Thinking about retirement? HR has tools and services that can help.

This is the final article in a series about the services and support Human Resources offers staff and faculty at different stages of their career.

Whether you’re at an early stage in your career, or nearing retirement, HR offers support to help you prepare for your retirement. Here are some of the tools and services available.

Cspace

Visit the HR Retirement planning Cspace page for tips and information designed to help you reflect on the importance of being prepared for this next stage of your life.

Pension@ccess

The pension@ccess tool is your gateway to retirement planning.

It’s an interactive web application that allows you to get more information about how the pension plan works. Through it, you can access your annual pension statement, information about the pension plan and the pension projection calculator.

The pension projection calculator on pension@ccess will help you obtain estimates of your pension at various retirement ages.

How to log in to Pension@ccess: Go to the Pension plan page on Cspace and access the pension@ccess application. Or access the tool directly: pension@ccess. A user guide is available on the pension@ccess homepage.

• Enter your employee number without the zeros at the beginning.
• Enter your password. Note: the first time you log in, your temporary password is your date of birth in the format MMDDYYYY, followed by the last three digits of your employee number.

Annual Pension statements

Annual pension statements are available to members of the Pension Plan for the Employees of Concordia University. Your pension statement gives a detailed summary of your situation under the pension plan as of December of last year. Access your statement by using the pension@ccess tool.

Workshops

HR offers one-hour Understanding Your Pension Statement workshops in the fall. The workshop is a great opportunity to ask detailed questions about the information contained in your pension statement. Watch this space for information on this year’s workshops.

Seminars

The Employee Assistance Program is a voluntary, confidential counselling, referral and information service, that provids a broad range of services to employees, including lunchtime seminars open to all staff and faculty at Concordia, at no cost.

The next two upcoming lunchtime seminars are entitled Successful Transition to Retirement. They are open to staff and faculty of all ages and career stages.

1. A Focus on Lifestyle. In this seminar participants will review the emotional stages of retirement by learning how to:
   
   • Explore available resources
   • Set retirement goals
   • Understand the roles of time, health and wellness
   • Envision the next stage in their lives
   
   The seminar will take place on April 14, 2015, from 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the Henry F. Hall Building, Room H-760, Sir George Williams campus. Register here.
   
   
2. Financial Planning. In this seminar participants will review the steps that lead to a rewarding retirement and learn some strategies to help ensure their retirement years are spent in comfort and security.
   
   The seminar will take place on April 30, 2015, from 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the Henry F. Hall Building, Room H-763, Sir George Williams campus. Register here.

Questions? Contact us

You can contact Pension Services at pensions@concordia.ca or by phone at 514-848-2424, ext. 3666.

You can also visit us in person in Room FB-1130, Faubourg Tower (1250 Guy St.). To avoid waiting, please make an appointment in advance.

Check out the ways HR can support you at other stages of your career: 

• You’re hired: 5 things to do next, Cspace February 10, 2015
• A few years into your career? Check in with HR, Cspace February 17, 2015
• How HR supports Concordia managers, Cspace March 2, 2015