MfltIT Ni i it n7 fl GUTTT Summer 1998 ;:;::;o;z-oro:.=:r..,.... .........., ... :S:."SS2'".Z::-:t:;:-:t~ O)!O:?l-"~a2it~-.--:.-.s:;:::;:;:;:;:.-:;:;ss:;&"!!:.t:!Z:::;:;:;:;:::t:t:::t:t:-W:::;:;::i;:;:::;5:::;::::::::::::::::5z:;:;:;:;:_=:t::::::::::;:::;::::z::S..%~'W:t:!:+:::;::;::::;:;:;:::::;:;:-.z:;:;:;z:;:;s:;:t::~ Inside ERS For those of you who have signed up for direct deposit, a message from our payroll department: Thank:""''-' Thank you! Thank ye'-' You are saving the Retirement System about $3,600.00 a month (that's $ 43,200.00 a year) in postage alone. And that doesn't include the cost for purchasing the checks and envelopes, the printing charges, or the wages of the staff needed to process the checks for mailing. So why aren't some of you on direct deposit yet? Here are some of the reasons we have heard. 1) 11 / want to see how much rm getting each month. 11 Each person on direct deposit is sent a letter every time there is a change in the monthly amount they receive. The letter shows a breakdown of the new check amount. You will normally receive a letter in January, June, and July (the months for Cost-Of-Living-Adjustments and any change in health insurance premiums). If you haven't received a letter, there has not been a change. 2) 11 / want to see my check and take it to the bank so I know it's deposited. 11 A quick call to your bank or a visit to one of your bank's ATM's will give you the same result. And I can think of much better excuses to get out of the house. 3) 11 / have my Social Security check direct deposited each month, and I like to cash my ERS benefit check for spending money. 11 You can still write yourself a check or withdraw the amount of your ERS benefit from an ATM. (See Number 2.) 4) "I don't have a checking account." Beginning in January 1999, all Social Security checks will be sent to your bank account. If you don't have an account, Social Security is going to send your pension to a bank "its choice, and you will :__ 7e to go to that bank to get your money. 5) 11 / don't like 'THE GOVERNMENT' telling me what to do!" Sometimes I didn't like my parents telling me what to do either, but every once in a while they did come up with a good idea. Direct deposit provides the fastest, surest, and most secure way to send your benefit check. If your check is lost in the mail, you have to wait six working days before we can even start the process for replacing it, a process that can take up to two weeks to complete. Direct deposit just gives you one less thing to worry about during retirement. On page 3 of this newsletter there is a form to begin direct depositing your benefit check from this office. If you are not having your check sent to your bank already, please complete it and send it to the address listed on the form. ATM's Karin Miller of the Associated Press reported that many older people don't know how to use an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). If this is your reason for not using an ATM, ask someone at your bank to show you how to use one. If they can't or won't, consider: 1) changing to a bank that will actually meet your needs, and 2) asking a trusted family member or friend to help you out. (Just make sure you keep your secret code a secret.) ATM's are fast, convenient, and the perfect way to get emergency money from your bank account. USE ONLY IF YOUR CHECK IS NOT BEING SENT TO THE BANK ALREADY Direct Deposit of Net Monthly Benefit I / . .. ~~".~~'ertlt#:ll fJl~ii~t ~m~ot6ffl' ij~~~~!iJ Pr!ctoePd~tt< ~a11~ ttia "~~ SS#------'/_ _/_ _ _ HOME PHONE#(_ _) - - - - - - - CURRENT HOME ADDR!=SS: number city street state apt.# zip IMPORTANT Check box ifthis is a NEW address. D Please READ special stipulations on the reverse side before signing this agreement I authorize the Employees' Retirement System to electronically deposit my net monthly benefit into my bank account. I have read and I understand the stipulations on the reverse side of this form, and I also understand that the following conditions apply: ERS is authorized to adjust any entries made in error. This arrangement remains in effect until I cancel or supersede it in writing to ERS. I agree to immediately notify ERS of any change in my home address. Failure to abide by these conditions can jeopardize deposit of my monthly benefit. Signature Date A1TACH VOIDED CHECKHERE ''!Qmpln~Z1 ~tirmenf~~zim Two NORTHSIDE 75 SUITE 300 ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30318-7778 This account is the following: (check one) D CHECKING ACCOUNT D SAVINGS ACCOUNT a e4 Jud: +:=o,., Laugh> My face in the mirror isn't wrinkled or drawn, My house is not dusty, the cobwebs are gone, My garden looks lovely, and so does my lawn, I think I shall never put my glasses back on. Submitted by Ms. Martha Ausburn I found these quotations and thought I'd pass them along. ;:'.,_T) I am different from Washington; I have a higher, grander standard of principle. Washington could not lie. I can lie, but I won't. Mark Twain Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers The art ofmedicine consists ofamusing the patient while nature cures the disease. Voltaire Gluttony is not a secret vice. Orson Welles I always keep a supply of stimulant handy in case I see a sno..~,._e - which I also keep INSIDE ERS handy.WC. Fields The New England conscience doesn't stop you from doing what you shouldn't; it just keeps you from enjoying it. Cleveland Amory Mae West: For a long time I was ashamed of the way I lived. "Did you reform?" Mae West: No; I'm not ashamed anymore. Alas, I know if! ver became truly hu:::-.:__~.:Je, I would be proud of it. Benjamin Franklin His imagination resembled the wings of an ostrich. It enabled him to run, though not to soar. Lord Macaulay Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much. Oscar Wilde Rudolph Johnson Director Jim Larche Deputy Director Inside ERS is published by the Employees' Retirement System for the retirees of Georgia State government Frank Perriello Editm and The Phantom Bulldog 1.Emplntret.!i' 1!.etirtmtnt ~U.!ittm Two Northside 75, Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30318 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID ATLANTA GA PERMIT NO. 3336