TRS retirement report: a bi-annual newsletter for retired members [Jan. 2012]

TRS retirement report

www.trsga.com
TRS Statistics
As of December 31, 2011, the System's assets were $51.2 billion.
$54 billion as of June 30, 2011
$46 billion as of June 30, 2010
The national and world economies have improved, but there is still volatility. As as result, the System's assets:
Have decreased by 5.2% since July 1, 2011
Have increased by 11.3% since July 1, 2010
Investment returns: Fiscal YTD (2012) 12/31/11: -3.5% Fiscal YTD (2011) 06/30/11: 21.3%
Average Benefit as of January 1, 2012:
$3,028 per month $36,336 per year Average Benefit for New Service Retirees as of 01/01/12 (w/25 + years of service): $3,742 per month $44,904 per year z
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

A bi-annual Newsletter for RetIREES Winter 2012

TRS Welcomes New
Board Chair and Members
from
Jeffrey L. Ezell, Executive Director

We are pleased to announce the May election of Dr. L.C. Evans as Chair of the Board. Dr. Evans has been a member of the TRS Board of Trustees since 2006.
In the past few months, Governor Deal has appointed three new members to the TRS Board of Trustees. Mr. Brad Dunagan is an investment advisor, and Ms. Jennifer W. Frisch and Ms. Rachel L. Willis are both classroom teachers. We are excited to have them as a part of the team.

and he received his doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of Georgia in 1991. Prior to becoming the Superintendent in Forsyth in January, 2008, Dr. Evans served as an assistant superintendent and the first board appointed superintendent of Bleckley County Schools, he worked for the Heart of Georgia RESA as a consultant and program director, served over 12 years in adjunct faculty positions, and worked in management for one of the world's largest Fortune 500 agricultural corporations.

Dr. L.C. Evans
Many of you may already know, or be familiar with, Dr. Evans as he has been a TRS Board member for over five years. He has served on various TRS Board committees and is currently Superintendent of Schools in Forsyth County.

Dr. Evans has served in many

associations on both the regional

and state levels. These associations

include: Middle Georgia School

Superintendent's

Association;

Georgia School Superintendent's

Association; and, Georgia Association

of Educational Leaders. He was

appointed by Governor Nathan Deal

to serve on the Education Funding

Study Commission.

Dr. Evans is a graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, received Bachelor's and Master's

His hobbies include exercising, forestry management, reading, and spending time in the outdoors.

degrees from Valdosta State College,

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TRS Live Chat

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Online

Legislation Update

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Working After Retirement
If you plan to be employed in a position covered by TRS after you retire, please remember the following:
You and your current TRS employer can NOT have a pre-existing employment agreement prior to your last day of employment, including as an independent contractor.
You are responsible for notifying your employer that you are a TRS retiree.
Your employer must notify TRS of its intent to hire you prior to employment.
You may not work immediately after retirement. You must have at least a 1-month break in service before working again.
If you plan to seek employment with a non-TRS employer, there is no limit to your employment.
If you are going to work in a school system as a full-time classroom teacher, principal, superintendent, media specialist, or counselor, you may do so after being retired for 12 months.
For complete details, please consult www.trsga.com or our Member's Guide. z

TRS
Live Chat
You've got questions and we've got answers! It is now easier than ever to find the information you need at TRS! In an effort to expand the customer service we provide and answer your questions faster, we have added a Live Chat feature to our website. If you see the box above while you are surfing on our website and have a question, simply click inside the box and you will be connected immediately to a customer service representative. A "chat" window (see below) will open and you will be able to ask questions in real-time without ever having to pick up the phone. In addition to answering questions, TRS representatives are able to provide members with direct links to forms, information, and specific pages on our website that can enhance your experience on our site. This service has been available for a few months and the feedback has been tremendous. Over 99% of members surveyed after using the Live Chat service said it met or exceeded their expectations. Members enjoy the ease of use and how quickly they are directed to the information they need. z
Pictured above is an actual screen shot from a TRS Live-Chat in action.

