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Schedule a Meeting
For University of Michigan Faculty & Staff

A generous plan is only

as good as your strategy.

Between the Basic Retirement Plan, the 403(b) SRA, the 457(b), and a choice between TIAA and Fidelity, U-M’s benefits are some of the best in the country — and some of the most confusing. We help you actually use them.

Schedule a Benefits Review

The Complexity

Three Plans. Two Vendors. One Paycheck.

Most U-M employees are enrolled in more than they realize — and few have ever seen how the pieces are meant to work together.

Plan 1

Basic Retirement Plan

Contribute 5% of pay after your first year, and the University matches 2-for-1 — a 10% employer contribution, fully and immediately vested. It’s the foundation of the program, and the easiest place to accidentally leave money on the table.

Plan 2

403(b) SRA

A voluntary Supplemental Retirement Account funded entirely by you, on a pre-tax or Roth basis. It shares IRS limits with the Basic Plan, which is where coordination mistakes are most common.

Plan 3

457(b) Deferred Comp

A separate deferred compensation plan with its own contribution limit, also available pre-tax or Roth — an often-underused option for employees who want to save beyond the SRA.

The Program

How We Optimize Your Benefits

A one-time review tells you what you have. Our program keeps it working for you every year after.

Benefits Audit

We pull your Basic Retirement Plan, SRA, and 457(b) elections together in one place and confirm you’re capturing the full University match before anything else.

Vendor & Fund Review

TIAA and Fidelity each offer over 200 investment options, including TIAA Traditional and Lifecycle/Freedom Index defaults. We review what you’re actually invested in and whether it still fits your timeline.

Roth vs. Pre-Tax Strategy

SRA and 457(b) contributions can go in pre-tax or Roth. We decide which makes sense for you based on your current bracket, not a default election from your onboarding paperwork.

Integration With Your Full Plan

Your U-M accounts don’t exist in isolation. We coordinate them with your outside IRAs, your spouse’s accounts, and your broader Roth conversion and retirement income strategy.

Annual Check-In

Contribution limits, match rules, and your own income change every year. We revisit your U-M benefits annually so the strategy keeps pace.

Who It's For

Built for Every Stage of a U-M Career

New to U-M
Get your Basic Retirement Plan and vendor elections set up right from year one, so the match is never left unclaimed.
Mid-Career Faculty & Staff
Add the SRA and 457(b) strategically, and decide Roth vs. pre-tax with your full tax picture in view.
Approaching Retirement
Coordinate TIAA and Fidelity balances with Roth conversions and retirement income timing before you leave the University.
Recently Retired
Turn a career of contributions into a distribution and tax strategy that accounts for RMDs, Medicare, and legacy planning.

Get Started Today

Let's see what you're actually working with.

Bring your TIAA and Fidelity statements — we’ll show you exactly where you stand and what to adjust.
Schedule a Benefits Review

52 Blue Wealth Management is an independent firm and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the University of Michigan, TIAA, or Fidelity Investments.

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