Resources

UW Combined Fund Drive

Meet the Charities: Prosthetics Outreach Foundation

Join us for an informational lunch hour for the first 2009 "Meet the Charities" workshop.Our featured charity is the Prosthetics Outreach Foundation (POF), a Seattle-based organization that provides access to prosthetics, medical care, and support for children and adults in developing countries.

Friday, January 30
Noon - 1:00 p.m.
UW Medical Center
Plaza Café C & D
Register here

Learn how this group is preparing for a trip to Bangladesh in February. POF has partnered with Nalta General Hospital in Bangladesh for a goodwill visit, and will provide medical care and dental care education. Plus, through an entertaining puppet show, POF alleviates the children’s fears and confusion about their upcoming dental or medical procedure. The puppet show is performed in Bengali with interactive singing, dancing, and craft activity.

This is the first in a series of free monthly workshops for 2009, 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

Outdoor Gear and Apparel

Discover great discounts on outdoor gear and apparel through the online UW discount program, available to all UW faculty, staff, students, and retirees.

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

Professional and Organizational Development

Fierce Confrontations

Confront tough issues with confidence and skill. Learn the Fierce Confrontation Model—a framework that effectively addresses attitudinal, behavioral, or performance issues. Enrich relationships with colleagues, teams, or challenging customers.
Register now.

Benefits & WorkLife Update informs University of Washington faculty and staff of current news and events surrounding Benefits & 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.

Balancing Work & Life

College Financial Aid: Options for Your Teen

Get the latest information on scholarships, financial aid, student loan options, and more. Join UW Director of Student Financial Aid, Kay Lewis, for an informative discussion about financing your teen's college education.

Kay Lewis held financial aid positions at Western Washington University, Centralia Community College, and Whitworth College before coming to the UW 16 years ago.

Beat the Body Blues

Challenging times can drain our energies. Find out about the practical strategies of the LEVITY program and the scientific basis of its effectiveness.

Eldercare Consultations

Did holiday gatherings bring concerns about elder family members to light? Are you worried about your older relatives’ present circumstances? WorkLife provides individual consultations tailored to your specific situation. To schedule an appointment, email worklife@u.washington.edu.

Financial Fitness

Get your finances in shape in the coming year with realistic budgeting, wise decision making, and reasonable goal setting. UW CareLink, our faculty and staff assistance program, offers Financial Fitness as an online seminar. Register for this seminar and check out helpful information at UW CareLink’s web resource, APS HelpLink. Use UW for the company code.

WorkLife Resource Center

In these uncertain times, why not brush up on aspects of job searching and career management? Deb Koen and Tony Lee provide authoritative career guidance from the real-life questions and answers they receive from their online column at careerjournal.com. Career Choice, Change & Challenge: 125 Strategies from the Experts at careerjournal.com is available on two-week loan from the WorkLife Resource Center. See our Career Development Library.

Free SAT Study Guides Available

WorkLife Partners with the University Women’s Center to provide free study guides to children of UW faculty and staff who enroll in the Women’s Center’s SAT tutorial classes. Classes will be offered Thursday evenings:

January 8, 15 and 22
February 26, March 5 and 12

Call the Women’s Center for more information and register at 206-685-1090.

To receive a free study guide (a $19.95 value), the child must register for a tutorial class at the Women’s Center and provide their parent’s name and employee ID.

Retirement & Savings

Annual PERS3 Transfer Window Opens

If you're a member of the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) Plan 2 and you were enrolled in the plan prior to March 1, 2002, you have the option to transfer to PERS Plan 3 through January 31. Please note that you must earn service credit in January 2009 to be eligible to transfer and your decision to join Plan 3 cannot be changed at a later date. Learn more about choosing between PERS 2 and PERS 3.

Fund Sponsors are Available to Help

If you're concerned about your retirement investments during the recent financial turmoil and you haven't reviewed your portfolio in a while, you and your spouse or partner may want to schedule an appointment with a representative from one of our four fund sponsors—either by phone or in person—to review your asset allocations, savings objectives, and risk tolerance against your current portfolio. Schedule your free, in-person appointment with Calvert, Fidelity, TIAA-CREF or Vanguard.

Social Security: A Foundation for Planning Your Future

Do you know what benefits to expect from Social Security and when they will be available to you and your family members? Attend a free seminar on February 4 or February 5 to gain a better understanding of how the Social Security and Medicare systems work.
Information and registration.

Resolve to Save More in your Retirement Plan

What are your resolutions for the New Year? If saving more for your retirement isn't on the list, it should be. When you consider that people are living longer and health care costs are on the rise, it's easy to see why it's so important to save as much as possible for your retirement. In 2009, the IRS limit on pre-tax contributions is $16,500.

If you will be age 50 or older by the end of 2009, you may contribute an additional $5,500 to the plan. This valuable “catch-up” provision is a way to quickly boost your balance and make up for lost time as retirement nears. View catch-up limits.

Learn more about the Voluntary Investment Plan, contribution limits, and catch-up provisions.

DRS Outlook Newsletter

The Fall 2008/Winter 2009 Retirement Planning Edition of the Retirement Outlook newsletter is now available. Access current and past issues at the Department of Retirement Systems Web site. This issue features:

Hometown Home Loan Program

The Hometown Home Loan Program (HTHL) offers reduced fees on mortgages for UW faculty and staff buying or refinancing anywhere in the Puget Sound region. Learn about the program.

Before you buy a new home, apply for home equity or refinancing, or remodel your existing home, consider attending one these free seminars for smart advice.

Homeownership 101 Seminars

Budgeting for a Home
Should you pay off debt—or save for a down payment? Get the answer to this question, learn to set a savings goal, and gather resources for home budgeting.

January 7 | Wednesday | Noon - 1:00 p.m. | Health Sciences | Room specified upon registration

Understanding Credit
Learn how credit history is important when buying a home, how to clean up your credit report, and how to fix errors. Plus, get a free credit report!

January 28 | Wednesday | Noon - 1:00 p.m. | Harborview Medical Center | Room specified upon registration

Register here or contact the Affinity Lending Center at 206-628-0207. Please include your contact phone number (in the event of class cancellation). Presented by Hometown Home Loan Program partner, HomeStreet Bank.

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.

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