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TRS Welcomes New Board Chair and Members continued from page 1

Mr. Brad Dunagan
Mr. Dunagan is an Investment Advisor with the firm, Resource Horizons Group, LLC, Marietta, Georgia, Member of FINRA & SIPC, and is a Certified Estate Advisor with the National Association of Financial and Estate Planning. He received his B.A. in Business from Georgia State University. Upon graduation, Mr. Dunagan joined Union Chemicals of Schaumburg, Illinois, as a credit analyst and later as Regional Credit Manager for the Southwest. In 1991, he joined Georgia-Pacific Corporation as Residual Products Manager/Environmental Engineering Division tasked with heading up the cleanup and reclamation of old company wood residual landfills around the country. Mr. Dunagan joined Merrill Lynch, Inc., as a Financial Consultant, in 2000, achieving Executive Club status with the Global Private Client Group.
Since 1996, Mr. Dunagan has volunteered with several Humanitarian Aid and Mission Organizations that have provided earthquake and tsunami relief, and humanitarian aid to people in need around the world. He is also former Chairman of the Board for Rehabilitation Industries of Northeast Georgia, a community based organization that provides training and job placement assistance for adults with mental and physical challenges.
Mr. Dunagan is a veteran who served with the U.S. Marine Corps. He is married to Mary Grant, formerly of Roswell, Georgia, and they have three children, three grandchildren, and make their home in Gainesville, Georgia.
Ms. Jennifer W. Frisch
Ms. Frisch is an eighth grade advanced content science teacher at Lovinggood Middle School in Cobb County. She began teaching in Georgia in 1991, after teaching in

her home state of West Virginia and in Clemson, South Carolina. Jennifer was chosen as her school's Teacher of the Year in 2001, and then the Cobb County Teacher of the Year in 2002. Soon after receiving this honor, she left the classroom to work as a lead teacher, but chose to return to teaching four years ago.
Her hobbies are varied, but one she never tires of is international travel and spending time with her extended family in the Virginia mountains. She is delighted to serve on the TRS board so she can represent the many educator friends she has who will depend on TRS in the future.
Ms. Rachel L. Willis
Ms. Willis is a third grade teacher at Morningside Elementary in the Atlanta Public School system. She received her B.A. in Government from Smith College, her Certificate in Elementary Education (P-5) from Agnes Scott College, and her Ed.M. in Education Leadership from the Teachers College, Columbia University. Upon her graduation from Smith College, Ms. Willis joined the field of education in 2004 as a Teach for America corps member.
After teaching 2nd-4th grade, Rachel was named the 2009-2010 Atlanta Public Schools Elementary Teacher of the Year. The following year, Rachel was honored nationally as a Milken Educator Award recipient. The Milken Family Foundation honors early and mid-career teachers for what they have achieved and the promise they possess in impacting education in the future. In addition to serving on the TRS Board of Trustees, Ms. Willis was appointed by Governor Deal to serve on his Education Advisory Board in Feb. 2011.
Please join us in welcoming our new members and chair. TRS is looking forward to another productive year. z

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2011 Comprehensive Annual
Financial Report Available Online

The 2011 Comprehensive

Annual Financial Report

is now available on our website.

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

To view or download the

Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2011

annual report, please

visit our website at www.

trsga.com and click on the Publications link at the

TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM OF GEORGIA
A COMPONENT UNIT OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA

top of the screen. Simply click on the 2011

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report link

to open (it is a large file, so it may take a few

seconds to load).

We have also made the Summary Annual Financial Report available. This report highlights statistics from the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, along with other valuable information about TRS. It may be viewed or downloaded from the same section as the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. z

Happy New Year
We wish you a healthy, happy,
and prosperous
New Year!

Great Jobs for Retired Teachers
Personal training, tutoring provide rewards for those who love to help others learn and grow
After the last school bell rings, retired teachers have a leg up. Opportunities cut a broad swath from tutoring to substitute teaching to jobs a little further afield, such as fitness training.
Teachers have a combination of tools in their kit that many retirees don't -- solid degree credentials, expertise in a specific field and a passion for helping people learn something new.
Here are five great jobs for retired teachers to consider. Pay ranges, which will vary based on factors such as experience and geography, are primarily derived from the U.S. Department of Labor data.
1. Physical conditioner/personal trainer
The nitty-gritty: Fit as a fiddle means something in this world. Expect sweat. You'll be demonstrating exercise techniques, bending to set machines and lifting balls and weights. Prepare for some tough love. Honesty rules when helping clients gauge their physical fitness level and set reasonable goals. Creativity comes into play, too. Generally, you have free rein to design course plans for your clients' individual workout routines. And it's not all mats and machines. You need grounding in nutrition and diet issues, which go hand-in-hand with a fit physique. Most trainers work at health and fitness club facilities. But if you've got an entrepreneurial bent, one-on-one training at clients' homes is popular. Senior living communities, wellness centers, civic associations, and even large nonprofits like the Arthritis Foundation are often on the lookout for individual or small group trainers.
The hours: Flexible. Mornings, evenings, weekends, you name it. You book your own sessions.
Median pay range: The median scale is $17 to $30 an hour. But in larger cities, rates can roll up to $60 to $100 or more. Most health clubs collect the cost for the session from their member and dole out a percentage to you.
Qualifications: Certification is not required by law, but

