Pension Sense blog | August 14, 2023 | Barbara Zumwalt

Pssst. Want to know a secret? More than 30,000 of your fellow CalSTRS members already do.

They're participating in CalSTRS Pension2® to complement their CalSTRS benefits and help ensure their long-term financial security.

You can, too.

Your CalSTRS traditional defined benefit provides retirement, survivor and disability benefits and will replace, on average, approximately 54% of your current salary once you retire. Pension2 helps close the financial gap between your pension and your overall retirement income goals. Invest alongside your defined benefit pension so you can gain confidence about your purchasing power for living expenses, travel, hobbies and more once you’re retired.

Unlike many other services that pitch their plans to California's educators, CalSTRS created Pension2 so you have low-cost 403(b), 457(b), Roth 403(b) and Roth 457(b) options. Other plans often include high fees, such as commissions, surrender charges and front- and back-end load fees, or insurance products that allow those companies to make a profit at the expense of your own account growth. With Pension2, more of your money goes toward your retirement.

Know your options for investing wisely. 403bCompare.com allows you to easily look up your employer and compare up to three different 403b vendors so you can see how Pension2 stacks up against the competition.

Join your 30,000 peers today in paying your future self to thrive in retirement. Email Pension2@CalSTRS.com or call 888-394-2060 to speak with a Pension2 representative. If you are already investing with another vendor, request a free statement comparison so you know how much you could be saving.

To make sure you're speaking with a CalSTRS representative, review our verify your CalSTRS rep webpage.

Here's a cheat sheet to verify CalSTRS representatives, all of whom:

• Have an email address ending in @CalSTRS.com.
• Have access to your CalSTRS or Pension2 account information.
• Can provide a CalSTRS ID badge or business card.
• Do not provide refreshments at offsite events.
• Do not sell insurance products.
• Will never meet at your home.

For information on how to reach CalSTRS, visit the contact us webpage.