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Trivia time! How much do you know about your pension?

Laptop with sticky note, coffee cup, and blocks spelling "TRIVIA".

Say it with us, one more time, in your best impersonation of the late Regis Philbin: “is that your final answer?”

Well, we can’t offer you $1 million in prize money, but we can continue to help secure your retirement money as we’ve done for more than a century.

While CalSTRS is a great boon to your retirement, studies show supplemental savings are still critical for you and your peers to thrive post-teaching.

So, in the spirit of our favorite quiz shows, here’s a quick test.

Answers are at the bottom. No cheating! We’ll start easy and get tougher:

  1. What does “CalSTRS” stand for?
    1. Call Someone To Replant Strawberries
    2. California State Teachers’ Retirement System
    3. Calabasas Soccer Trainers Really Soar
    4. California State Turtle Retraction System
  2. Who receives pension payments from CalSTRS?
    1. All California public employees
    2. California day care administrators
    3. California private school teachers
    4. California pre-K through community college public educators
  3. Your retirement paychecks are calculated using:
    1. Your length of service of CalSTRS-covered work
    2. Your age at retirement
    3. Your highest average annual pay rates and earnings
    4. A formula using all of the above
  4. How is your CalSTRS defined benefit pension different than a 401(k)?
    1. Your monthly payment amount is guaranteed for life
    2. It’s converted into Euros, not dollars
    3. It’s available for withdrawal before age 30
    4. A 401(k) is always lower-risk than your pension
  5. How can you learn from CalSTRS?
    1. Visit one of our seven member service centers
    2. Ask us a question using myCalSTRS
    3. Attend an in-person individual or group benefits planning session
    4. Register for a webinar
    5. Speak with a representative via phone call
    6. All of the above
  6. What’s the name of CalSTRS’ voluntary retirement savings plan?
    1. Teacher Money Hub®
    2. Pension Power®
    3. 403(b) Zone®
    4. Pension2®
  7. Approximately __% of your pension checks are paid by CalSTRS’ investments.
    1. 50%
    2. 60%
    3. 75%
    4. 100%
  8. The CalSTRS Investment Portfolio was worth approximately $___ in assets under management as of April 2024?
    1. $200 million
    2. $3 billion
    3. $185 billion
    4. $330 billion

 

OK, we hope you resisted the temptation to peek at the answer key! Here it is:

  1. b
  2. d
  3. d
  4. a
  5. f
  6. d
  7. b
  8. d

We appreciate you taking the time to learn a little more about your retirement and what’s available to you as a member. We hope you had a little fun, too.