National Retirement Security Month

National Retirement Security Month is a great opportunity to take a little bit of time to evaluate your retirement plan and to make sure you are making the most of your IMRF retirement benefits.

Below are some ways you can prepare for your future.

1. Create a Member Access Account

2. As you plan for your retirement your Member Access account is one of the most important resources you have. Filled with tools and important documents, Member Access is a secure platform that makes information about your IMRF pension available to you any time.

   
   

   Learn more about how to create your Member Access account and more in the Member Access Learning Center.

   
   
3. Understand Your IMRF Benefits

4. IMRF offers two on-demand webinars to help members learn more about their benefits.

   
   
   • Your Glass is Half Full Webinar is designed for people new to IMRF or starting to plan for their retirement. Watch to better understand how your pension is funded, your benefits as an IMRF member and more!
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   • Pre-Retirement Webinar is designed for people who are retiring in the next five years. Learn the steps you need to take before and during your IMRF retirement application process.
   
   

   These webinars are also now available in Spanish!

   
   
5. Take Part in the Voluntary Additional Contributions (VAC) Program

6. Saving for your retirement should be one of your financial priorities. One way you can increase your retirement savings is by signing up to take part in IMRF's Voluntary Additional Contributions (VAC) program.

   
   

   This program allows IMRF members to save up to 10% of their income after tax with IMRF. The contributions receive an annual rate of return of 7.25%, which is double the rate of return for other low-risk investment vehicles.

   
   

   Learn more about the VAC program and its many benefits here.

   
   
7. Estimate Your Future Benefits
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   In your Member Access account, you can get an on-demand estimate of your pension benefits, that can be changed based on your anticipated date of retirement, expected salary increases, and if you purchase any of your service time back. You can view your pension benefits as both yearly and monthly income.

   
   

   This estimate will also include how much you will receive if you participate in the VAC program. Learn more about how to run your pension estimate here.

   
   
9. Update Your Beneficiaries

10. Often times it is easy to forget to update your beneficiaries to be able to share the benefits you've earned. With all of life's changes, it is important to keep this information up to date. You can quickly and easily update this information in Member Access any time. Learn more about how to update your beneficiaries here.