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Great Jobs for Retired Teachers continued from page 4

most fitness clubs insist. There are several national groups that offer some type of credential. These include the American Council on Exercise, the International Sports Sciences Association and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. For credentials, you must be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and pass an exam that consists of both a written and practical demonstration. These exams aren't for slouchers. You'll need to be up to speed on human physiology, understand correct exercise techniques, how to assess a client's fitness level and know the ins and outs of proper exercise programs. The groups sell study materials, including books and CD-ROMs, and offer exam preparation workshops. Renewal every two years via continuing education classes is standard. If you're an education junkie, you might step it up by enrolling in an adult education program at a community or local college to obtain a fitness training degree. In general, advanced certification will require an associate's or bachelor's degree in an exercise-related subject such as physical education or kinesiology. And like many people-oriented jobs, a peppy personality and a physique that shows you practice what you preach will attract and retain clients. Gym rats need apply.
2. Tutoring test prep & more
The nitty-gritty: For those of you who always wished you had more time to give personal attention

to individual students, accepting tutoring assignments is a dream that comes true. The most common method is by setting up test prep review sessions at the student's home or a local library. Public and private schools often pass along tutor referrals to parents, so let the guidance counselors at schools know you're available and your credentials. You can also post on community bulletin boards, or even create your own website to market your business. You might opt for online test prep tutoring jobs, arranged through a tutoring website such as Tutor.com, Kaplan and SmarThinking.com. Tutor. com, for instance, is set up so you work with the student inside a secure online classroom. You teach by instant messaging, drawing problems on an interactive whiteboard, and sending essays and papers back and forth via email attachments. While test prep is popular, there's a perennial need for private tutoring in a range of subjects to boost student grades and help adult learners. The subjects in demand are the core curriculum: world history, physics, science, math and English. Foreign language specialties also offer opportunities.
The hours: Online sessions may be as short as 25 minutes, but most in-person tutoring sessions range from an hour after school to three hours on weekends. Scheduling at least four hours a week during peak test prep times should be a snap. Fall and spring are the prime times for college-bound kids to

take the SAT and ACT aptitude tests. Prep for a range of other standardized tests such as the GDE, GRE, LSAT and others are in demand year-round.
Median pay range: $10.27 to $24.21, but landing rates as high as $65 an hour isn't unusual.
Qualifications: A background in education and working with students in a classroom is generally a prerequisite. Some special areas to consider: A Wilson Languagecertified trainer, who has mastered the Wilson Reading System, a program that specializes in teaching reading to children with dyslexia, is becoming a marketable tool for reading tutors. As more school districts and adult education centers across the country have added the reading and spelling technique to its classrooms, those who have the credential are sought after as private tutors to boost reading and language skills for students of all ages, especially during the summer months. You can add the certification through a rigorous program that combines online instruction, plus observation and feedback from a Wilson trainer. At Tutor.com, high-level math and science expertise is your best calling card. You'll need to take an online exam in the subject you apply to tutor, followed by a mock session with one of the firm's online tutors. If you sail through, there's a third-party background check and a final exam. As the saying goes, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."
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3. Adjunct professor
The nitty-gritty: Still have a hankering for a classroom? Community colleges in your area can send you back to the front of the class with a short-term commitment. You'll have an opportunity to teach recent high school grads to career transitioning adults adding new skills or updating old ones. Parttime faculty comes in under various monikers -- adjunct professor, instructor, lecturer and visiting professor. Technical schools also may have openings. Most community colleges have online applications. Stop by the registrar's office or go online to obtain a copy of current course listings from the place you'd like to teach. Do some sleuthing to discover what courses are missing in your field of expertise. If you're tech savvy and at ease teaching a class via a computer Web cam, a growing number of community colleges now offer online courses for their students. To learn more about community colleges, go to American Association of Community Colleges website.
The hours: These vary widely depending on the number of courses you teach. Summer courses are common. Night and weekend classes are standard. Figure on one to two hours of classroom time per week for each course, plus your lesson preparation and grading time.
Median full-time pay range: An average of $1,000 to $1,800 per class taught. The pay can pop up to $5,000, however, depending on your degree level, teaching experience, the department and number of credits the course offers.
Qualifications: A master's degree within your discipline is usually preferred, but depending on your experience and the course you're applying to teach, it's possible to land a post with a bachelor's degree. You'll need to provide teaching references and probably perform a tryout session to demonstrate your teaching skills. Generally speaking, technical schools hire with only a bachelor's degree. As with most part-time teaching gigs, ex-

