Upon completion of the annuity funds transfer from Eder
to Securian, a remaining balance of funds was identified,
an outcome created by robust stock market performance
and elevated interest rates. As a result, Eder Financial will
issue payments to eligible annuitants that reflect their portion of the funds. For a detailed explanation about the conditions that made this surplus possible, please watch the video.
Select the option that best describes you for relevant information and FAQs. Scroll down to browse all the sections.
Those who are receiving a life-long distribution.
Those who will retire and/or reach the age of 59 1/2 in the next twelve months.
Those who are currently contributing to the Eder retirement plan and/or have a retirement account balance with Eder.
Those receiving the remaining balance of annuity funds.
During the final reconciliation of accounts,
a remaining balance of funds was identified, an outcome created by robust stock
market performance and elevated interest rates. As a result, Eder Financial (previously known as Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust) will issue payments to eligible annuitants that reflect their portion of the funds.
The first letter of notification was mailed to the home address on file in July 2025. A second letter will arrive via mail in September 2025. If you think you should have received letters and did not get one, please contact the Eder Retirement Service Center via the following email address or telephone numbers:
Email: erpservicecenter@nwpretirement.com
Phone: (866)723-0001 or (800) 746 –1505, then please press 1.
Both phone numbers connect you with the service center.
No. This is a legitimate payment. The surplus funds belong to the eligible participants, so it is being distributed. Our retirement recordkeeper, NWPS, will handle the administration of these payments.
Eder Financial is an agency of the Church of the Brethren. You may reach out to us directly with any concerns or to report suspicious activity at (800) 746 –1505.
A new retirement account has been opened in your name. This account is active now, but to provide you with the most favorable tax treatment, control, and use of the funds, Eder Financial will deposit the funds into the account in early October 2025.
No. There will be no impact to payments from your current Securian annuity.
Two basic principles combined to guide the calculation of returned funds. First, the amount being returned to you is in direct proportion to your monthly annuity payment – meaning those individuals with a higher monthly annuity payment will receive more money than those with a lower monthly annuity payment. Second, additional funds will be distributed to those who had their annuity payments reduced because of the market downturn in 2008-2009.
If you receive Medicaid or other public assistance, receiving these surplus funds may affect your eligibility. Medicaid and other public assistance programs have both income and assets tests. The money deposited in the account may be considered an asset. It is possible that it may not be treated as income when it is withdrawn. The deposit of these surplus funds could immediately affect the ‘asset’ tests of those programs. They could also affect the ‘income’ test for those programs when you take a distribution(s) from your account.
We strongly encourage you to consult a financial adviser or an elder attorney who is familiar with public assistance laws in your state before you make a decision. Read the disclosures included with this letter and seek a trusted advisor, paying special attention to the timeframes upon which you need to make a decision if you receive public assistance. All distribution paperwork and any required notarization must be received by NWPS on or before October 20 in order for funds to leave the retirement account by October 31, so you may need to act as early as mid-October to avoid interruptions to your public assistance benefits. Please read through the Distribution Options section of this letter (page 5) to learn about your options.
Executors, POAs, or family members should contact Eder Retirement Service Center for assistance as soon as possible. You will need to provide further documentation to verify your eligibility to receive or assist with receiving these funds.
Email: erpservicecenter@nwpretirement.com
Phone: (866) 723-0001
The money you receive is the portion of the surplus that is due to you after Eder transferred the annuities to Securian Financial. Upon completion of the transfer, a remaining balance of funds was identified, an outcome created by robust stock market performance and elevated interest rates. As a result, Eder Financial will issue payments to eligible annuitants that reflect their portion of the funds in the fall of 2025. For a detailed explanation about the conditions that made this surplus possible, please watch the video at the top of this Retirement Enhancements webpage.
You will receive a surplus payment if your retirement annuity was established with Eder Financial by November 20, 2025.
Yes. The money market investment option is the
simplest, lowest risk fund Eder Financial offers. It enables the value of your returned funds to be protected and grow slowly while
you decide what you want to do with the funds. After the funds are deposited into your
retirement account, you can change how it is invested by logging into
the Eder Retirement Plan Member Portal.
Every individual’s financial situation is unique, but the additional income could unfavorably impact your finances, from taxes to eligibility in programs in which you might be enrolled.
After assessing the impact of the returned funds on your financial situation, you need to decide if you want to:
If you receive Medicaid or other public assistance, receiving these surplus funds may affect your eligibility. Medicaid and other public assistance programs have both income and assets tests. The money deposited in the account is considered an asset. It is not treated as income until it is withdrawn. The deposit of these surplus funds immediately affects the ‘asset’ tests of those programs. They could also affect the ‘income’ test for those programs when you take a distribution(s) from your account.
You can decide to keep the money in the account. You do not need to take it out in your lifetime if it is over the $5,000 account threshold balance. Please read all disclosures sent to you and consult with a financial planner or elder care attorney.
Yes and no. Yes, because our recordkeeper (NWPS) charges a $70 fee to process distributions, and our custodian (US Bank) charges a $12 fee. But no because your balance will include a credit of $82 ($70 NWPS & $12 US Bank) to cover the fees when you take a retirement distribution.
