Participating in the Massachusetts Deferred Compensation SMART Plan may help provide a more comfortable and secure financial future. The Plan is established under the Internal Revenue Code Section 457, which allows eligible employees to save and invest before-tax or Roth 457 contributions through salary deferrals.

The SMART Plan is a voluntary retirement savings program. Take advantage of this valuable employee benefit – Save Money And Retire Tomorrow.

The Benefits of Saving for Retirement

There are numerous benefits to begin saving for your retirement now. For starters, it may help make a better retirement future a reality. You can also benefit from:

• Convenience – Contributions are taken out of your paycheck automatically, so you don't have to worry about transferring money toward your retirement yourself.
• Contributions – Saving with before-tax contributions lowers your current taxable income. You also have the option to contribute after-tax Roth dollars to your plan.
• Compounding – The money you put away for retirement, and any earnings, have the opportunity to grow over time – tax-deferred – until you take distributions in retirement.
• Competitive Investment Options – The SMART Plan offers participants two paths to investing, so you can choose the level of involvement that is right for you. Choose the path that includes the SMARTPath Retirement Funds or the path that allows you to Build and Monitor Your Own Portfolio, which includes a variety of diversified, professionally managed investment options with competitive fees.
• Advice – Access Empower Retirement Advisory Services (Advisory Services). Advisory Services uses a behavior-based approach to investing that utilizes investment advisory tools and services based upon the level of involvement you desire in managing your investments. You can choose as much or as little help as you need. Learn more today. There is no guarantee that participation in Advisory Services will result in a profit or that your account will outperform a self-managed portfolio.

www.mass-smart.com

Still have questions? Email the SMART Plan support team at SMART@empower.com or locate an Advisor on the website. There is no open enrollment period, and employees can start at any time. All State employees are eligible.