Pension & Retirement Education Program

PREP seminars are designed to help members of all ages prepare for retirement.

Contact Us

800-348-7298, ext. 6180
[email protected]

Many retirees wish they began focusing on financial and retirement planning much earlier in their lives. Don’t let that happen to you! No matter how far along you are in your career, careful financial and retirement planning are critical. That’s why our Pension & Retirement Education Program (PREP) seminar is so valuable.

The PREP seminar will help you understand your NYSTRS benefits while also providing essential retirement-planning tips. This information will help you develop a plan to achieve your retirement goals and dreams.

Topics covered during this free half-day seminar include:

  • NYSTRS Benefits: Your pension, disability coverage, loans, vesting and death benefits.
  • Financial Planning: Saving early, catching up, withdrawals and financial advisors.
  • Social Security: Benefits, eligibility rules, when to collect and earning limits.
  • Estate Planning: Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies and living wills.
  • The Retirement Process: Retirement options, "resigning" vs. "retiring," choosing a retirement date, retirement checklist, monthly payments, taxes and earnings limitations on NYS public employment.

Seminars are held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with registration beginning at 8 a.m. There is no fee to attend and members are welcome to bring a guest, but all attendees must make a reservation in advance. (Note: These seminars are not designed for individual retirement counseling.)

PREP seminars often fill up, so book early. Can't attend a seminar now? We begin taking reservations for our three PREP schedules during the year in: mid-September (fall schedule); mid-December (winter/spring schedule); and mid-May (summer schedule).

Directions to various locations
Location Address Dates Directions
Albany/Capital District Hilton Garden Inn Albany Airport
800 Albany Shaker Road
Albany, New York 12211
Tuesday, July 8
Tuesday, Aug. 5

 
Directions
Binghamton DoubleTree by Hilton Binghamton
225 Water St.
Binghamton, New York 13901
Tuesday, July 29 Directions
Buffalo Buffalo Airport Hotel
4600 Genesee St.
Cheektowaga, New York 14225

Tuesday, July 15
Tuesday, Aug. 12

Directions
Clayton 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel
200 Riverside Drive
Clayton, New York 13624
Thursday, Aug. 7 Directions
Fishkill Hyatt House Fishkill/Poughkeepsie
100 Westage Business Center Drive
Fishkill, New York 12524

Thursday, July 10
Thursday, July 31

Directions
Lake George Fort William Henry
48 Canada St.
Lake George, New York 12845
Tuesday, Aug. 19 Directions
Lake Placid High Peaks Resort
2384 Saranac Ave.
Lake Placid, New York 12946
Wednesday, Aug. 6 Directions
Mount Kisco Hotel MTK
1 Pat Reilly Way
Mount Kisco, New York 10549
Thursday, Aug. 21 Directions
Plainview Holiday Inn Plainview – Long Island
215 Sunnyside Blvd.
Plainview, New York 11803
Wednesday, July 9
Thursday, July 24
Wednesday, Aug. 20
Directions
Riverhead Hotel Indigo Long Island – East End
1830 West Main St., Route 25
Riverhead, New York 11901
Tuesday, July 22 Directions
Rochester RIT Inn & Conference Center
5257 West Henrietta Road
Rochester, New York 14467
Wednesday, July 16
Wednesday, Aug. 13
Directions
Stony Brook Hilton Garden Inn Stony Brook
1 Circle Road
Stony Brook, New York 11794
Wednesday, July 23
Tuesday, Aug. 19
Directions
Syracuse Hilton Garden Inn Syracuse
6004 Fair Lakes Road
East Syracuse, New York 13057
Wednesday, July 30
Thursday, Aug. 14
Directions

  • There are two ways to make a reservation:

    1. Online using your MyNYSTRS account. After logging into your account, visit the Tools/Schedule a Consultation or PREP page.
    2. By calling NYSTRS at 800-348-7298, ext. 6180.

    When calling for a reservation you must provide your EmplID or Social Security number, email address and home phone number (and the same information for your spouse/companion if they are a member and will attend too).

    Please bring your latest Benefit Profile with you to the seminar. For the most up-to-date estimate of your retirement benefits, use our online MyNYSTRS Pension Estimator. This tool allows you to create estimates using various retirement dates.

    If you make a reservation but cannot attend, please call the number above to cancel (or cancel using your MyNYSTRS account) so that we can offer this reservation to another member.