Pensions, Medicare, on tap at IEA One Conference 



The inaugural IEA One Conference is a great opportunity for training and networking with fellow IEA members. The conference will also feature guest speakers on important topics, including: IEA General Counsel Mitch Roth and Director of Government Relations Jim Reed discuss the ramifications of the Supreme Court decision on the pension lawsuit, and Rich Frankenfeld, TRS Director of Outreach, will speak on the topic TRS and Transitioning to Medicare.

Some sessions have limited space so be sure to register today! Retired members pay only a $25 registration fee. 

House fails to override veto after unprecedented threats to legislators

The Illinois House of Representatives came within three votes of the 71 needed to override the governor's veto on a union arbitration bill.
 
See how your representatives voted


Retired Mentor Program

Greetings to IEA Retired Members!
     
Did you know that the IEA Retired has a Mentor Program that will soon begin the 17th year? That's right! Our program works with the IEA Student Program, and we mentor members of the program on several campuses across the State of Illinois. Much of the mentoring is done via email, text and/or phone due to the large area of our state. However, if it is possible, we try to make mentor/mentee matches who are geographically close for face-to-face visits. 

We are actively seeking new mentors from our IEA Retired membership and want everyone to be aware of this great program!  This link tells about our program and has a link to our Mentor Interest Form. If you have an interest in our program, please fill out the form and mail to Gayla Dial, or just email the information
     
We will be starting up this year's program the second week in October. We have to wait until the school year starts and the college chapters have time to promote our program to the students and give them a chance to sign up. We communicate by email to all the mentors in our program and guide them through the process from an introductory Fall email to month by month communication with suggestions, tips, web links, etc., that can be shared with their mentee(s).

If you have any questions, please let us know. And, check out our Facebook page to give you even more insight into the way we communicate with our student program, and please LIKE us! 

Thanks, 
Gayla Dial
IEA Retired Mentor Program Coordinator           
(618) 306-2204
 
IMRF overview

Neither funded nor managed by the State of Illinois, the IMRF is the best funded statewide system on both a market and actuarial basis. Ever wondered about the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund? This Southern Illinoisan article gives a good overview.  
Southern Area retired chapters have fun day at the races

Thirty members and guests from five southern IEA Retired Chapters attended a day at the Fairmont Racetrack in Collinsville June 9. Those attending represented southeastern, southwestern, deep south, crossroads and land of Lincoln chapters. This day was organized by Linda Walcher, Southern Representative on the IEA-R Council, along with members of the Southeastern Retired Chapter. A similar outing was attended last year with the Southwestern Retired Chapter, and this year it was decided to invite more chapters to see if we could arrange a day of fun and fellowship with other chapters as well - it was a huge success!
 
As a special treat, it was decided to pay the extra fee to have a race named in our honor. Therefore, race three in the program was dedicated to Southern Illinois IEA Retired! Because of this honor, representatives from each chapter were invited to stand in the winner's circle with the winning horse, jockey, trainer and owners to present the winning plaque to the owner. The official photographer of the racetrack took our picture as a memento of this event.
 
In a special quirk of fate, the winning horse was actually named PAY OFF THE DEAN!!  There was much laughter over this timely coincidence!
 
Due to the great time that was had by all, it was decided that we should make it a permanent outing planned each early summer to give everyone a chance to attend and enjoy a fun day at the races!
Free NEA monthly retirement e-newsletter


How to avoid two new (and vexing) travel fees
Provided by NEA Member Benefits

Travelers have become all too familiar with nagging fees for everything from checking a bag to changing a reservation. "Throw a dart - you don't have to even aim - and you're likely to hit a fee," says Christopher Elliott, author of "How to Be the World's Smartest Traveler." And because fees help pad the bottom line, don't look for them to disappear soon. U.S. airlines collected more than $3.5 billion in baggage fees alone in 2014.

Some travel-related fees are easier to avoid than others. We found two increasingly common fees - one imposed by some hotels; the other by some airlines - that are trickier to dodge because they are often disclosed late in the booking process. But tricky doesn't mean impossible. Here's some advice for avoiding these pesky fees

Save with your membership


 
We're making it easier for you to shop for discounts and deals!

 

The Access saver discount program has revamped its website and login process. To make this new process easier for you, the Discounts & Deals link is now located on the IEA Members Only section of our website. You no longer need a separate login to take advantage of this money-saving program.

 

Connect with IEA!

IEA Connect is an easy way to get all of your IEA questions answered in one spot. You can do it by phone, by email or by live chat with someone via the IEA website. 

  • Have you ever wondered how you can access discounts and deals?
  • Or how your dues dollars are spent?
  • Are you trying to find out more information about the new evaluation system or professional development resources?
  • Need to change your membership information?

IEA Connect is here to help. You can reach an IEA Connect specialist 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

 

If we don't know the answer, we'll find one for you! Connect with IEA today!
 

Have suggestions for the Retired insider?

 

The Higher Ed insider is your newsletter, and we want to include what's important to you.

 

Let us know what you've found helpful, or what you didn't. And, if you have subjects or programs that interest you, please send them to us.