Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP)
The Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) allows you to effectively retire under the Florida Retirement System (FRS) Pension Plan. You begin accumulating your retirement benefits while delaying your termination for up to 60 months from the date you first reach your normal retirement date or your eligible deferral date. DROP provides you with an alternative method for payment of your retirement benefits for a specified and limited period if you are an eligible Florida Retirement System (FRS) Pension Plan member. Under this program, you stop earning service credit toward a future benefit, have your retirement benefit calculated at the time your DROP period begins, and your monthly retirement benefits accumulate in the FRS Trust Fund earning interest while you continue to work for an FRS employer. Upon termination, your DROP account is paid to you as a lump sum payment, a rollover or a combination partial lump sum payment and rollover - one of these options must be applied within 60 days of separation from service. Monthly benefits are paid to you in the amount as calculated upon entry into DROP, plus any applicable cost-of-living adjustments for intervening years. We can educate you on the options that are available and are in alignment with your needs, goals and personal situation. For more information, see the latest version of the DROP guide here.
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The Florida Retirement System Investment Plan
The following information was taken from here and was written by the FRS for their website.
This section is intended to provide you with an overview of the FRS Investment Plan - from how and why the plan is offered, to eligibility requirements, retirement income options, and related programs. Click on the subheadings below to access the specific topic of interest within this page. This section will discuss the following:
Why The FRS Is Offering This Plan
Who's Eligible for the FRS Investment Plan?
DROP Rollover to the FRS Investment Plan
Rollovers From Former Investment Plan Members
Health Insurance Subsidy (HIS)
Using Quicken or Mint to Manage Your Account
If you have questions about set-up procedures, you can use the program's Help feature or you can call the toll-free MyFRS Financial Guidance Line at 1-866-446-9377, Option 4, to connect to the Investment Plan Administrator, Aon Hewitt.
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How It Works
The FRS Investment Plan is a defined contribution plan, in which employer and employee contributions are defined by law, but your ultimate benefit depends in part on the performance of your investment funds.
The FRS Investment Plan is funded by employer and employee contributions that are based on your salary and your FRS membership class (Regular Class, Special Risk Class, etc.). The Investment Plan directs contributions to individual member accounts, and you allocate your contributions and account balance among various investment funds. (Participant contributions are not allowed.)
Your Investment Plan retirement benefit is the value of your account at termination. Unlike the Pension Plan, there is no fixed benefit level at retirement. However, a guaranteed* lifetime cost of living payment option (based on the benefit to be distributed) can be purchased and is available with annual 3% cost of living increases, like the Pension Plan.
Why the FRS Is Offering This Plan
The Investment Plan has been offered to FRS employees since 2002 and is similar to other defined contribution plans that have been offered to select groups of FRS employees for over 25 years. It is primarily designed to serve shorter-service and mobile employees. Other employees that might find the Investment Plan appealing are older employees that don't expect to work at least 6 years (if enrolled in the FRS prior to July 1, 2011) or 8 years (if enrolled in the FRS on or after July 1, 2011) and employees that want greater control over their retirement plan.
Who's Eligible for the FRS Investment Plan?
All FRS employees are eligible for the Investment Plan except:
Participants in the Deferred Retirement Option Program, known as DROP (except as a distribution option).
Mandatory State University System Optional Retirement Program (SUSORP) members. (This is not an FRS plan.)
Teachers' Retirement System members. (This plan is closed to new members.)
State and County Officers and Employees' Retirement System members. (This plan is closed to new members.)
How Your Benefit Accumulates
In the Investment Plan, benefits are earned more or less evenly over your career (subject to fluctuations in the financial markets and your investment strategy). This is different from the Pension Plan, in which you accumulate benefits slowly at first and then at a faster rate the longer you stay.
So, if you don't stay with FRS employers for most of your career or for the final years of your career, you're more likely to receive a greater benefit under the Investment Plan.
When You Own Your Benefit
You will be vested (that is, you will own the assets in your Investment Plan account) when you complete one year of service in the FRS Investment Plan. If you transfer from the FRS Pension Plan to the FRS Investment Plan, you will be able to count your Pension Plan service toward the one-year vesting requirement.
(If you transfer the present value of your FRS Pension Plan benefit to your FRS Investment Plan account, you need to complete six years of service (if enrolled in the FRS prior to July 1, 2011) or 8 years (if enrolled in the FRS on or after July 1, 2011) before you "own" this money. Service in the FRS Investment Plan will count toward the six-year FRS Pension Plan vesting requirement for the transferred value of your FRS Pension Plan benefit.)
Employee contributions are immediately vested. This means that if you terminate employment prior to meeting the vesting requirements of the Investment Plan, you will be entitled to a refund of your employee contributions. However, taking such a refund may not be a sound financial decision because you will forfeit any unvested employer contributions and service credit associated with the service and be declared a retiree. As a retiree you will not be entitled to future FRS membership if you return to FRS covered employment.
If You Change Employers
Under the Investment Plan, if you leave FRS-covered employment after vesting and go to a non-FRS employer, you can choose to leave your account invested in the Plan. There, it will continue to earn market returns until you begin to draw it down during retirement. You may also "roll it over" to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or to the plan of your new employer (if allowed by that plan). However, if you roll your money out of the Investment Plan you will be considered retired from the FRS and not entitled to further membership if you return in the future. If you leave prior to vesting, your account balance will be placed in a suspense account for up to 5 years. If you return to FRS-covered employment within the 5-year period you will regain control over your account. If you do not return within the 5-year period, you will forfeit the accumulated account balance.
