Clarify pension benefits
Help employees understand the factors that influence a CalSTRS or CalPERS retirement benefit.
My Retirement GalDistrict Resource CenterEducational retirement resources for school employees
A trusted resource for your district staff.
Clear, practical retirement education designed to help school employees better understand their pension, identify potential income gaps, and prepare more confidently for retirement.
- No cost
- Voluntary
- Educational
- No product presentation
A practical district resource
Retirement education that supports informed decisions.
Staff receive accessible, neutral education around the retirement questions that matter most - without product-specific content, sales pressure, or cost to the district.
Identify income gaps
Show why pension income may not fully replace working income and how to recognize a potential shortfall.
Build retirement readiness
Introduce practical planning considerations, including inflation, longevity, taxes, and supplemental savings.
Make access simple
Provide a polished invitation, flexible virtual scheduling, and a streamlined process for district contacts.
Workshop overview
Retirement Planning for School Employees
A focused educational workshop that helps certificated and classified employees understand their retirement income picture and the factors that may affect long-term readiness.
FormatLive virtual
LengthApproximately 30 minutes
AudienceAll career stages
Core topics
- 01
How CalSTRS and CalPERS pension benefits are generally calculated
- 02
Why a pension may replace only a portion of pre-retirement income
- 03
How to identify a potential retirement-income gap
- 04
The effects of inflation, longevity, taxes, and supplemental savings
Employees leave with clearer questions to ask, information to gather, and practical next steps to consider.
Certificated staffUnderstand pension income and long-term readiness
Classified staffConnect benefits, Social Security, and supplemental savings
AdministratorsOffer a practical resource through a simple process
Presenter bio
Meet Heather J. Sullivan
Retirement educator, licensed independent insurance professional, and founder of My Retirement Gal.
Heather focuses on helping public school employees understand their CalSTRS and CalPERS benefits, recognize potential retirement-income gaps, and prepare with greater clarity.
With a B.A. in Business and Finance, she brings an organized, approachable style to complex retirement topics and serves as an ongoing educational resource for district staff.
- Education
- B.A. in Business and Finance
- Professional role
- Licensed independent insurance professional
- California license
- #0H97753
About My Retirement Gal
My Retirement Gal is an educational retirement-planning brand led by Heather J. Sullivan, who brings nearly two decades of experience helping individuals and families prepare for their financial future. Through structured virtual consultations, workshops, group education, and one-on-one conversations, Heather helps people understand retirement income sources, identify potential gaps, and approach important decisions with greater confidence.
For school employees, the focus includes CalSTRS and CalPERS pensions, Social Security when applicable, supplemental accounts, retirement timing, and long-term income readiness. District-facing education remains general, voluntary, and separate from any employee-requested individual retirement review.
Compliance & disclosures
Clear educational boundaries.
The workshop maintains a clear distinction between district-distributed education and any optional, separately requested individual consultation.
Educational purpose
General information only - not individualized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.
No product presentation
No specific insurance companies, carriers, securities, or products are discussed or recommended.
No affiliation or endorsement
My Retirement Gal is not affiliated with or endorsed by CalSTRS, CalPERS, a district, union, or government agency.
Voluntary participation
Attendance creates no obligation to schedule a consultation or purchase any product or service.
Read the full disclosure
Heather J. Sullivan is a licensed independent insurance professional. An employee may separately request an optional individual retirement review outside the workshop at no cost. If the employee later purchases an insurance product, Heather may receive compensation from the issuing insurance company. The district does not sponsor, supervise, or endorse any individual discussion or transaction. Employees should consult qualified tax, legal, investment, or other professional advisors regarding their individual circumstances.
Staff communication
A ready-to-use staff invitation.
Copy, customize, and distribute this language through your district's preferred internal communication channel.
Dear Staff,
Your district is offering an educational retirement-planning workshop created for school employees:
Retirement Planning for School Employees[Date] at [Time] · Virtual via Zoom[Registration Link]
This workshop will provide general education on CalSTRS and CalPERS pension benefits, retirement-income gaps, inflation and longevity considerations, and the role of supplemental savings.
The presentation is educational, voluntary, and offered at no cost. No specific insurance companies, carriers, or products will be discussed.
Employees who wish to request an optional individual retirement review may do so separately following the workshop.
We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen your understanding of your retirement benefits and overall retirement readiness.
Downloadable resource
Everything you need to review and share.
The complete eight-page packet includes the program introduction, workshop overview, presenter bio, sample staff invitation, compliance disclosures, optional retirement review explanation, and scheduling information.
Download district packetScheduling request
Bring a retirement workshop to your district.
Share a preferred date range, the employee audience, and your preferred format. Heather will personally follow up to coordinate the details.