pertise, passion for the subject and experience trumps all else. The professor is in.
4. Substitute teacher
The nitty-gritty: Stepping out of full-time teaching, but keeping a toe dipped in has long been a way for retired teachers to stay engaged and supplement income. It can take on a fairly regular schedule, but it's your prerogative to just say no when the request comes in. The life of a sub can have its challenges. Picking up a course midstream takes some fancy footwork, memorizing two dozen students' names in a blink of an eye can be daunting and quickly gaining the respect of students trying to test you takes some special mojo. Some teachers will leave a prepared class plan. But if you are filling in at the last minute, you may be in improv mode to keep the class on track. Depending on your background, you may be tapped to teach a range of subjects in grade levels from kindergarten through 12. If you have a proclivity for special needs kids, you may find your services in demand. Never forget that flexibility is your calling card. School districts typically keep an active roster of substitutes on call who are willing to drop everything and step into a classroom with little advance notice.
The hours: Flexible half-days to several week stints for the entire school day.
Median pay range: Each school district sets its own pay scale for substitute teachers. Currently, the pay rate for substitutes is $20 to $190 per full day. The national average for a substitute teacher is about $105 per full day, according to the National Substitute Teachers Alliance. Generally, the pay will match the length of the assignment and the area's cost of living. Some subs may get benefits.
Qualifications: Most substitute teaching jobs require a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. The National Education Association's State-By-State Summary provides the
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minimum requirements. Your state's education department has the details. Learn about the full requirements for substitute teachers in each state here. You should expect a background check. Baby sitters need not apply.
5. Market and survey researchers
The nitty-gritty: Combining research and people skills makes these jobs appealing to those who have mastered academic life. In general, if you're a newcomer, you're often on the front lines conducting surveys of customers -- either on the phone, online, through questionnaires via mail or doorto-door. You might even find yourself working a shopping mall booth to help get the "man on the street" snapshot of consumer preferences. Typically, you'll be asked to write a detailed report and provide analysis of your findings. In some instances, you're sizing up potential sales of a product or service. Other times it's pulling together statistical data on competitors, prices and more. The list of potential employers runs the gamut from consumer products firms to university research centers to financial services organizations, government agencies, health care institutions and advertising firms. You'll need to be a stickler for details since this kind of work tends to rely on precise data reviews. For information about careers and salaries in market and survey research, contact the Council of American Survey Research Organizations and the Marketing Research Association.
The hours: Flexible, project-based, full time for short assignments.
Median pay range: $17.01 to $53.80 hourly
Qualifications: A bachelor's degree is the baseline. A background in liberal arts and social science courses -- including economics, psychology and sociology -- is helpful. A master's or doctorate degree may be required, especially for more analytical positions. Quantitative skills are important for some survey research positions, so courses in mathematics, statistics, sampling theory and sur-

vey design, and computer science are helpful. An advanced degree in business administration, marketing, statistics and communications may give you an edge. Having some training in survey research methodology can help you get a foot in the door. Curiosity doesn't kill the cat -- it gets him work. z
AARP.com by Kerry Hannon, May 3, 2011
The 2012 Georgia General Assembly will convene on January 9, 2012, and will be the second year of the two-year (2011-12) biennium session. Retirement legislation that has a fiscal (monetary) impact can only be introduced during the 1st year of a two-year session and can only be acted on during the 2nd year. No fiscal bills may be introduced during the 2012 legislative session. Bill descriptions, located in the Legislation section of www.trsga.com, highlight the major amendments proposed to Georgia law as it relates to TRS and do not contain every aspect of the proposed legislation. z