Benefit Paid at Retirement
Under the Investment Plan, your retirement benefit is based on your account balance at termination of employment, which consists of any cumulative employer and employee contributions, dividends and interest, and investment gains or losses, less expenses. The amount of your benefit payments is affected by the retirement income option you choose.
Retirement Income Options
Under the Investment Plan, you may choose to receive your account balance at termination of employment as a lump sum or to take periodic withdrawals on demand or by a pre-determined payout schedule you select. There may be tax penalties if you withdraw your money before age 59 1/2. You may also use some or all of your account balance to purchase the same types of lifetime payment options (annuities) as offered in the FRS Pension Plan, with payments guaranteed by a private sector insurance company. Survivor benefits and 3% annual benefit increase option are available, as well as a number of other retirement income options.
Pre-Retirement Benefits and DROP
In the Investment Plan, your vested account balance will be paid to your beneficiary or estate if you die.
DROP
DROP participation is not available under the Investment Plan, though Pension Plan DROP participants can roll over their DROP benefit into the Investment Plan following termination from DROP.
DROP Rollover to the FRS Investment Plan
DROP participants (former and current) are permitted to rollover their DROP accumulation into the FRS Investment Plan. This option allows you to take advantage of the low cost investment products offered in the Investment Plan. When you decide to take a distribution of your accumulated funds from the Investment Plan, you have multiple distribution options: a low cost fixed or variable annuity (much like your Pension Plan benefit), periodic payments (quarterly, semiannually, or annually), lump sum payout of your account balance, or a rollover of your account balance to another plan.Review Questions and Answers
Rollovers From Former Investment Plan Members
Former FRS Investment Plan members (retirees) who terminated FRS employment and took a distribution from their Investment Plan account are permitted to roll eligible funds into the FRS Investment Plan. Retirees who roll their funds into the Investment Plan will be able to take advantage of the Investment Plan's low-cost investment funds and access unbiased financial planners provided through the MyFRS Financial Guidance Program to help manage their retirement account. Review Questions and Answers
Health Insurance Subsidy (HIS)
The Health Insurance Subsidy (HIS) is a monthly supplemental payment that you may be eligible to receive if you have health insurance coverage (Cover Florida Health Care Access Program, Medicare and TRICARE coverage are accepted). This monthly payment, which you must apply for, is calculated by multiplying your total years of service at retirement (up to a maximum of 30 years) by $5.
HIS is only available after you have 6 years of service (if enrolled in the FRS prior to July 1, 2011) or 8 years (if enrolled in the FRS on or after July 1, 2011). To be eligible to receive the HIS under the Investment Plan, you must meet the normal retirement age or service requirements of the Pension Plan for your class of membership and provide proper documentation certifying that you have health insurance coverage. For example, if you enrolled in the FRS prior to July 1, 2011, a Regular Class member must be either age 62 and have 6 years of service or have a total of 30 years of service, and a Special Risk member must be either age 55 with 6 years of Special Risk service or have a total of 25 years of Special Risk service to qualify. If you enrolled in the FRS on or after July 1, 2011, a Regular Class member must be either age 65 and have 8 years of service or have a total of 33 years of service, and a Special Risk member must be either age 60 with at least 8 years of Special Risk service or have a total of 30 years of Special Risk service to qualify.
If you leave FRS-covered employment and take a benefit distribution prior to the normal retirement requirements, you must wait until you reach normal retirement age to begin receiving your HIS benefit. If you elect the Hybrid Option, you will receive your HIS payment once you begin receiving your Pension Plan benefit.
The HIS subsidy is $5 for each year of creditable service, with a minimum HIS of $30 per month and a maximum HIS of $150 per month.
Using Quicken or Mint to Manage Your Account
You can download your retirement plan account information to either of two popular personal financial management software packages - Quicken® or Mint®. At your command, an automated link feeds current (prior business day close), accurate data - including balances and transactions - to the program you're using. With this time-saving capability, you can plan and make decisions viewing all your investment information at once.
All you need to get started for this one-time set-up is a copy of Quicken® or an account set up on Mint.com, and the following:
Login ID - Your Login ID for Quicken/Mint is your Social Security number, a hyphen, and "14470" (this is the company ID). For example, if your Social Security number was 123456789, the format of the Login ID would be 123456789-14470.
PIN - Your PIN is the 6 digit number sent to you by the FRS in your New Hire Kit (if you need a PIN reminder mailed to you, please call the MyFRS Financial Guidance Line at 1-866-446-9377, Option 4). Please note that your PIN is different than the password you use to log on to MyFRS.com.
Firefighters and Law Enforcement Officers have some of the most unique retirement benefits of any profession. If you are a First Responder, you likely want to work with a firm that understands your unique financial circumstances. At BettrLife Life Financial our advisors understand the true value of your benefits and how to complement them with appropriate investment strategies. Our firm has helped hundreds of pensioned employees across Florida retire on their own terms, and we’d be happy to help you to do the same.
If you’re a first responder approaching retirement, you may be wondering:
When should I enter the DROP?
What should I do with my DROP funds?
What will I owe in taxes on my DROP funds?
How will I pay for health insurance after I retire?
How can I access my DROP funds prior to age 59?
How can I get the most out of my investments in a volatile market?
If you have questions like these, we can help to provide answers. We offer no-obligation consultations and retirement reviews to all public employees and their families.
Click below to schedule a free consultation with a licensed BettrLife Financial Agent.
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