Answers to the Questions CSU Employees Ask Us Most

PERA gives you a choice of payout options when you retire, and each one trades monthly income against survivor benefits. A higher single-life payment means less or nothing for a spouse later. A joint option lowers your monthly check but protects a survivor. The right choice depends on your health, your spouse's age, and other income you have. This is a one-time election, so it deserves a full walkthrough before you sign anything.

Colorado's legislature has changed PERA rules before, including cost-of-living adjustments, and it could do so again. Nobody can promise your benefit is locked forever. What we can do is build your income plan with some flexibility, so a future rule change does not derail your retirement. We watch legislative sessions and update client plans when something material shifts.

Rule of 90 is a PERA provision where your age plus your years of service credit add up to 90, letting you retire with an unreduced benefit. A biology professor at 61 with 29 years of service, for example, would hit it. PERA's own statements show your running total, but the math around partial years and unused leave trips people up. We check the date against your actual record before you commit to a retirement month.

If you retire before 65, you need coverage until Medicare starts. Options include COBRA, a marketplace plan, or a spouse's employer plan, and costs vary a lot between them. Some CSU retirees underestimate this gap and delay retirement over it unnecessarily. We map out the actual monthly cost of each option against your specific timeline so the number stops being a guess.

Not automatically. Your 403(b) or TIAA account can often stay where it is after you leave CSU, but staying put is not always the right call either. It depends on the fees, the investment choices available, and how it fits into your withdrawal plan alongside PERA. We review the account terms with you before recommending anything.

Fee structures vary by firm. Some charge a percentage of assets managed, some charge flat planning fees, and some do both. Ask any advisor you're considering how they're paid and whether that changes their advice. Understanding the fee structure before you commit to working with someone is a reasonable and expected question.

Larkspur Wealth Planning is a registered investment adviser. That status carries a fiduciary duty, meaning advice is required to be in your best interest. We are planners, not stock pickers, and we do not manage money for people chasing short-term returns. Our focus is the retirement transition itself, particularly for university faculty and staff.