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Tips For Maintaining Work-Life Balance

Maintaining a proper work-life balance can be a struggle, and with the ability to work from home becoming more common, the lines between work and home have blurred more than ever before. Bedrooms, living rooms, and spare bedrooms have transformed into work spaces. Temporary offices have become permanent shared office spaces. Daily commuting to-and-from work that would traditionally serve as a mental transition period between work and home are gone, and with it, for some, the mental off-switch that would result from a drive home listening to the radio or favorite podcast.

Pension Benefit vs. Account Balance

As a member of the Arizona State Retirement System, you make contributions with each of your paychecks. Both you and your employer contribute equal amounts, which are invested to generate revenue and build the ASRS trust fund, which in turn pays your guaranteed lifetime pension benefit upon retirement. These contributions, plus interest, combine to form your account balance.

Are You Fully Enrolled with the ASRS?

Even if you've been a contributing member for years, it's good to check just in case.

The Pension Benefit Formula

Have you ever wondered how we calculate pension benefits? There is sometimes the mistaken belief that it may have something to do with your account balance, when in fact it's all about salary and how many years you work.

How Well Do You Know Your Pension?

Pensions are not as common as they used to be, which can lead to not fully understanding what you’re a part of, how it benefits you, and how to best take advantage of the benefits available to you. To further that understanding, let’s take a look at what the Arizona State Retirement System is, and what it isn’t.

Understanding Your Future Benefit

While the ASRS offers a variety of benefits for members, our primary focus is providing members with a lifetime retirement benefit. Once you're able to retire, you'll need to choose how you'd like to receive your benefit. Your retirement annuity options fall into three distinct categories, each helping to accomplish slightly different retirement goals:

Preparing to Retire: Are you ready? Let's find out!

Getting ready to retire is a big step! It means closing one chapter and beginning another. To make sure you’re as prepared and informed as possible before you hit ‘submit’ on your retirement application, make sure you’ve considered the following questions;

Thinking of Refunding?

If you're leaving the ASRS prior to retirement, you may be wondering if you should refund your account. You can, but you don't have to. You have options!

A Brief History of the ASRS As We Turn 65!

This year, the ASRS will celebrate its 65th Anniversary.

In the 21^st session of the Arizona State Legislature, Governor Howard Pyle signed the bill that created the ASRS as of July 1^st, 1953 as a pension plan for employees of state and municipal government.

The first public pension in Arizona, however, was issued in 1912, the year Arizona entered statehood. It was granted to a teacher, in the amount of $50 a month ($600 a year). In 1955, the teacher’s pension plan and the ASRS merged, creating a statewide retirement system.

ASRS Celebrates 65 Years of Supporting Arizona's Public Servants

The Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) marks its 65^th anniversary this year--celebrate 65 years of serving Arizona’s hard-working public servants.