Independent Benefits Council

The Independent Benefits Council (IBC) is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2007 by Florida’s four leading education groups – the Florida Education Association, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, the Florida School Boards Association and the Florida Association of School Administrators – to represent the interests of more than 350,000 of the state’s teachers and education staff professionals by negotiating access to a range of high-quality retirement investment products.

Recent and ongoing changes to the structure of Florida’s retirement system have educators asking many questions about what the new legislation means for them. The need for this educational initiative is more critical now than ever before. Florida School Employee Saver delivers high-quality, valuable information to Florida educators from a trusted and credible source.

The IBC prides itself on helping educators navigate the sometimes-complicated investment market. The retirement future of educators, like that of all individuals, depends on solid retirement planning including a sound investment strategy. Florida School Employee Saver can help make that happen.

In partnership with Equitable, the IBC launched Florida School Employee Saver to educate those in the state’s public schools to make sound choices concerning their life after school. Through a multi-year grant, Equitable is providing the IBC with resources to ensure Florida’s educators have the clearest and most helpful information before making financial decisions about their retirement security.

Equitable

Equitable is one of several preferred providers for the IBC Model Plan. We designed this program specifically for Florida public school employees who have adopted the IBC’s model 403(b) and 457(b) plans. The IBC Model Plan letter of commitment specifies that Equitable and other providers approved as part of the IBC Model Plan due diligence will contribute $20,000 per year for the generic financial and retirement education of all Florida K-12 employees and ongoing compliance of all obligations to participants. No IBC member association is permitted to receive any financial benefit from this funding.

In business since 1859, Equitable (formerly AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company), headquartered in New York, NY, is a leading financial protection company and a premier provider of life insurance, annuities and related financial services. With over 780,000 clients nationwide, including over 16,000 school systems, colleges/universities and nonprofit organizations as of September 30, 2013, Equitable has a long history of working closely with school officials and districts nationwide. Equitable’s assets under management totaled $519.3 billion as of June 30, 2013.