The 2023-24 Wellbeing Program year ends on August 31, 2024. Make sure to earn 5,000 points (or 7,500 points, if your spouse is covered by your medical insurance) by August 31 for a discount on your 2025 University medical insurance rates.

If you added a spouse throughout the year, you need to earn 7,500 points by August 31. If you dropped a spouse on the medical plan, you only need 5,000 points.

Looking for ways to explore wellbeing resources and earn your incentive?

• Check out the events calendar on the Wellbeing Program platform (under Social) for points-earning webinars
• Track movement, mindfulness, or sleep (under Home > Stats)
• Try a Health Coaching session (under Health)
• Watch short videos on improving your posture, healthy sleep practices, and more on the Media tab (under Menu on the app)
• Volunteer, read a book, or do something else that supports your wellbeing and add it as a Wellbeing My Way pledge (under Programs, search for Wellbeing My Way)

Email wellness@umn.edu with any questions.

New Program Year

The new program year launches September 1, 2024. We will share a reminder and more information about minor changes in early September.

HSA Bank announced the launch of the HSA Invest. This program is designed to streamline the investment experience for HSA account holders, while giving you greater personalization and addressing different risk tolerances and objectives. Current account holders will receive additional information from HSA Bank in an email and physical mailing sent to their home.

Important dates for this transition are below. For more information, including frequently asked questions, visit HSA Bank’s investment transition webpage. Additional questions can be answered by HSA Bank by calling 877-525-7121.

Investment Options Transition Timeline

July through September

• You have access to trade and manage your existing Devenir and Schwab investments. You can transfer HSA funds from your existing investments to your HSA Bank cash balance.
• If you enroll in HSA Invest, one-time, auto-sweep, and recurring transfers to Devenir and Schwab will be canceled so that funds go to your new investments.

September

You will only be able to invest new HSA funds in the HSA Invest program. One-time, auto-sweep and recurring transfers from your HSA cash balance to Devenir and Schwab will stop.

Find out how your University benefits package can help support you and your family on the Family Resources page, which include information about: 

• Mental health counseling and coaching
• Gender care
• Fertility and pregnancy coaching
• Leaves of absence
• Lactation/breastfeeding
• Finding care for children, elders, or adults with disabilities

Additionally, keep reading for events about family financial wellbeing, parenting, and taking parental leave. 

Upcoming Events

Money Talk for Relationships

• Register to attend Money Talk for Relationships on August 6, noon–1:00 p.m.
• Register to attend Money Talk for Relationships on August 21, 4:00–5:00 p.m.

We all need to learn to talk about money, whether it's with ourselves, our partner or spouse, or our family and friends. Transparency about money can lead to stronger relationships and a higher level of financial health. In this free LSS Financial Counseling webinar, you will learn:

• Communication skills and ground rules for talking about money
• Common money beliefs and scripts and how they influence financial behavior
  Money management strategies

Earn 200 Wellbeing Points for attending!

Navigating Parental Leave

Register for the event with information targeted to your employee group:

• Civil Service and Labor Represented Employees on August 8, noon–1:00 p.m.
• Faculty and P&A Employees on August 8, 3:00–4:00 p.m.

Learn about the parental leave policy at the University for your employee group. The course will also cover how to request parental leave, employee benefits during your leave, and resources available to you during and after your leave.

Parenting in the Real World

Register to attend Parenting in the Real World (August 14, 10:00–11:00 a.m.)

Let’s face it—parenting is tough. And it’s not always clear what to do. Parents are bombarded with conflicting advice on how to better raise their children. At the same time, parents raise their children in the face of enormous pressures: financial concerns, work demands, family problems, and so on.

Instead of offering yet another list of tips on better parenting, this free workshop led by Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider Lyra Health will suggest a simple but powerful practice. It will teach you to respond to any parenting dilemma with three simple steps: 

• Press pause.
• Notice what’s going on.
• Choose your response.

