Resources

Meet the Charities

Women's Funding Alliance & Passages Northwest

Learn how the Women's Funding Alliance strengthens communities by investing in organizations that support women and girls, and how Passages Northwest educates and motivates girls to develop leadership and courage by exploring the natural environment and arts.

August 26, Tuesday
Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Smith Hall, Room 115

Registration recommended

This is the fifth in a series of free monthly workshops where guest charities share how giving and volunteers have made a positive impact on their mission. Offered to UW faculty and staff by the UW Combined Fund Drive (UWCFD).

UW Discount Program

Back to School Savings

It’s not too early to get the kids ready for school or to begin shopping with your college freshman. Find great savings on school clothes, supplies, computers, luggage, and more.

Go to UW Discounts and click "View the Discounts." Sign into the SmartSavings website with your UW NetID and password to find great savings.

The discount program is available to all UW faculty, staff, students, and retirees. Questions or suggestions may be directed to worklife@u.washington.edu.

Benefits & WorkLife Update informs University of Washington faculty and staff of current news and events surrounding Benefits and WorkLife programs. It is published on the first and third Tuesday of the month. Comments and suggestions may be addressed to the editor at benefits@u.washington.edu

To see past issues, click here.

Hometown Home Loan Program

Whether you are buying your first home or want advice on using home equity or refinancing, Affinity Loan Officers are on campus each month to offer educational seminars at no cost. This month's seminars include:

Sell Your Home for Top Dollar

Learn tips for getting top dollar when you sell your home, how to make a good first impression to potential homebuyers, and how to finance your next home.

August 6 | Wednesday | Seattle, Upper Campus | 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Register here

Buy a Home for Little Money Down

In this seminar, you will learn about low down payment loan programs, first-time homebuyer programs, down payment assistance, and seller/third party contributions.

August 12 | Tuesday | Harborview | 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Register here

Prequalification Appointments

Get your mortgage questions answered! Free half-hour pre-qualification appointments, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., monthly at Seattle and quarterly at Bothell, Tacoma, and Harborview. Contact the Affinity Lending Center at 206-628-0207 to schedule an appointment for:

The Hometown Home Loan Program offers reduced fees on mortgages for University of Washington employees buying or refinancing anywhere in the Puget Sound region. All benefits-eligible UW faculty and staff members may apply. Learn more.

Retirement & Savings

Are You Saving Enough for College Costs?

Sending someone to college can be expensive. Even if you've begun saving, you may be wondering if you'll have enough when the time comes. The education planning tools and calculators from each of our fund sponsors can help. These tools will help you access tuition and expense information for thousands of private and public colleges and universities, calculate the growth of your savings, and adjust your plan to help meet your goal. Check out this Comparison Chart to see the most popular college savings options, and then start one of these calculators:

• Fidelity's College Planner

• TIAA-CREF's Calculator

• Vanguard's Calculator

• Calvert's Calculator

Tuition Exemption Program

The Tuition Exemption Program is one of the University's most valuable benefits. Through the Tuition Exemption Program, eligible UW staff and faculty can take classes at the UW or other participating state, community, and technical colleges on a “space available” basis. The Tuition Exemption Program will cover up to six credits per quarter. Learn more.

Buy Tomorrow's College Tuition Today

The Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) Program is Washington's 529 prepaid college tuition plan. With GET, you prepay for your child's college tuition today. Your account is guaranteed to keep pace with college tuition, and you can use it at nearly any public or private college in the country. You can "pay as you go" or make automated monthly payments through your financial institution. Learn more.

While 529 plans offer a great way to save for your child's education, no two plans are the same. It's important to thoroughly research your choices to know what's offered, tax or estate implications, and whether there are fees or penalties. For more information, see 529 Plans at www.collegeboard.com.

Achieving a Sound Retirement

Are you five to ten years from retirement and actively engaged in managing your personal savings goals? Then this seminar is for you. Learn how to identify and plan for multiple personal savings goals as you begin to prepare for your retirement. Recognize the steps for creating a financial plan, learn how tax-advantaged accounts can be used to build wealth, and compare various distribution options. Presented by Fidelity Investments. Topics include:

Identifying retirement and medical expenses
Steps for creating a financial plan
Building wealth through tax-advantaged accounts
Benefits of consolidating accounts
Additional personal savings vehicles
Retirement income planning, wills, trust, powers of attorney

Retirement Plan Check-ups

How much have you socked away for retirement? How much more do you need to save? Representatives from our four fund sponsors are available to meet with you and your spouse—either by phone or in person—to provide general investment information, discuss your savings objectives, or review an existing account.

To schedule your free, in-person appointment with Calvert, Fidelity, TIAA-CREF or Vanguard:

Check our events calendar to find dates on which a fund sponsor will be coming to a location near you.
Note: These are shown as "appt" on the calendar.
Contact a representative of your choice to schedule your free appointment.

Balancing Your Work & Life

Choosing Childcare

Finding quality childcare is important to all parents and guardians. Through UW CareLink, you have access to an online toolkit to address parenting and other work/life issues. This month's online feature is about choosing childcare. Read articles about the pros and cons of various types of childcare and tips to help you evaluate your options. Go to APS HelpLink Online Toolkit, UW CareLink's web resource, and enter "UW" as the company code.

UW CareLink, the UW’s faculty and staff assistance program, provides professional support for issues that can affect your personal and work life.

Family Caregiver Network

Are you caring for an aging parent, spouse or partner, relative or neighbor? Would you like to know more about resources, services and how others are dealing with care giving issues? The Family Caregiver Network provides informal, confidential, guided discussions where caregivers can share their experiences and successes.

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