New Brochure on Preparing for the Death of a Spouse

A substantial number of participants in NRECA’s retirement plans are 50 and older.  Inevitably, some of these participants (or their spouses) will experience the death of a spouse before normal retirement age. Of the 126 401(k) Pension Plan participants who died with balances in the plan in 2014, for instance, 82 were active employees.

In anticipation of this demographic reality, NRECA has developed a brochure, “Planning for the Unexpected” (RMBR15083), that can help participants and/or their loved ones prepare for and manage the financial implications of losing a spouse, as well as assist co-op benefits administrators, HR departments, and members of the Personal Investment & Retirement Consulting (PIRC) team as they work with these participants.

The brochure lists a series of suggested actions to take in advance of a loss, such as organizing important financial documents in one place, creating a team of people to be notified when a spouse dies, and establishing an emergency fund. The brochure also provides information about Social Security and other important benefits and urges participants to contact PIRC to discuss options and next steps.

To order copies of the brochure, contact NRECA’s Member Contact Center at 866.673.2299 or contactcenter@nreca.coop and reference publication code RMBR15083.