Pre-Retirement Planning Workshop Series
Whether you’re a long-term employee or just getting started in your career, it’s important to take an active role in planning for a secure retirement. UC offers education and counseling to support you along the way — all available at no cost to you. The UCR Human Resources Benefits Office sponsors a series of Pre-Retirement Planning Webinars which are open to all UCR faculty, staff and retirees to provide information about resources and steps you will need to take in order to plan for your retirement from UC.
Pre-Retirement Planning Virtual Workshops & Resources
UC Retirement From Start to Finish
March 26 14, 2026 | 10:00 - 11:00am
Registration Link: https://ucop.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GBWDBo5YR0O2Qb89x6wX7g#/registration
The webinar covers everything you need to know about the UC retirement process, including forms, important deadlines and helpful resources.
Preparing for Retirement
March 18, 2026 | 5:30 - 6:30pm
Registration: https://ucop.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uqx-MipsR-qgifZIhd1Ekg#/registration
The Preparing for Retirement webinar provides a broad overview of UC’s retirement benefits and lays the foundation for the Retiree Health Benefits and UC Retirement Process presentations
Maximize Social Security
March 19, 2026 | 9:00 - 10:00am
Maximize Social Security will teach you how Social Security works and things to consider when deciding when and how to claim social security at retirement.
Registration: https://fmr.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kLAZnaL0SLGEu1rk0sAG2g#/registration
Retiree Health Webinar
March 18, 2026 | 10:00am - 11:00am
This webinar is intended for those considering retirement from UC within the next 4-12 months. We’ll provide an in-depth review of the eligibility rules for retiree health coverage, your health plan options (including Medicare coordination), how to determine your premiums and answers to commonly asked questions.
Registration: https://ucop.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_47fcmIVJQHeiOIx31LRbFg#/registration
This presentation is also available On Demand. Click on this link to view the pre-recorded version of the Retiree Health Benefits webinar.
Ways to Save with Roth Webinar
Please check back for additional dates.
Roth Contribution Option
The University of California has enhanced the UC Retirement Savings Program with a new Roth contribution option for the UC 403(b) and UC 457(b) Plans, giving you more flexibility to save and plan for your future through regular pretax contributions, new Roth contributions, or both.
Who Might Benefit From Contributions
While Roth contributions are designed for anyone who likes the idea of potentially tax-free retirement income, here are some scenarios to consider:
- Are you a younger saver?
- In general, the younger you are when you start making Roth contributions, the more you may benefit. Why? Because you have a longer time frame for growth and to benefit from the power of compounding.
- Think your income tax rate will be higher in retirement?
- If you think your tax rate will be higher in retirement—either due to higher income or higher overall tax rates—when you take your distributions, consider making Roth contributions.
- Want tax flexibility in retirement? Once you retire, your expenses may vary more year-to-year than they do today.
- Roth dollars can help you cover larger expenses without increasing your taxable income for the year. And, if you have a combination of pretax and Roth contributions, you have flexibility to chose which distribution type to take based on your tax situation.
- Interested in leaving tax-free money to your beneficiaries?
- Roth dollars are potentially free of federal income taxes to beneficiaries of inherited retirement savings. The pros and cons are subtle and complex, however, so consult an attorney or estate planning expert before attempting to use your RSP as part of your estate plan.
- Not eligible to contribute to a Roth?
- While income limits may prevent you from contributing to a Roth, the UC 403(b) and 457(b) Plans don’t carry these income limits. So if you’re not eligible to contribute to a Roth due to income limits, but would like potentially tax-free income in retirement, consider Roth contributions.
Registration: https://fmr.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ox4iuJJgSBKUjBIm_n1saw
Resetting Your Financial Foundation
March 16, 2026 | 12:00 - 1:00pm
Whether it’s prioritizing expenses and debt or saving for the future, it’s important to review your saving and spending to get clarity on where your money is going.
UC Retirement Webinar Schedule
It’s recommended, but not required, that you attend the webinars in the order listed above.
For more information on retirement webinars and resources, please visit UCnet
Monthly Medicare Informational Sessions
The virtual Medicare sessions sponsored and presented by a seasoned Kaiser Permanente Medicare Consultant; information will be applicable to all faculty, staff and retirees, regardless of retiree health insurance plan—all are welcome to attend.
You will learn:
- A question-and-answer session will be held at the conclusion
Please use this link to Register to attend the Monthly Medicare Informational Webinars. View the Medicare Webinar Series flyer for more pre-retirement planning options.
Retirement Resources
Prudential Life Insurance Conversion Estimator Tool
Prudential offers a life insurance conversion estimator tool on the Prudential microsite for UC members. This helpful tool allows employees who are considering converting their insurance benefit to preview an estimate of the premiums before they decide to convert. To access the life insurance conversion estimator tool, please visit the Prudential Estimate Your Life Insurance Needs website.
Additional Resources
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Conversion/Probability Life Insurance Rate Information