Preparing to Retire

Let OMERS help you as you prepare for your retirement. From information seminars to insurance contacts, we can guide you through the retirement process and help you to enjoy your life after work.

Planning for Retirement Before Leaving Work

• OMERS offers pre-retirement seminars suitable for members within 15 years of retirement. Your employer has to request a pre-retirement seminar; it covers normal and early retirement pensions, disability benefits, survivor benefits and inflation protection.
• Most financial advisers suggest going into retirement debt-free: paying off loans, mortgages, and especially credit-card debt, so interest payments aren't draining your retirement income.
• It's easy to get caught up in work, and it doesn't slow down to help you find the right work/life balance. You need to step back and assess your life.
• Develop interests and activities outside of work, things that you will be interested in doing in retirement.
• Retirement is inevitable for most of us. Preparing and planning for retirement before it happens will make it go a lot smoother.

Insurance Planning

• Retirement can be a turning point for insurance benefits, particularly medical insurance.
• To help with insurance planning, we send an insurance information package to members at retirement. The package includes notices from the organizations listed below; while we cannot endorse or guarantee any of these products or services, we have agreed to pass along their information.
• Be sure to identify yourself as an OMERS member – these organizations have special offers for OMERS members.

Moving

• A lot of people consider moving when they retire: to a warmer climate, a smaller home, an apartment, closer to children and grandchildren, to a small town or country property. Have you decided where you want to live in retirement and why you want to live there?
• Consider everything that could be affected. Would you like the new climate year-round? Can your family and friends visit easily? Do you and your spouse agree on the new location? If you were widowed, would you stay there? Will you be able to make friends and pursue your interests and hobbies? Are you close to stores and shopping? Could you work if you wanted to?

OMERS Retirement and Early Retirement Options

• As an OMERS member, you have to be normal retirement age or early retirement age to be entitled to receive a retirement pension.
• Your normal retirement date is the last day of the month in which you reach your normal retirement age (65 for most OMERS members; 60 for police officers and firefighters).
• Or you may retire as early as age 50 (for normal retirement age 60) or age 55 (for normal retirement 65).
• An early retirement pension can be either unreduced (no penalty) or reduced (with a penalty).
• Under standard plan provisions, you will receive an unreduced pension if you are of retirement age and you:
  • have reached your 85 factor (for normal retirement age 60) or your 90 factor (for normal retirement age 65); or
  • have 30 years or more of qualifying service.
• You may retire with a reduced pension if you do not have enough qualifying service or do not reach an 85 or 90 factor.