The Plan

You spend your career helping children prepare for their future. CTA wants to help you prepare for yours.

Because your CalSTRS pension will cover only about half the income you will need in retirement, CTA has created a retirement savings plan to help make up the difference.

A plan designed for you

The goal in creating the CTA retirement savings plan was to provide educators with a high-quality retirement savings plan. We have built in features that help make sure you are on a good path to a secure financial future, including:

High-quality investment recommendations

The CTA plan is monitored by RVK, one of the largest independent investment consulting firms in the nation.

No commissions or commissioned salespeople

All plan representatives are salaried, not paid on commission.

Responsibility

CTA follows fiduciary standards to ensure that all recommendations and plan decisions are made solely in your best interests.

Low, transparent fees

There are no hidden fees, and the plan is designed to keep administrative and investment management costs low.*

CTA endorsed

Your CTA plan is the only one that is built for—and endorsed by—the California Teachers Association.

People to help you make decisions

If you have any questions about the CTA Endorsed Retirement Savings Plan, please call the CTA Enrollment Team at (916) 235-9800.

* CTA members who are new to teaching or have not opened a 403(b)/457 governmental plan may be eligible for lower administrative fees for two years to help them get started with their retirement plan. To find out if you qualify, please visit enroll.CTAretirementplan.org.

How the plan works

The CTA plan allows you to put aside part of your salary in a tax-advantaged way until you need it at retirement.

When you enroll in the plan, your contributions to your retirement account will happen automatically every time you get paid. This will help make sure you are meeting your retirement savings goals.

You can contribute any amount you wish, up to $19,500 annually. Even if you can start with only $100.00 per month, it is good to start. As your situation changes you can always increase your contributions.

Starting as soon as you are able makes a big difference. You'll have compound interest on your side.

Getting started

Getting started with a retirement savings plan can be a daunting task, with so many decisions you have to make. To help you get started, we have automatic smart features that will save you time (and headaches). For example:

When you sign up for the plan, you will be automatically placed into a target date fund that corresponds to the age you are likely to retire.
A target date fund automatically adjusts your asset allocation over time, and because it is a mix of funds, you need only one target date fund to be diversified.
More than 90% of people participating in the CTA plan use the target date fund.

Other options

If you do not want to be in a target date fund and have the time and skills to manage your own portfolio, the CTA plan has a variety of fund options you can chose from. You can change your mind at any time.

Enrolling in the plan

There are just two steps to enroll in the plan.

Enroll on-line.

enroll.ctaretirementplan.org Read more

It only takes a few minutes to complete.

Complete a Salary Reduction Agreement (SRA).

An SRA form is required to direct your employer to fund your CTA retirement account. The CTA Enrollment team will help you completing this form.

Moving to the CTA plan

If you have other retirement savings accounts, either currently or from a former employer, you may be able to exchange those plans and consolidate them into the CTA plan.

There are important things to consider before making an exchange or rollover, including surrender fees, the regulations governing your former employer's plan, and possible tax implications.

Steps for rolling over.

You need to have opened a CTA retirement savings account first before you can do the rollover. Opening a new account is easy and it only takes a few minutes to complete:
enroll.ctaretirementplan.org Read more

Rolling over funds from your previous employer will require taking a cash distribution from your previous employer's plan and placing those funds directly into your CTA plan.

We can help you review your options.
Call our Enrollment team at (916) 235-9800.

Steps for making an exchange.

You can make an exchange into the CTA plan from another 403(b) or 457 plan provider under your district's plan.

Request an exchange out from your current plan provider. Make sure you ask about surrender fees, loads, and any other fees that may apply.

Complete an Exchange Authorization form with your district's third party administrator.
Call our Enrollment team at (916) 235-9800 to get help.

The CTA Retirement Savings Plan