Florida educators may face retirement questions involving FRS benefits, DROP, 403(b) and 457(b) accounts, accumulated leave, Social Security, healthcare, Medicare, and retirement income. Benowitz Wealth Management helps teachers, school employees, and education professionals understand the questions worth reviewing before retirement decisions are made.
Independent fiduciary guidance for Florida public employees. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Florida Retirement System or the State of Florida.
Florida educators often work alongside one retirement plan for an entire career, and the decisions that come at the end can shape thirty years of life that follow. Pension Plan versus Investment Plan, the 2nd Election window, DROP timing, accumulated leave, 403(b) accounts opened twenty years ago — these are not the kinds of questions a general retirement seminar can fully answer. They deserve specialized attention from someone who works in the FRS world every day.
Most educator retirement plans share a similar set of moving parts. Reviewing them together — rather than one at a time — tends to surface gaps that are easier to address before retirement than after.
Understanding which plan you participate in, how your benefit is calculated, and what the 2nd Election option may mean for your situation.
Reviewing DROP eligibility, the five-year window, and how a retirement date may interact with the school-year contract calendar.
Reviewing the fees, investment options, and surrender terms of any 403(b) annuity or mutual fund account opened earlier in your career.
Considering how a 457(b) deferred compensation account might fit alongside the FRS pension and other retirement savings.
Organizing questions about sick leave, vacation balances, and how final compensation may affect your retirement paperwork.
Reviewing coverage between retirement and Medicare eligibility, plus the planning topics that come up around Medicare enrollment.
Most retirement advice was written for someone retiring from a private-sector job with a 401(k). Florida educators face a different stack of decisions. Your retirement date may be tied to a school-year contract. Your pension has options that can’t be changed once you elect them. Your 403(b) may have been chosen by a vendor visiting the teachers’ lounge twenty years ago. Your healthcare may need to bridge several years before Medicare. These are the kinds of details that benefit from someone who works inside the FRS framework rather than around it.
Retirement-date questions often interact with contract dates, end-of-year processing, and final payouts in ways a generic advisor may not anticipate.
Pension benefits, 403(b), 457(b), and IRA accounts each have their own rules, fees, and tax treatments that benefit from being reviewed together.
Pension payout options affect a surviving spouse for decades. The decision is rarely reversible.
Educators who retire before age 65 often need to plan for several years of coverage before Medicare becomes available.
These aren’t mistakes — they’re topics that often slip below the surface as a career fills up with students, paperwork, and parent meetings. A review years before retirement is usually easier than a course correction afterward.
We don’t sell 403(b) products. We don’t represent annuity carriers. We work with educators as a fiduciary — meaning the recommendations we discuss are the ones we would give our own family. The goal is a plan you can actually explain to your spouse, written in plain English, and updated as your career and benefits evolve.
An independent registered investment adviser, not a vendor or carrier representative.
We work in the Pension Plan, Investment Plan, DROP, 403(b), 457(b), HIS, and Special Risk world every day.
If we can't explain a recommendation in language you'd use with a colleague at lunch, it's the wrong recommendation.
Retirement plans don't end at the retirement date. Rules change, life changes, and so should the plan.
A free educational checklist designed to help Florida educators organize retirement questions involving FRS benefits, DROP, 403(b), 457(b), healthcare, Social Security, Medicare, and retirement income planning. It is a tool for organizing questions — not a replacement for personalized advice.
Complimentary and unhurried. You bring the questions, the statements, or just the concerns. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.
A document you can actually read and explain — built around your FRS benefits, your family, and what you want next.
Rules change. Markets move. Life shifts. The plan keeps up rather than gathering dust in a folder.
Learn more about this topic and how it may connect to your retirement plan.
Learn more about this topic and how it may connect to your retirement plan.
Learn more about this topic and how it may connect to your retirement plan.
Learn more about this topic and how it may connect to your retirement plan.
Learn more about this topic and how it may connect to your retirement plan.
Learn more about this topic and how it may connect to your retirement plan.
Most Florida public school educators participate in the Florida Retirement System, but participation can vary by employer and position. Some charter schools, private institutions, and certain higher-education employees may participate in alternative retirement plans. We can help you review which plan you actually participate in before retirement decisions are made.
DROP — the Deferred Retirement Option Program — can affect when you retire, how your pension benefit is calculated, what happens to your accumulated DROP balance, and how the timing interacts with the school-year calendar. Because DROP elections involve deadlines and irreversible decisions, many educators choose to review DROP topics several years before they expect to retire.
Educators sometimes hold 403(b) accounts that were opened decades ago and never revisited. Fees, surrender charges, investment options, and product types vary widely. A 457(b) deferred compensation account has different rules entirely. Reviewing these accounts together — rather than separately — usually surfaces planning opportunities that affect retirement income.
Yes. We can help you understand what you currently own, what it costs, how it is invested, and how it fits with your FRS benefits and other retirement savings. We do not require any account to be moved or changed in order to review it.
No. Benowitz Wealth Management is a registered investment adviser and does not provide tax preparation, legal advice, or insurance recommendations. When tax or legal questions arise, we coordinate with separately engaged CPAs, attorneys, and other qualified professionals.
We can help you organize the planning topics — coverage between retirement and Medicare, the Medicare enrollment timeline, the Health Insurance Subsidy where applicable, and how healthcare costs factor into retirement income. We do not sell Medicare plans or provide individualized Medicare advice. Where appropriate we refer you to a licensed Medicare professional.
No. Benowitz Wealth Management is an independent registered investment adviser. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Florida Retirement System, the Florida Department of Management Services, the Division of Retirement, the State Board of Administration of Florida, the State of Florida, or any school district or public employer.
The Educator Retirement Checklist is a free educational document that walks through the planning topics Florida educators commonly review before retirement, including FRS plan basics, DROP, 403(b), 457(b), accumulated leave, Social Security, Medicare, and retirement income. It is a tool for organizing questions, not personalized advice.
Many educators find it helpful to begin reviewing FRS, DROP, and 403(b) questions five to ten years before their expected retirement date. That said, even a review one or two years in advance can surface decisions worth discussing. There is no single right time — the right time is when you have questions you want answered.
You can request a complimentary conversation through the Schedule a Conversation button on this page. We will reach out, learn what you are trying to work through, and let you know whether we may be a fit. There is no obligation.
A short, complimentary conversation can bring real clarity — whether you’re five years out, five months out, or already retired. Bring the questions. Bring the statements. Bring the concerns. We’ll listen first.
Disclaimer: Benowitz Wealth Management is an independent registered investment adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. This content is for general educational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment, tax, legal, Medicare, or insurance advice. Benowitz Wealth Management is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Florida Retirement System, the Florida Department of Management Services, the Division of Retirement, the State Board of Administration of Florida, the State of Florida, any county government, city government, school district, public employer, public safety agency, or government agency. FRS rules, benefits, retirement options, tax laws, Medicare rules, and related planning considerations may change. Before making decisions regarding benefits or retirement planning, visitors should review official plan information and consult appropriate qualified professionals. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
