The Retirement Group is now offering a webinar series for AT&T employees, specifically focusing on the recent changes to healthcare & interest rates. The goal of the webinar series is to help AT&T employees who are considering retirement, determine if the benefits of staying with AT&T outweigh the benefits of leaving. AT&T has announced that there will be cuts made to retiree healthcare benefits. For some, these cuts may be dramatic enough that they will consider retiring earlier than they had previously anticipated.
Traditionally, when a retiree is eligible for Medicare (for most people this is at age 65), their primary health insurance is switched from the AT&T plan to Medicare. Those who retired after January 1st, 2021 no longer receive a healthcare reimbursement account from AT&T which helps cover things like out-of-pocket costs, incremental coverage, or supplemental coverage.
According to AT&T’s Summary Plan description, those who retired before January 1st, 2021 received an HRA credit of $2,700 for themselves and $1,500 for an eligible dependent. This adds up to a total HRA credit of $4,200 per year.
In addition to the benefits already lost, AT&T announced that they will eliminate all medical coverage for retirees who leave the company on or after January 1st, 2022, which is approaching quickly. AT&T will no longer pay for a portion of the retiree’s monthly premium for medical or dental (This does not apply to all employees. The benefits office can assist employees seeking specific information about their benefits). AT&T’s group medical and dental will still be available at the full cost of coverage. If an employee is considering leaving AT&T in the next few years, it is worth considering whether or not it would be worthwhile to move up their retirement date and retain these benefits. The Retirement Group’s webinar series will discuss these changes in detail and outline the path for AT&T employees to potentially lock in these benefits while they are still available.
During their webinar series, The Retirement Group will also discuss the impact of rising interest rates on AT&T pension lump sums. If an AT&T employee decides to stay past December 31st, 2021, they could see a significant reduction in their AT&T pension lump sum. Interest rates are trending upward, and when interest rates rise, lump sums fall. If an employee believes that interest rates in November 2021 will be higher than November 2020 (Which is likely) that employee may want to consider retiring before January 1st, 2022. This will allow an employee to lock in their medical coverage and take advantage of lower interest rates, which will increase their lump-sum amount.
Click here to watch previously recorded webinars for AT&T employees: https://www.theretirementgroup.com/education-center?&employedby=att
Disclosure:
The Retirement Group is not affiliated with nor endorsed by fidelity.com, netbenefits.fidelity.com, access.att.com, or AT&T. The Retirement Group is an independent financial advisory group that focuses on transition planning and lump sum distribution. Neither The Retirement Group or FSC Securities provide tax or legal advice. Please call the office at 800-900-5867 to have additional questions answered or for assistance in the retirement planning process.
Securities offered through FSC Securities Corporation (FSC) member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through The Retirement Group, LLC. FSC is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of FSC. Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction: 5414 Oberlin Dr #220, San Diego CA 92121. AT&T is not affiliated nor endorsed by The Retirement Group or FSC Securities.
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Company Name: The Retirement Group
Contact Person: Tiffany Hill
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City: San Diego
State: CA
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Website: https://www.theretirementgroup.com/
