Member Benefits

What It Is

Coming Soon New Program!!!

Financial Counseling Program

This program offers you access to a team of Certified Financial Planners^® and Registered Investment Advisors to provide you with fee-based financial counseling services. The Financial Counseling program is provided by Stacey Braun Associates, Inc. and is administered by NYSUT Member Benefits Corporation.

Stacey Braun Associates, Inc. is an investment advisory company established in 1977 that provides fee-based professional financial counseling for both groups and individuals. Being fee-based, Stacey Braun Associates receives no commissions from mutual funds, brokerage firms, insurance companies or any other third party. As a result, Stacey Braun’s advice is unbiased, objective and customized specifically for you and your financial situation.

The Stacey Braun Associates, Inc. Financial Counseling Program is a NYSUT Member Benefits Corporation (Member Benefits)-endorsed program. Member Benefits has an expense reimbursement/endorsement arrangement of 10% of annual participation fees received plus $9 per direct bill participant. All such payments to Member Benefits are used solely to defray the costs of administering its various programs and, where appropriate, to enhance them. Member Benefits acts as your advocate; please contact Member Benefits at 800-626-8101 if you experience a problem with any endorsed program.

Agency fee payers to NYSUT are eligible to participate in NYSUT Member Benefits-endorsed programs.

Eligibility

NYSUT members and agency fee payers to NYSUT are eligible to enroll. When you do, your spouse or domestic partner is also eligible to use the program’s benefits.

Features

Full-Service Program Features

For an annual fee, you receive up to six hours per year of toll-free telephone consultations with a Stacey Braun Associates Certified Financial Planner^® or Registered Investment Advisor. Consultations address your various financial questions and situations. Calls can be made weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time. If a planner or advisor is not available when you call, you can schedule a phone consultation at a time convenient for you; appointments can be made before or after normal toll-free hours.

In addition, you can request customized written summaries and reports on a variety of financial issues. These summaries provide a detailed review and recommendation for your current situation. Reports may be available upon request following completion of a telephone consultation with a Stacey Braun Planner, or upon completion of a specific questionnaire tailored to your specific financial situation.

Topics that you can discuss with your planner or advisor include but are not limited to the following:

·       Pre- & Post-Retirement Planning

·       403(b) and 457(b) Plan Advice

·       Pension Option Analysis

·       Mutual Fund Questions

·       Establishing Risk Tolerance

·       Asset Allocation

·       Mortgages and Refinancing

·       Debt Management

·       Savings

·       Cash Flow

·       Long-Term Care Insurance

·       Estate and Inheritance Planning

·       Survivorship Planning

·       Financial Advice relating to Divorce

·       Tax Planning

·       Life and Disability Insurance

·       Budgeting

·       IRA Rollovers

·       Social Security

·       Education Funding

·       Elder Care Analysis

·       General Financial Education

In addition to the above, you can also request assistance in choosing a 403(b) retirement savings program provider available through your employer. Likewise, you can get assistance on reviewing your investment selections offered by your current 403(b) provider.

Access to Stacey Braun’s password-protected Web site and e-mail helpdesk are also included in the program.

In-person consultations are available for an additional fee. This service is offered for those who prefer an in-person consultation rather than a phone consultation. The face-to-face meeting can be used to review your financial situation, address specific financial issues or questions, and identify other areas that may require attention. If you wish to request an in-person consultation, it will be with a Stacey Braun Associates planner at a mutually agreed-upon convenient location. This service carries an additional fee of $250 and is limited to 90 minutes.

403(b) Limited Program Features

For an annual fee, you receive up to six hours per year of toll-free telephone consultations with a Stacey Braun Associates Certified Financial Planner^® or Registered Investment Advisor to discuss your 403(b) retirement savings program only. Specific assistance in selecting an appropriate 403(b) program available through your employer, as well as specific assistance with the investment allocation of your 403(b) assets, is included. Calls can be made weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time. If a planner or advisor is not available when you call, you can schedule a phone consultation at a time convenient for you; appointments can be made before or after normal toll-free hours.

Web site access, e-mail helpdesk, and in-person consultations are not included in the 403(b) Limited Financial Counseling Program.

Payment Options

Payment options for the plan’s annual fee include check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, or payroll/pension deduction if available to you. If payroll or pension deduction of Member Benefits-endorsed programs is available to you and you elect to pay through this method, you save $10 off the plan’s annual fee.

Full-Service Plan’s annual fee is $260, reduced to $250 if payroll or pension deduction is payment method used.

403(b) Limited Plan’s annual fee is $185, reduced to $175 if payroll or pension deduction is payment method used.

To Apply / Brochure

Please note: the brochure and online enrollment form are not yet available.

For your convenience, you may view and print the Financial Counseling Program brochure, which is in a PDF format. 

You have the choice of enrolling online or printing the enrollment form.

You may apply online only if you are paying by credit card.
 
If you are paying by check, payroll deduction or pension deduction, or if you're paying by credit card but don't want to apply online, please print the enrollment form below, which is a PDF file. If you will be using Payroll or Pension Deduction as your payment method, be sure to print the applicable Authorization Form.

For more information or to apply over the phone, call Member Benefits toll-free at 800-626-8101, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, or use the Contact feature at the bottom of this page.

Contact

For more information, call Member Benefits toll-free at 800-626-8101, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, or use the Contact feature at the bottom of this page.

The Financial Counseling Program is provided by Stacey Braun Associates, Inc. and is administered by NYSUT Member Benefits Corporation.