32.fugent.com.

Retirement Investing from Beginning to End – This 40-minute program is a comprehensive presentation that explains asset classes, reviews the concepts of risk and return, and helps employees make the most of their investment choices. The plan’s investment options are discussed and profiled using market capitalization, investment style, and geographic characteristics.

Retirement Milestones – This 30-minute interactive program is designed for active plan participants age 50 and older. However, employees younger than age 50 may find the webinar interesting. Topics such as retirement savings progress, retirement income calculations, and age 50+ milestones are discussed in this program. Retirement milestones reviewed in this program include age 50 catch-up contributions, age 55 and separate service options, and Social Security and Medicare eligibility dates.

Monday, February 6 – Investing, 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, February 7 – Investing, 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 8 – Milestones, 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 9 – Milestones, 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Monday, February 13 – Milestones, 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, February 14 – Milestones, 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 15 – Investing, 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 16 – Investing, 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

The UW System Enroll in the TSA Program website helps you through the enrollment process and provides links to online enrollment. The UW TSA 403(b) Question and Answer Guide is a list of frequently asked questions and describes the Program in detail.

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or ext. 2390 if you have any questions.

New ETF Retirement Video

New ETF Video: When Should I Retire?
Wisconsin Retirement System members planning to retire at the end of a year often question whether their initial benefit would be higher if they instead waited until the beginning of the next year. There is no “one-size-fits-all” answer. This presentation provides a detailed explanation that will help determine the best time to retire. There is a 10-minute introduction applicable to all members and four 8-minute individual chapters – view the one based on your personal circumstances. A printable reference document is also available.

View When Should I Retire?

Employee Trust Funds website: http://etf.wi.gov

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or ext. 2390 if you have any questions.

2012 TSA 403(b) Contribution Maximum

UW Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) Program Update

The Internal Revenue Service has announced the 2012 contribution maximums for the Tax Sheltered Annuity Program.

For 2012 University of Wisconsin employees may contribute a maximum of $17,000 to the Tax-Sheltered Annuity 403(b) Program. Employees age 50 and over can contribute an additional $5,500 for a total of $22,500. If you have 15 years or more of service with the UW, you may have an additional “catch-up” opportunity.  For more information, please see the announcement: pdf document on the 2012 limits, and the web page on TSA limits at http://www.uwsa.edu/hr/benefits/retsav/limits.htm.

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or ext. 2390 if you have any questions.

TIAA CREF Counseling Sessions

TIAA CREF is offering individual and confidential counseling sessions where you can discuss your financial situation with a TIAA CREF consultant.  They will be able available to help you achieve your financial goals by investing in financial solutions and help simplify your retirement planning.

When:            Monday, November 21, 2011, 9:45am – 5:00pm

                       Tuesday, November 22, 2011, 8:15am – 12:45pm

Where:           University Union Building, Wequiock Room, #101A

Don’t miss this opportunity — schedule a confidential consultation with your TIAA CREF representative, Chad Stein.   To schedule a time, call 1-866-843-5640  Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 8:00pm (EST).

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or ext. 2390 with questions.

Wisconsin Deferred Compensation Sessions

Scott Schewe, a representative from WDC, will be available to meet individually with employees regarding their current WDC enrollment and for those interested in learning more about the program and planning for retirement by investing before tax dollars.

When:   Thursday, November 3rd, 8:00 am to 4:30pm

Where:   University Union Building, Wequiock Room #101A (lower level)

To schedule a meeting with Scott, call the WDC Office in Madison at 1-608-241-6604.

Please contact Human Resources at ext. 2390 if or via e-mail at hr@uwgb.edu you have any questions.

Year-End Information for Classified Employees

**Important information regarding vacation carry over, compensatory time, and personal & floating holidays**

Please be advised: Employees eligible to utilize the Annual Leave Conversion Option will receive written notification of this by the end of November.

Attention Classified Employees and their Supervisors:

UW-Green Bay requires that vacation for classified employees be taken in the calendar year in which it is earned.  It is UW-Green Bay’s practice to allow up to 40 hours of vacation to be carried over into the following year, if approved by the employee’s supervisor.  A request to carry over more than 40 hours of vacation must be approved by Human Resources.  Any vacation carried over from 2011 into 2012 must be used by June 30, 2012.

Please complete the Vacation Carry Over Request Form (http://www.uwgb.edu/hr/documents/2011ClassifiedVacationCarryOverRequestForm.pdf)

ONLY if requesting to carry over more than 40 hours of vacation into 2012.

Requests must be submitted to HR, ES 107, no later than Friday, December 9, 2011.  A scanned, signed copy of the form may be e-mailed to hr@uwgb.edu in lieu of a hard copy submission.

If a new employee completes his or her original probationary period between July 1 and December 31, 2011, all vacation may be carried over (without supervisor or HR approval).  However, the leave must still be used by June 30, 2012.

In-so-far as possible, all 2011 Compensatory Time earned should be used by December 30, 2011.  Under exceptional circumstances, approval to carry unused compensatory time into 2012 may be granted by the immediate supervisor.  All 2011 compensatory time must be used by April 30, 2012 or it will be paid.

Personal holiday hours may not be carried into 2012 and if not used by December 30, 2011 will be forfeited.  Also, please remember that Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve both fall on a Saturday, resulting in two floating holidays.  You must use these floating holidays by December 30, 2011 or they will be lost.

Please visit the Legal Holidays section of our website to view 2012 Legal Holiday dates.

Please contact Human Resources at x 2390 if or via e-mail at hr@uwgb.edu you have any questions or concerns.