May 2019 Education Meeting

TOPIC #1: Exploring the Major Changes Impacting Retirement Decisions for Public Employees in Ohio

SPEAKER: Anthony R. Podojil, Ph.D.

About the Program: The presentation will focus on the substantive changes made to the various public employee retirement systems in Ohio over the last several years and the subsequent impacts those changes have to individual retirement planning for those groups.  The presentation will include changes related to Plan Design, Eligibility, increases in age and service credit requirements, Cost-of-Living (COLA) changes and Health Care, including funding, costs and plans.

About the Speaker: Dr. Podojil has had an extensive history of working in the public school sector focusing on the fiscal issues that impact our local communities and their relation to providing and delivering a high level of educational programs and services. As an educator and superintendent, his love of learning, the desire to pass along the gift of education, on so many levels, has been his inspiration. He brings to the financial realm a great understanding of fiscal propriety, coupled with a sincere appreciation and respect for those individuals seeking financial services. Dr. Podojil is also Co-founder of The Ohio Educators Planning Group (OEdPG). In 1998, when he was the superintendent at West Geauga Schools, he began working with Ted Lorenzen, a financial planner at Cedar Brook. As they planned together to address Tony’s retirement goals, they began to realize that the financial industry did not have a very good understanding of how STRS works and what options exist for members. Having become convinced that they could provide a valuable service to help educators and to demonstrate their commitment to this professional sector, The Ohio Educators Planning Group was formed. Their work with individual clients as well as being actively involved in working with several major educational organizations state wide has led to their assisting individuals with how the latest round of STRS changes impact future retirement projections and helping them chart their financial goals moving forward.

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TOPIC #2: Social Security Basics for Public Employees

SPEAKER: Brandon P. Smith

About the Program: Brandon Smith from the Social Security Administration will discuss the work, age, and marital requirements for Social Security retirement, spousal and survivor benefits. The bulk of the presentation will be dedicated to explaining the potential effects of Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. The annual earnings limit and various methods of applying for benefits will also be topics of discussion. There will be sufficient time for questions and answer at the conclusion of the presentation. The agency isn’t going to want our presentations posted to external websites.

About the Speaker: Brandon Smith, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, joined the Social Security Administration in 2003.  Prior to this, Brandon worked as a teacher for 3 years in the Diocese of Cleveland. He started his government career as a Claims Representative in the Middleburg Heights field office, specializing in Retirement, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance. In 2007, Brandon became the Public Affairs Specialist in the metro Cleveland area. Brandon is the primary contact for media relations, outreach, and presentations for the agency in Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, and Geauga counties. In 2012, Brandon received a Regional Communicator Award from the Social Security Administration. Later that year, Brandon was among the inaugural recipients of the Black Diamond award from the Greater Cleveland Delta Foundation Life Development Center. Brandon is a member of the 2014 Kaleidoscope Magazine’s 40 under 40 Club. And in the summer of 2015, Brandon received a Deputy Commissioner Citation from Social Security’s Office of Communication for his outstanding public affairs support of the agency’s national communication initiatives.   Brandon is a member of various cultural and educational institutions in Greater Cleveland, such as the Western Reserve Historical Society, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Akron Art Museum, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.  In late 2018, he started his own podcast titled, “The Brandon Show.” Brandon and his lovely wife, LaToya, are the proud parents of two beautiful children, Bryce and Brielle, plus a rambunctious kitten.

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Continuing Education – FPA NEO will request credit for these programs, which will total two hours of CE from the CFP^® Board of Standards for CFP^® designation holders. A general certificate of completion and one for CPA designees who feel the program satisfies their continuing education requirements will also be available.

Reservation Policy – All attendees are encouraged to register in advance before noon 05/15/19 and walk-in reservations will be accepted on a space-available basis only.  Meeting cost is free for FPA members and $60 for non-members.  If you reserve and are unable to attend, please call the office or email admin@fpa-neo.org to cancel by noon 05/15/19 to avoid a no-show reservation billing of $10.00