Send us a text Celebrate the holidays with a very special guest. Hosts Suzanne, Crystal and Dani speak to Santa Claus who reveals his secret identity: Texas Department of Transportation employee Gordon Jones. Find out how Santa is sleighing the retirement game and making sure he’s not St. Nickel-less. Helpful contacts: Contact the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) by calling (877) 275-4377 (TTY: 711), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT. If your question doesn’t need...
Send us a text We talked with Treshayla Wilson, an expert from the Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner, to get holiday spending tips on how to spend wisely, avoid scams and plan for the next holiday season! Mentioned in this episode: NerdWallet 2025 Holiday Spending Report Additional resources: Learn to use a credit card with Empower Learning ReportFraud.ftc.gov identitytheft.gov *title generated with help from ChatGPT
Send us a text Feel empowered to save for retirement this National Retirement Security Month. Hosts Suzanne and Crystal speak to Texa$aver Retirement Plan Advisor (RPA) Mike McLellan about investing at any age, consolidating plans, a magic number to double your money and more on Empower Hour. Mentioned in this episode: Texa$aver.com Schedule a meeting with a Texa$aver Retirement Plan Advisor The magic number: Americans say they need $1.06 million to retire Learning curve How scattered retirem...
Send us a text Hosts Dani and Crystal are joined by Jeff, a member of our Specialty Operations Services team, to answer member questions found on a popular forum based social media platform. Helpful contacts: Contact the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) by calling (877) 275-4377 (TTY: 711), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT. If your question doesn’t need an immediate answer visit the Contact ERS webpage and submit a question to be answered over email. Contact a Texa$ave...
Send us a text ERS' own wellbeing expert, Lacy Wolff, joins the hosts Dani, Angelica and Suzanne to discuss trends in member attitudes towards their finances, their financial stressors and helpful ERS resources. Mentioned in the episode: ERS Buena Vida Podcast Buena Vida ERS Money Talks newsletter Wellness webinars Money Mindsets & the Marketing Trap with Nick Daugherty From $40K Debt to Financial Freedom: Kari Karber's Journey Steps to make your emergency savings fund HealthSelect ...
Send us a text The 89th legislative session has ended and health insurance premiums will go up September 1, which is the start of the new plan year. The hosts talk with Blaise Duran, director of group benefits at ERS. They discuss why premiums are increasing, who's affected and the ways ERS works to help keep those costs low.
Send us a text Life insurance is important for many families. That's why we want you to know exactly how it can help protect your loved one's financial security. And with Summer Enrollment coming up with the chance to add or change your coverage, it's a good time for us to talk with Securian's Lynn Gordon, who demystifies this complex and important benefit. Covered in this episode: Term life insurance vs. permanent/whole life insuranceUnderstanding evidence of insurability (EOI)The importance...
Send us a text It's not all cruises and flowers (although those are nice, too!). Beneplace's Tom Murphy talks about how to save an average of $5,000 per year on regular household items and also those big-ticket purchases. Topics include: Popular ways to save with the Discount Purchase ProgramDeals popular with State of Texas employeesHow shopping habits change with the economyThe benefit of discount programs to employees and employersShopping success storiesFun Life RewardsMentioned in this e...
Send us a text Treshayla Wilson of the Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner joins ERS' Crystal and Suzanne to talk about scams, swindles and safety. Hear about the top scams to avoid now, how to spot one and how to protect your personally identifiable information. Know where to go if you fall victim to a scam. Covered in this episode: State of scams todayHow to protect yourself from scamsScam #1: Student/teacher login phishing scamsScam #2: Facebook and social media ...
Send us a text The hosts Suzanne, Dani and Angelica are joined by Texa$aver Retirement Plan Advisor Nik Frye to talk about retirement planning, the value of meeting with a retirement plan advisor and what to expect during a Retirement Readiness Review. So whether your retirement is a few days or a few decades away, there's something for you in this episode. Mentioned in this episode: www.texasaver.com Texa$aver dashboard Meet with a Retirement Plan Advisor scheduling tool
Send us a text Talking State of Texas Retirement with ERS Benefits Educator Jennifer Thompson We discuss the state pension plan for groups 1, 2 and 3. Learn why your pension is valuable, how it’s calculated, things to consider when life changes and much more.
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