For California Public Employees

CalPERS Pension Review

If your retirement runs through CalPERS, the decisions in front of you are different from a private sector retirement, and most of them are permanent. We help you understand your benefit before you elect it.
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Public Employees Guide

Peak Solutions Financial is not affiliated with CalSTRS, CalPERS, or any government agency.

Where This Fits

Part of The Peak Path™

Public sector planning follows the same Peak Path as every client, with the CalPERS specifics built into each step.

1

Base Camp

We start with your service credit, your estimate, and your goals.

2

Map the Route

System-specific rules are mapped into your wider plan.

3

The Ascent

Your elections are made with full clarity, not guesswork.

Explore the full Peak Path™ →
How CalPERS Works

A Defined Benefit, Shaped by Details

CalPERS is a defined benefit system. Your pension is calculated from a formula rather than an account balance, which means the inputs to that formula matter enormously: your service credit, your age at retirement, and your final compensation.

Small details can move the result meaningfully. Service credit from part-time work, time at another public agency, unused sick leave, and the specific years used to calculate final compensation all feed into the benefit you will actually receive.

We help you read your benefit estimate, understand what is driving the number, and see clearly what each payout and survivor option means before you commit to one.

 

Your official benefit amount comes from CalPERS. What we do is help you read and understand your estimate, compare your options, and see how the pension fits together with everything else you have.

What we review with you

Pension review and benefit estimate support

Service credit review for public employees
Reciprocal benefit coordination across public agencies
Sick leave credit and its retirement impact
Career factor and final compensation considerations
Survivor benefit and beneficiary option review
Part-time public employment impact
Supplemental retirement account coordination

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Related Services

Public Employees and Educators

Our full guide for public sector retirement
planning.

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Pension Analysis

The broader pension review, for public and private systems.

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Retirement Income Planning

Coordinating your pension with every other income source.
Learn more →

Common Questions

Good to Know Before You Start

Are you affiliated with CalPERS?
No. Peak Solutions Financial is not affiliated with CalPERS or any government agency. We are an independent firm that helps members understand their benefits and plan around them.
What is reciprocity, and does it apply to me?
Reciprocity refers to how service at multiple public agencies can be coordinated between retirement systems. Whether it applies depends on which agencies you worked for and when. It is one of the first things we look at when someone has worked across more than one public employer.
I worked part-time for several years. Does that hurt my pension?
It affects your service credit, which is one of the inputs to the benefit formula. Whether and how much it matters depends on your specific record, which is exactly what a service credit review is for.
I am years away from retiring. Is it too early to look at this?
No. Service credit decisions and supplemental account contributions compound over a career. The earlier you understand the system, the more options stay open to you.

Understand Your CalPERS Benefit

Bring your latest benefit estimate and we will walk through it together,
in plain language, with no pressure.

Book a Free Consultation