Pre-Retirement Workshop

Are you considering retiring in the next 10 years? It’s a good idea to get your ducks in a row well in advance. 

Attend an Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) online Pre-Retirement Workshop to start planning early. These sessions are helpful if you know your retirement date, but even if you don’t, you need to understand the retirement process, when you need to start filling out applications and how much money you will have during your retirement. 

Lifestyle planning is also important. Will you travel? Will you participate in other retirement pastimes (such as golf, lawn bowling or pickleball)? You should have some insight into what lifestyle you would like to have when you stop teaching and how much that will cost. 

This workshop will answer all your questions. Together, teachers and their pension partner will explore planning for retirement, the changing character of retirement and the process of making important decisions. You will learn about financial and lifestyle planning before, during and after retirement from a teacher’s perspective. The workshop will investigate various aspects of retiring, including building a financial plan, the Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund (pension plan), wills and estates, benefits, and lifestyle planning for a successful and rewarding retirement. 

Choose one of the sessions below and watch for a link to register at https://teachers.ab.ca/events. Registration will be available approximately one month before each session. 

Note that these are all-day sessions (9:00 AM–3:00 PM). 

Urban Local Teachers 
Edmonton Public Teachers only—Saturday, October 28, 2023 

Teachers in All Regions 
Saturday, November 25, 2023 
Saturday, February 3, 2024 
Saturday, March 9, 2024 

Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund (ATRF)

The Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund (ATRF) Board is the best resource if you are considering retirement and have questions. Access the ATRF website for the most up to date information. Have other questions? Contact the Local's office (email; 780-455-2164).

Alberta Retired Teachers' Association

Don't miss out on your one-year complimentary membership with the Alberta Retired Teachers' Association (ARTA). ARTA offers a benefits program that includes health and travel coverage, as well as dental coverage for retired teachers and their families when employer benefits expire. Questions? Visit the ARTA website.

Does the Pension Cap Affect Me?

The Teachers’ Pension Plan Act regulation, proclaimed in 1995, contains a provision that dictates how the Income Tax Act (ITA) maximums are to be applied to plan member pension benefits at the time of retirement. The pension benefit paid out under the Teachers’ Pension Plan (the Plan) is governed by a formula that includes a calculation of a benefit that is based on a best five-year average salary multiplied by the plan member's years of pensionable service. The ITA places limits on how much pension can be earned in one calendar year. The cap is going to affect more and more plan members in upcoming years. By 2014, all teachers with more than four years of university education and who are receiving allowance will be affected. To view the ATA FAQ, click here.