This practice helps parents respond more effectively to their emotional reactions while taking action based on their values. In this way, parents can choose to be who they want to be in any parenting moment, whether it’s a blissful day at the park or a total meltdown at the supermarket.

Earn 200 Wellbeing Points for attending!

Money Moxie for Kids

Register for Money Moxie for Kids (August 14, 12:30–1:30 p.m.)

This free LSS Financial Counseling webinar is for parents who have children ages pre-K through middle school.

Get started with concepts and actions that help children at each age build the skills they need to develop life-long money smarts. Parents will learn:

• The three concepts all kids need to know
• How their own money story influences their children’s attitudes about money
• The different ways children receive money
• Tips for maximizing money lessons regardless of how money is received
• Strategies for teaching kids about needs vs. wants

Earn 200 Wellbeing Points for attending!

Money Moxie for Teens

Register for Money Moxie for Teens (August 28, 11:00 a.m.–noon)

This free LSS Financial Counseling webinar is for parents who have teenage kids.

Learn concepts and actions that help teens at each age build the skills they need to develop life-long money smarts. Parents will learn about:

• Tools that help to start a conversation about money
• Incorporating values into setting goals with teens
• Concepts that help with decision making, including needs vs. wants
• Budgeting, spending, and credit basics to pass on to teens

Earn 200 Wellbeing Points for attending! 

Get to know your University retirement benefits so that you can plan for the retirement you want! Each hour-long webinar earns 200 Wellbeing Program points. 

Faculty Retirement Plan (FRP)

Learn about the Faculty Retirement Plan (FRP) and how Fidelity voluntary plans can work in tandem with it. 

• Register for the August 29 (noon–1:00 p.m.) session.
• Register for the September 26 (noon–1:00 p.m.) session.

This webinar is intended for Faculty and P&A employees who automatically contribute to the FRP. Visit the Plan Comparison page for more information on eligibility. 

Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS)

Learn about the Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS) pension plan and how Fidelity voluntary plans can work in tandem with it. 

• Register for the August 26 (noon–1:00 p.m.) session.
• Register for the September 27 (noon–1:00 p.m.) session.

This webinar is intended for Civil Service and Labor-Represented employees who automatically contribute to MSRS. Visit the Plan Comparison page for more information on eligibility. 

Voluntary Plans

Did you know that the University offers additional retirement savings plans to help you save even more? Learn about voluntary savings plan options available through Fidelity. 

• Register for the August 30 (noon–1:00 p.m.) session.
• Register for the September 23 (noon–1:00 p.m.) session.

The Twin Cities campus Farmers Market is back for the 2024 season! Learn about 2024 Farmers Market events and vendors.

Shannon Doyle with LSS Financial Counseling discussed Debt Management Plans (DMPs) in a recent Money Minute segment on a Twin Cities TV station. LSS is the official provider of financial counseling services for University employees.

A DMP combines your credit card payments so that you only pay one monthly payment to creditors, made through LSS. Most creditors will then offer lower interest rates and stop any late fees, which means you can pay down the debt faster. There is a monthly service fee based on the size of your payment, but LSS waives the DMP set-up fee for University of Minnesota employees. Since 2014, LSS has helped University employees pay down more than $5 million in debt through DMPs.

If you think a DMP may be a good option for you or a family member, set up a free and confidential appointment with an LSS consultant to discuss your personal situation and the DMP contract. 

Companies claiming to be University partners occasionally contact employees via phone call or email to offer financial advisory services. You can check the Benefits Vendor Contacts web page if you receive a benefits-related message and aren’t sure if it came from a University vendor. If the vendor is not a University vendor, please mark the email as spam. 

Companies called Benefit Link, District Retirement Services, Edify Financial Consulting Group, Employee Retirement Advisors (ERA), and Pres Financial have reached out to employees offering services. These are not official University vendors.

The University offers free retirement and financial counseling services to employees through LSS Financial and Fidelity, as well as directly through University benefits counselors. You can learn more about services through the University on the Financial Counseling Overview web page.

