Author: Emily TNiemi

Free Fidelity Live Webinars

Join the Benefits Office this spring for the following free, live webinars through Fidelity. You do not need to be an investor with Fidelity to participate in these webinars.

April 15 at 12:00pm (Noon): Learn the Basics of When and How to Claim Social Security
-Understand Social Security
-Considerations for claiming Social Security benefits
-Decide when to take Social Security benefits
Register for the April 15th webinar here

April 29th at 12:00pm (Noon): Prepare for the Reality of Health Care in Retirement
-Estimate retirement health care costs
-Understand available options before and after age 65
-Plan for retirement health care costs
Register for the April 29th webinar here

These webinars count toward Option 2 on your Husky Health Checklist!

Elimination of Departmental Time Sheets

Payroll Services is reorganizing the payroll processes which will change some of the ways timekeepers submit changes for department time sheets. This reorganization process is being done to in order to be more efficient in running the payroll process and to align submitting revised time sheets and reallocations with the normal process for those not on department time.

Beginning with Bi-weekly 06 (March 6, 2022 – March 19, 2022), payroll will be eliminating the process of sending department time sheets. Department timekeepers will be responsible for signing and submitting time sheets and reallocations. Paper time sheets will need to be submitted if there is exception time to report or if any index overrides are needed. If a paper time sheet is not submitted for index overrides, a Reallocation Form will then be needed to make the necessary corrections to the indexes. Exception time includes vacation, sick, personal, parental, holiday, seasonal, and bereavement.

Timekeepers can access Gross Earnings and other reports via Banner 8 as needed.

Upcoming Employee Financial Health Webinars through Fidelity and TIAA

Join the Benefits Office for these upcoming, free, live webinars scheduled this spring!

March 10th at 1:00pm:  Looking to turn your retirement savings into a “paycheck” for life? 
Join TIAA Sr. Director-Miguel Shefferson as he teaches you to diversify your investment portfolio before retirement to help offset risk.  A similar strategy can help see you through retirement.  Learn how creating a diversified income plan—one that uses a combination of income sources and includes annuity income that’s guaranteed for life that can help reduce the risks you may face in retirement and ensure you have income that never runs out. 
Register for the March 10th webinar here

April 15th at 12 noon:  Learn the Basics of When and How to Claim Social Security.
-Understand Social Security
-Considerations for claiming Social Security benefits
-Decide when to take Social Security benefits
Register for the April 15th webinar here

April 29th at 12 noon:  Prepare for the Reality of Health Care in Retirement.
Estimate retirement health care costs
-Understand available options before and after age 65
-Plan for retirement health care costs
Register for the April 29th webinar here

Lunch & Learn: Understanding Your Blue Cross Blue Shield Explanation of Benefits (EOB)

Please join us at noon on Tuesday, March 15th in the MUB as we welcome Molly Mikesch, Client Engagement Manager for Michigan Technological University from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.  Molly will be discussing “How to Understand your Explanation of Benefits.”  During this discussion, Molly will go through how to set up an online account through BCBSM and how employees and members can see and better understand their explanation of benefits through BCBSM.  Please bring your device(s) as this will be an interactive session for all members. 

Please email benefits@mtu.edu to reserve your seat today!

This Lunch & Learn counts toward Option 2 in your Husky Health Checklist

Lunch & Learn: Orthodontic Prevention: Oxymoron or Contemporary Paradigm?

February is Children’s Dental Health month! Please join our dynamic and entertaining speaker, Dr. Darin Ward of UPWard Orthodontics, on Tuesday, February 15 at 12:00pm in the MUB Ballrooom B1 as he discusses preventative orthodontics. Dr. Ward will explore why so many kids (and adults) today are told that they “need braces.” Dr. Ward will present his thoughts on the causes of crooked teeth and less than ideal jaw growth/facial growth and what you can do about it. It is a lot simpler than you think and unfortunately like most simple things, it’s hard to do! Whether you are an adult considering orthodontics or the parent of a child whose smiles needs attention, this presentation and discussion is a must attend.

Please email benefits@mtu.edu to reserve your seat today!

This Lunch & Learn counts toward Option 2 in your Husky Health Checklist.

Heart Health – Lunch & Learn

Join Dr. Zachariah DeYoung from Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center on Tuesday, February 8 at 12:00pm for a Lunch & Learn in the MUB Ballroom B1 as we celebrate Heart Health Month.

Because there’s a movement for primary care doctors to focus more on outcomes that mean something to the patient rather than abnormal numbers on tests, health care providers are now encouraged to focus more on helping their patients get health and stay that way than the previous focus on “throwing pills at labs.”

Join DeYoung for a conversation on:
-How this is playing out in the prevention of cardiovascular disease
-Why you might be able to stop taking that daily aspirin
-How there’s no such thing as routine labs anymore

Please email benefits@mtu.edu to reserve your seat today!

This Lunch & Learn counts toward Option 2 in your Husky Health Checklist

New Year/Healthier You: Ready – Set – Now What

Join Angela Luskin, group exercise instructor at Portage Health, on Tuesday, January 18th in the MUB Ballroom B1/B2 at 12:00pm as she helps us start the new year in a healthier way.  If you are fired up and ready to start the week/ month/New Year off with a new exercise program, but not quite sure where to start this Lunch and Learn is for you. She will help you set up an exercise program and come up with new ideas to improve your physical activity. This interactive presentation is just what you need to start off 2022 on the right track! We’ll talk about how to get started, healthy goals and also try out some exercise we can do at home.

This presentation counts towards option 2 for your Husky Health Checklist!