News

Not sure if you need to meet with a Financial Advisor? Here鈥檚 what to consider and how to prepare!

meeting
Meeting with a Financial Advisor is a critical step to help you determine the best retirement savings strategy based on your individual financial situation, your time horizon, and your personal goals in retirement. Read this article to gain insights on why meeting with a Financial Advisor is important and how to prepare for these meetings.

Jump to a specific section:

Other benefits news articles that may be helpful include:

First Stop: What retirement plan(s) do you have with UA?
If you are not sure what retirement plan(s) you are in, review our news article titled "Retirement Check-in" from earlier in 2025. If you have questions about your plans and current enrollment, review our news article titled "Connect with a member of the benefits team" to schedule an appointment with a member of the benefits team. The benefits team is not able to provide you with personal financial advice, however, which is where a Financial Advisor plays an important role.

Why do you want to meet with a Financial Advisor?
Everybody's journey to retirement and financial independence is different. There can often be competing priorities that take your money - and attention - in multiple directions at once such as paying off student loans, saving for and buying your first home, and preparing for retirement.

A Financial Advisor can help you see the big picture.

  • What are your top priorities and how can you help yourself get there?
  • Are your current investments strategies helping you reach your retirement goals based on your time horizon?
  • Are there ways you can maximize your financial preparations for retirement such as opening a voluntary 403(b) or a Health Savings Account (HSA)?

How do you prepare for your appointment?

  1. Do an inventory of your current accounts
    • Do you have an employer account? Or multiple employer accounts from different employers?
    • Do you know if you have participated in Social Security? (UA does not participate in Social Security. If you do have participation, it would be with another employer.)
    • Are you participating in any voluntary accounts such as a voluntary 403(b) with UA (either Roth or Tax-deferred Annuity (TDA)), a 457(b) (executives only) or a personal account outside of your employment such as a brokerage account or a Roth IRA?
    • What are your current contributions to your retirement?
    • What are your employers current contributions?
    • HINT: UA Benefits can help with most of these questions. Schedule an appointment today!

  2. Prepare your financial documents
    Once your inventory is complete, gather the current status for each account along with any pertinent documentation that may help the conversation. 
    • Current statements for all retirement accounts
    • Current HSA statement (if you have an HSA)
    • Monthly budget expenses including an outline of any debt repayments
    • List of current assets
    • Any life insurance coverages (UA provides $100,000 to all benefit eligible employees. If you are not sure what Life Insurance you have, you can review our article "The Basics of Life Insurance" or schedule an appointment with a member of the benefits team to discuss)

  3. Bring a notepad
    • Write down any questions you have for your Financial Advisor
    • Be prepared to take notes

  4. Be prepared to answer questions about your current situation
    • Current income
    • Current contributions to all retirement accounts
    • Your risk tolerance
    • Your time horizon (when you plan to retire)
    • Your goals for retirement and what you may or may not need

How to meet schedule a meeting with a Financial Advisor?

Below is information on our four main fund sponsors: TIAA, Fidelity, Corebridge, and Lincoln. These are not exhaustive and you may have a Financial Advisor with another company - that's fine, too. The information below is to provide you with a jumping off point, and a few additional resources, should you need.

TIAA

  • - a 9 minute webinar that does require registration but you do not need to be a TIAA member to access
  • - contains short webinars on all things retirement
  • (requires login)

Fidelity

  • - includes short videos on retirement basics
  • (does not require login)

Corebridge

  • - contains resources for all things financial wellness including debt, student loans, retirement, and more
  • - many of these are live so watch the date/time and be sure to add to your calendar
  • - set up 1 on 1 consulting

Lincoln

  • - contains calculators as well as other tools to help you make the most of your finances
  • - complete the intake form and someone from Lincoln will reach out to you


Emailed via benefits newsletter on 8/12/2025.
Contact Benefits: (907) 450-8242 | ua-benefits@alaska.edu | schedule one-on-one time