The majority of employers across the United States offer retirement plans to help employees save and plan for their financial future. My employer, the YMCA of Greater Rochester is no exception. As a matter of fact, the Y realized early on the importance of offering retirement benefits to its’ employees.
The YMCA Retirement Fund (“Fund”) was incorporated in New York in 1921 and is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, organized and operated for the purpose of providing retirement and other benefits for employees of participating Ys throughout the United States. The Fund sponsors the Retirement Plan, which is a defined contribution, money purchase, church pension plan intended to satisfy the qualification requirements of Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Fund also sponsors the Tax-Deferred Savings Plan, which is a church retirement income account plan as defined in Code Section 403(b)(9).
As part of the overall compensation package, the YMCA of Greater Rochester contributes on behalf of each eligible employee an amount equal to 12% of his/her compensation. Since the YMCA of Greater Rochester contributes 12% to the Retirement Plan, each employee is encouraged to make additional voluntary contributions to the Tax-Deferred Savings Plan in order to achieve at least 15% total retirement savings, a goal recommended by many financial planners.
Employees not yet eligible for the Retirement Plan are encouraged to save 15% on their own each year while they await eligibility. Representatives from the YMCA Retirement Fund meets with our staff. In addition, we host both lunch & learn and also dinner & learn sessions with financial planners from the Bank of America and also Foresters Financial™ and invite staff spouses to attend these informative and educational sessions. Through these educational opportunities, last year two staff members had a “we can do this” moment and retired comfortably.
During the 2018 National Retirement Week we are encouraging all our employees consider opening a 403b account with the YMCA Retirement Fund (https://www.yretirement.org/) to plan retirement on their terms. We are suggesting that if they already have a 403b account to consider contributing more to it. Either way their older self will thank their younger self!