Paying off your student loans can be confusing and difficult, but University employee financial counseling vendor LSS Financial Counseling is here to help! Read on for information on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and LSS events to help you manage student loan debt. 

About the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program and Student Loan Counseling

What is the PSLF?

The PSLF program allows you to have the remaining balance of your student loans forgiven after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments while working full time for a U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization. Find out more on this government website. 

Am I eligible for the PSLF? What other options do I have?

Qualifying for the PSLF depends on what kind of loans you have. The temporary waiver allows more people to qualify for loan forgiveness.

LSS is offering several webinars specifically for University employees to learn about the PSLF and other federal student loan repayment options. Each webinar earns 200 Wellbeing Points and has a 300-person limit. 

• PSLF: Practical Steps to Loan Forgiveness [first session], Tuesday, July 9, 10:30–11:30 a.m. 
• Student Loan Repayment: Understanding Your Options With Federal Student Loans [first session], Thursday, July 11, 11:00 a.m.–noon
• Student Loan Repayment: Understanding Your Options With Federal Student Loans [second session], Tuesday, July 23, 12:30–1:30 p.m.
• PSLF: Practical Steps to Loan Forgiveness [second session], Wednesday, July 24, 11:00 a.m.–noon

If the session you’d like to attend is full, you can schedule an individual consultation with LSS to discuss your situation.

Who should I contact to get my PSLF form signed?

Send your form via email to ohr@umn.edu to request a signature for the employer verification section. Don't include your Social Security number on the form.

I have more questions. Who can I contact? 

LSS Financial offers free financial counseling sessions for University employees, spouses, and dependents. You can schedule an appointment to discuss your specific situation. Learn more about this benefit. 

As of Monday, May 13, all benefits-eligible employees can now adjust their benefits in MyU within 30 days of a qualifying life event—like marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, a change in eligibility, or another life event. This means benefits-eligible employees can make important benefit changes when it’s convenient for them. MyU also provides better data security and quicker service times, so employees will see their changes sooner. 

Learn more: 

• Guide: Life Events and Your Benefits
• Adjust Your Benefits in MyU 
• HR Services in MyU

Due to the changes to U of M email and Google Workspace offerings, the University of Minnesota is no longer able to provide Google Workspace (including Gmail) to University retirees, except those with emeritus status. If you have questions about your emeritus status, reach out to your former college or unit.

Many benefit plans or member accounts will ask for an email address. Please make sure your contact information on file is a personal email, rather than your U of M “umn.edu” email. This will ensure you are able to continue receiving email communications and maintain access to online member accounts.

Don’t forget: After your U of M email and Google Workspace account is closed, you will not be able to use single sign-on (SSO) to login to your benefit accounts.

Health & Wellbeing Benefits

If you have a U of M email address associated with an account for your health savings account (HSA), medical, dental, life insurance, or COBRA coverage, make sure your information is updated with each vendor. Web addresses and contact information for each vendor can be found on the Medical - Age 65 and Over or Benefit Vendor Contacts pages of the OHR website.

You should also make sure your contact information is updated with health care providers, like your pharmacy, primary care physician, etc.

If you participate in the Wellbeing Program, don’t forget to update your login information so you don’t lose access.

Retirement Accounts

Update your contact information in Fidelity Investments’ NetBenefits® platform (or by calling 800-343-0860) and/or the MSRS website.

Securian Financial, TIAA, and Vanguard Funds

Reach out to the providers directly (see the Benefit Vendor Contact page). 

If You Lose Access to a Vendor Account

Reach out to the vendor directly to update your information and regain access. (See contacts on the Benefit Vendor Contact page.)

Still have questions?

Learn more about the access timeline, what to expect, and how to prepare in this self-help guide and frequently asked questions from the Office of Information Technology (OIT).

Questions and support requests regarding your email account access can be submitted to OIT using this form.