Financial Well-Being

Be Alert for Unsolicited Retirement Counseling Services

Green circle with money

There have been reports of groups or individuals contacting Virginia Retirement System (VRS) members to offer retirement counseling services. These companies are not endorsed by nor affiliated with PWCS. Please be aware that VRS does not use unsolicited calls or emails to offer its services. All correspondence from VRS will be sent by U.S. mail on official letterhead or by secure message in your myVRS account. Also, VRS counselors do not come to members' homes to discuss benefits.

VRS counseling services are free, whether in person in the VRS counseling center or by phone, and are available by contacting VRS. VRS also offers free retirement planning sessions, held at colleges and universities throughout the state, other public locations or the VRS offices in Richmond. Remember to be cautious in responding to unsolicited offers of retirement planning or advice. If you are uncertain if a communication originated with VRS, contact VRS at 1-888-827-3847. Visit the VRS website for more information.

Additionally, PWCS works exclusively with Lincoln Financial for our supplemental retirement plans with 403(b) and 457 accounts available to our employees. If you are contacted by a company besides VRS or Lincoln Financial, it is important to use caution in sharing your information. There are five Lincoln Financial representatives that are available to assist PWCS employees with their supplemental retirement accounts.

For more information on protecting yourself and your personal accounts and information, you can visit these links below:

Virginia retirement system Security Center offers information on online account safety and fraud prevention.

Lincoln Financial has an interactive brochure on cybersecurity and how to protect yourself online.