Retirement planning for departments and employers.

We teach retirement planning to the people who serve, and help business owners give their teams a better plan.

Retirement planning for departments and agencies.

We teach a retirement class for sheriff's offices, fire departments, corrections and SWAT. It covers the planning and the options, and nothing is sold in the room.

Our approach
A brick fire station with an engine in the open bay and a flag on the roof

  • The class

    The FRS Pension Plan and Investment Plan, DROP and the 457: how each works and what the choices are. The planning and the options, not a pitch.

  • Scheduled around shifts

    Monthly, quarterly or once. Fire stations book through the chief or captain; corrections through a coordinator, who can block out time while others cover.

  • Special Risk and Regular Class

    The same department has both, and the retirements look very different. We cover each class, so everyone in the room hears what applies to them.

  • The 457

    What the deferred compensation plan adds alongside the pension, and when it makes sense to start it or restart it.

  • Not associated with any union

    Thomas Wealth Management is not associated with any union. We say so at every class.

Special Risk and Regular Class.

If you work for the state or a county in Florida, your FRS class shapes your whole retirement. The same department can have both.

Special Risk

Firefighters, law enforcement, correctional officers, EMS and other public safety roles.

  • Earns retirement credit faster and can retire earlier.
  • Pension Plan or Investment Plan, DROP, and a 457 to coordinate.
  • The best time to plan is three to five years before you retire.

Regular Class

Most other state, county and school employees, from office staff to teachers.

  • Earns retirement credit more slowly, so the pension is usually much smaller.
  • The same choice between the Pension Plan and the Investment Plan.
  • Your own savings and Social Security have to do more of the work.
Thomas Wealth Management is not associated with any union.

What every organization gets.

Whether you book a class for your people or a review of your company's plan, the work is done the same way: taught or written for the people in the room, with nothing sold to them.

  • A class with nothing sold in the room.

    We teach the planning and the options: the Pension Plan and Investment Plan, DROP and the 457. Nobody in the room is pitched.

  • Scheduled around the shifts.

    Monthly, quarterly or once. Station by station through a chief or captain, or through a coordinator who can block out time while others cover.

  • A plan review you can act on.

    What your plan has, what it's missing and what you could add, written for the owner rather than the provider.

  • Your CPA kept in the loop.

    Contributions and deductions planned with your CPA before anything is signed, so the plan fits the tax year.

  • A fee you see up front.

    A fee on the assets we manage, or a flat fee for planning. No annuities, no insurance, no commissions.

  • Someone your people can call afterwards.

    After a class, anyone who wants to can book a meeting on their own. The best time is three to five years before they retire.

Client success stories.

A fire station with three arched bays and red folding doors

A retirement class at the station.

Situation

A captain had three people within five years of retirement and a crew that had never been walked through DROP, the Investment Plan or the 457. He wanted a class at the station, between calls, with nothing sold.

Approach

We ran the class on a shift morning, covering the Pension Plan and Investment Plan, DROP and the 457, and left the material behind for the crew who got called out halfway through.

Outcome

Two firefighters who were three years out booked meetings afterwards. The captain put the class on the calendar again for the next shift.

Four glass office towers seen from the street, looking straight up at the sky between them

A 401(k) redesigned for the whole company.

Situation

An owner had a 401(k) set up years ago by his payroll provider. Few employees had joined, there was no match, and nobody had met the people in the plan since the day it opened. He had been told it was fine and wondered what it was missing.

Approach

We reviewed the plan with him and his CPA: the design, the match, the investments and the service his team was getting. Then we redesigned it, adding a match and profit sharing, and met his employees to enroll them.

Outcome

More of his team is in the plan, the owner puts away more for himself, and his employees have an advisor to call. The CPA sits in on the annual review.

These stories are hypothetical and for illustration only. They do not describe actual clients, and they are not a promise that you will see similar results. Every situation is different; outcomes depend on your circumstances, your goals, taxes and the law.

Questions people ask.

The ones that come up in almost every first conversation.

What does the class cover?

The FRS Pension Plan and the Investment Plan, DROP and the 457: how each works and what the choices are. We talk about the planning and the options. We don't sell anything in the room, and anyone who wants to go further books a meeting on their own.

How do we book a class?

Fire departments usually book station by station, through the chief or captain. Corrections and sheriff's offices book through a coordinator, who can block out time while others cover. Call or send a note and we'll find a date that works around the shifts.

Are you associated with our union?

No. Thomas Wealth Management is not associated with any union. We say so at every class.

We already have a 401(k). Why review it?

Most plans were set up once and left alone. A review shows what the plan is missing and what else you could be offering your employees. If the plan is fine as it is, we'll tell you.

What's the best retirement plan for my business?

It depends on what you earn, how many people you employ and how much you want to put away. A Solo 401(k) or SEP can suit someone working alone; a 401(k) or cash balance plan may fit a business with a team. We compare them against your numbers.

This information is general in nature and not individualized advice. FRS rules and benefit provisions are subject to change; confirm details with the FRS and your own advisors before making decisions.

Let's talk.

Tell us a little about where you are. We'll call you back within one business day, and the first conversation costs nothing.

(954) 652-6027charlie.thomas@farther.com8201 Peters Road, Suite 1000, Plantation, FL 33324

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