Fund Your Future with DRS

Ep 42 - Baby boomers: final advice for retirement

We talk with two DRS team members from the baby boomer generation who are less than five years from retiring. Hear what they’re doing in this critical time to prepare for their next stage of life. 

Ep 41 - Gen X: growing up without financial advice

People from Generation X grew up in a time where people didn’t talk about money and you couldn’t ask the internet. As a result, Mark and Sherry — two DRS team members from Gen X — are committed to making sure their kids know how to budget. Hear their advice on what you should be sharing with your kids.

Ep 40 - Gen X: never too late to start saving for retirement

We chat with two DRS team members from Gen X, Devi and Corinne, who started saving for retirement a few years ago. They both share how they started shifting priorities after having an "ah-ha moment," and now saving for retirement is their top priority.

Ep 39 - Questions from listeners

We’ve received some great questions from our listeners asking about retirement. We jump into answering your questions:
If you leave state service, what are the options for your retirement money and how does that affect service credit if you come back to work for the state?If I die before retiring, will my spouse have an option to receive a pension benefit?Is my pension benefit based on the last five years of my career?How do I retire with DRS?

Ep 38 - How Gen Z is prepping for retirement

Generation Z recently joined the work force and they bring a new perspective. DRS team member Jacob describes his generation as growing up with “all internet, all the time.” He opens up about how he and his friends are strapping down to pay for rising rent costs and getting creative with their budgets.

Ep 37 - Saving for retirement as a single woman from Gen X

Generation X was dubbed the "MTV Generation," and now some of them are getting ready to retire. We sit down with Terri, a DRS team member from Gen X. She shares that saving for retirement when you’re single can present its own challenges. Terri discusses her experience and tips for saving.

Ep 36 - New SRI fund for DCP, Plan 3 and JRA

In April 2024, the Socially Responsible Balanced Fund (SRI) will change from a balanced fund – invested in stocks and bonds – to a new SRI that solely invests in stocks. Managed by AllianceBernstein (AB), the new Socially Responsible Equity Fund's strategy uses the UN Sustainable Development Goals to identify and invest in key sustainability themes. We sit down with Dan who works at AB to find out more.

Ep 35 - Beneficiary vs survivor

These two terms are commonly used for retirement plans, but what's the difference? If you haven’t retired from your plan, you only have beneficiaries. If you are retired, you could have both. In this episode, we take a look at the difference between these two terms and what they can provide for your loved ones.

Ep 34 - Dual members and reciprocity

If you're a member of more than one Washington state retirement system, you're a member of multiple systems - also known as a dual member. In this episode, we look at what you should be aware of when you're approaching retirement. Our guest is Wendy, a DRS team member, who explains some of the advantages of being a dual member.

Ep 33 - How pensions are guaranteed in Washington state

Did you know not all states manage pensions the same way? Washington state is 94% on track to meet the funding goals of pension plans. That rate is one of the highest in the country. Your pension is a guarantee. Our guest is Mitch from the Office of the State Actuary who explains how pensions are funded in Washington in order to meet that guarantee.