| 401(a) | The section of the federal Internal Revenue Code that defines criteria for designation as a tax qualified plan, permitting the deferral of taxes on contributions and investment earnings thereon within a retirement fund program. |
| Actuarial Value | The value of any stream of contributions or expenditures expressed as a net present value over a career of service or through a participant’s life expectancy. |
| Allowable Service | Service rendered as a “teacher” in SPPS or SPC, and which is eligible for retirement plan coverage. |
| Annuity | A series of guaranteed payments – in your plan, monthly, typically for life. |
| Augmentation | Protection of vested benefits from erosion in value due to inflation in the interim between the time of termination and retirement. |
| Basic Plan | A retirement plan for members hired before July 1, 1978, who do not participate in Social Security as employees of SPPS or SPC. |
| Beneficiary | Person(s) designated to receive a benefit payable in the event a member dies without an eligible survivor. |
| Bylaws | A set of rules that prescribe how the SPTRFA is to be administered. |
| Combined Service | Authorizes allowable retirement service credit and salary from any Minnesota defined benefit plan to be considered jointly at the time of retirement when determining eligibility and level of benefits. |
| Compounding | Successive additions to a principal sum, at a specified time interval, at some rate of interest, that become in turn, increases to the principal base for each succeeding addition of interest. |
| Coordinated Plan | A retirement plan that is structured to complement and add to, Social Security in defining the total retirement benefit accrued for a period of service. |
| Deferred Pension | Delay or deferral of the commencement of benefit payments by a vested member who terminates employment (see also “Augmentation”). |
| Defined Benefit | A retirement benefit determined by a formula with factors such as years of service, final average salary, and a formula percentage. The benefit is not determined by contributions to the plan per se. |
| Defined Contribution | A retirement program that accumulates contributions and investment earnings thereon – There is no guarantee this sum will be enough to sustain one throughout their retired life. |
| Early Retirement | Retirement before the “Normal Retirement Age,” which, without offsetting plan provisions, results in a lower monthly benefit. |
| Earnings Limitation | Members drawing a retirement benefit may return to work for SPPS or SPC. However, there is a partial offset to monthly benefits when post-retirement earnings exceed the annual limit defined by the Social Security Administration, as adjusted each year, if the retired member is under age 65. |
| FAS | Final Average Salary. The average of the highest five successive years of salary over some specified portion, or an entire career of service; typically, the last five years. A key determinant of the monthly retirement benefit amount. |
| First Employment Date | The date that a member was first hired in a position covered by any Minnesota defined benefit public pension fund. |
| Fiscal Year | The accounting period and benefit plan cycle consuming one calendar year. For the SPTRFA, July 1 through June 30. |
| Formula Benefit | See “Defined Benefit.” |
| High 5 | See “FAS.” |
| Joint & Survivor Annuity | Form of optional annuity that pairs the life expectancy of a member with a spouse. A lower monthly benefit is taken in exchange for the spousal benefit coverage. |
| Normal Retirement Age | The age at which a member becomes eligible for an unreduced retirement benefit, unless early retirement provisions eliminate any otherwise applicable reduction. |
| Optional Annuity | Choice of benefit form that adds survivor or beneficiary coverage in exchange for a reduced monthly benefit to the member. |
| Plan Documents | Documents that define the benefits, financing and administration of the retirement program. For the SPTRFA, the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, state laws, federal statutes and regulations. |
| Refund | A lump-sum withdrawal of terminated member contributions, in certain cases with interest. For a vested member, a refund is taken in lieu of a monthly retirement benefit. |
| Retirement | The commencement of regular monthly payment of a benefit. |
| Rule of 90 | When age plus years of retirement service credit equals 90 or more, early retirement reductions are waived if “First Employment Date” is prior to July 1, 1989. |
| Salary | Compensation for which contributions to the fund are paid. Includes extracurricular pay. |
| SPC | St. Paul College (formerly St. Paul Technical College and St. Paul Vocational/Technical College). |
| SPPS | St. Paul Public Schools. |
| SPTRFA | St. Paul Teachers’ Retirement Fund Association |
| Statutes | Laws of a relatively permanent or “codified” status. State statutes are a component of our Plan Documents. |
| Survivor | An individual with right to a benefit in the event of the member’s death. |
| Teacher | Any person employed with SPC or SPPS whose position requires a license issued by the Minnesota Department of Education and who possesses such license (not limited to classroom instructors). |
| Term Certain Annuity | A form of annuity that, rather than being payable for life, is payable for a specific period of time and ceases thereafter. |
| Termination | The official severance of employment status with SPC or SPPS, typically by formal, written resignation (not the same as “Retirement” – see above). |
| Tier I & Tier II | Depending on “First Employment Date” (see above), different conditions and formulas apply in the calculation of retirement benefits. |
| TSA | Tax Sheltered Annuity. Plans created under the federal Internal Revenue Code, such as an IRA, 401(k) and 403(b). |
| Vesting | The period of cumulative retirement service credit under the plan necessary to qualify for a retirement benefit other than a refund of member contributions. |
| YOS | Year(s) of Service. Presently, a full YOS is earned in any Fiscal Year that a member works at least 170 days. Fractional YOS are included in calculating benefits. |
