That might sound like an unnecessary question but read on to see why we’re asking. Our Retirement Specialists take calls from DRS customers who are often unaware they have retirement funds waiting for them in their accounts. There are several reasons this happens: Imagine her surprise Melissa is a Retirement Specialist at DRS who loves…
Tag Archives: New Hire
Episode 65 – Fears about money and how to tackle them
Episode transcript: [music intro] Jenny Welcome back to Fund Your Future with DRS. Today we’re diving into something that might surprise you. Or maybe it won’t. According to a study by Allianz Life, 64% of Americans are more afraid of running out of money than of dying. That’s right. Money anxiety is literally scarier than…
Episode 64 – Money moves when your finances are tight
Episode transcript: [music intro] Jenny Welcome back to Fund Your Future with DRS. Today we’re looking at… Catherine …economic downturn, that’s the phrase. Jenny Yes. We’ve been getting a lot of members and people who are concerned about these really stressful economic times right now. We have Catherine in the studio with us who works…
Think pennies, save more: A simple shift that can enhance your retirement savings
There are two ways to contribute to Washington’s Deferred Compensation Program (DCP). You can choose to invest a set dollar amount every month, or you can opt to invest a percentage of your gross pay. DCP is a savings program, that helps you invest for the retirement lifestyle you want to achieve. One way to…
Episode 63 – Firefighters and financial planning: what we can learn
Episode transcript: [music intro] Jenny Welcome back to Fund Your Future with DRS. Now at DRS, we work with lots of different types of public employees as we help them into retirement and with their retirement package throughout their careers. In our office, firefighters have a reputation for being very knowledgeable about how their pensions…
Episode 62 – Finding calm when the stock market goes down
Episode transcript: [music intro] Jenny Welcome back to Fund Your Future with DRS. Well, it’s April of 2025 and we know that there’s been a lot of uncertainty recently about the stock market. So, we thought it’d be a good idea to do an episode about this. But even though the market is low, that…
Episode 61 – Exploring economics with TikTok’s @EconChrisClarke
Episode transcript: [music intro] Jenny Welcome back to Fund Your Future with DRS. Today our guest is Chris Clarke, who’s an economics professor at Washington State University in Pullman. And he’s gained a bit of internet fame for making economics more approachable by posting videos on Instagram and TikTok. And if you want to follow…
Episode 57 – Understanding separation vs. retirement dates
Episode transcript: [music intro] Jenny Welcome back to Fund Your Future with DRS. Today we’re looking at the difference between separation date and retirement date. When you apply for retirement with DRS these are two very different dates. But they’re both super important to know. So, let’s kind of dig in. So, the separation date…
Episode 56 – Affordable staycations in Washington state
Episode transcript: [music intro] Jenny Welcome back to Fund Your Future with DRS. And on this podcast we like to talk a lot about pensions and government programs, but we also like to share money tips. And one of the things we wanted to talk about today was staycations in Washington, especially during those winter…
Episode 55 – ABLE savings plans for people with disabilities
Episode transcript: [music intro] Jenny Welcome back to Fund Your Future with DRS. Today we’re talking about kind of a new-ish type of savings plan for individuals with disabilities and their families called an ABLE savings plan. And it allows folks with disabilities to put away money without worrying about losing some of those disability…