Yes, if you are recognized as clergy, these funds are eligible for housing allowance designation and are treated the same as other retirement accounts established at Eder Financial.
No taxes are withheld from the surplus payment when it is deposited. Taxes are taken into consideration when you withdraw your funds. Our recordkeeper, NWPS, will manage the tax withholding, and you will receive a1099-R for your tax reporting after funds are withdrawn to provide you with the tax advantages unique to retirement funds.
Yes. You can roll over the funds into an IRA or another retirement account, but you cannot add the surplus deposit to an existing annuity. Contact NWPS for details.
While Eder Financial generally does not maintain retirement balances of less than $5,000, to give you enough time to make the best financial decision, we will wait to close applicable accounts in late 2026. If the funds returned to you result in an account balance of less than $5,000, you will receive more communication later in 2026 with instructions on how to close your retirement account.
The funds in your new Eder Retirement Plan account, powered by our partner NWPS, will be placed in the money market investment option. This conservative investment will help preserve your balance while you decide what you want to do with your funds. You can change how it is invested at any time.
Log in to the Eder Retirement Plan Member Portal to access your account. You may need to create a username and password to gain access. If you need help accessing your account, contact the Eder Retirement Service Center:
Email: erpservicecenter@nwpretirement.com
Phone: (866) 723-0001
Contact Securian by calling 1-800-272-4772. Reference contract number: 202471
Using an insurance company offers protection to your annuity that Eder Financial cannot provide.
The selected insurance company, Securian, was thoroughly vetted by Eder Financial and its annuity consultant to select the best possible partner. It is a very strong company financially, with a good reputation for customer service. Securian has similar values to Eder Financial including a promise to care for others and keep its word.
Contact Securian by calling 1-800-272-4772. Reference contract number: 202471
Email the Eder Retirement Service Center for the housing allowance designation at erpservicecenter@nwpretirement.com or call them at (866) 723-0001.
Your benefit calculation and payment will be the same amount that you have been receiving, although there may be differences due to tax withholding software. If that happens, call Securian.
Your surviving spouse and beneficiary designations will still apply. Any assured return will be preserved.
Securian will use the same banking account information and there are no additional costs.
Whether a clergy member has taxes withheld or not doesn't affect their housing allowance benefit. If a clergy person typically owes taxes when they file their returns, they might want to choose to have taxes withheld from their retirement income, so they do not need to pay at filing time. It is their decision.
Having taxes withheld will not affect which box gets checked on the 1099-R. The 'taxable amount not determined' box will be checked for all annuitants that transferred from Eder to Securian at the end of 2024.
As the annuity marketplace consolidates, companies with multiple business lines are better positioned to protect you financially in the future. Annuities managed by an insurance company are insured for a minimum of $250,000, providing protection to Eder Financial's annuitants that Eder cannot provide. It is Eder’s fiduciary duty to make this change. While Eder is saddened to not be your service provider beyond 2024, this is good news for all our annuitants.
Yes, Eder Financial will still be the service provider for those individuals who have funds with us that have not yet been converted to an annuity for distribution. Eder has diverse fund options and relationships with other strategic partners who offer investment advice and retirement planning resources. View the Participants section for relevant questions regarding those funds.
Eder Financial is a separate organizational entity from the Church of the Brethren and has been since 1988.
The fund from which the annuities are paid has not been 100% funded for 23 years. Since that time, Eder Financial board and staff members have managed the fund in a manner that preserves the principal but also brings the fund back to fully funded status, which it reached mid-year.
This is a good time for Eder Financial to make this switch because strong investment markets and high interest rates have generated a unique window to transfer the annuities to an insurance company. This enables greater protection for our annuitants. It is a prudent thing to do.
Your existing periodic payment plan distribution is a separate distribution and will not be impacted by the transfer of existing annuities to an insurance company.
For those individuals who still have retirement funds that have not been annuitized, Eder Financial will notify you when an updated copy of the Retirement Plan Handbook is available.
Eder Financial will continue to serve as the retirement plan for current and former employees of churches and organizations until the time they are ready to receive a retirement payment. At that time, participants will have multiple options in how to receive that payment, including an annuity. Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for Participants below for more information.
No, nothing will change. If you are currently contributing, you will continue to make contributions through your employer. You will continue to use our online web portal, powered by NWPS, to review educational materials and make decisions about your investment funds. To access your retirement account, go to: https://ederfinancial.org/Retirement-Member-Portal and click on the Member Portal Login button.
Eder Financial will continue to provide multiple options in the future including a distribution via a periodic payment plan, an annuity, and the continued options of rollouts and lump sum withdrawals. In the future, annuities will not be distributed by Eder Financial, but we will provide access to our recommended platform of choice. Each option has its considerations.
To accommodate the annuity transfer to the insurance company, the Eder Financial board approved plan document amendments and the Eder Financial staff are working to update the Retirement Plan Handbook. We will notify you when the updated retirement handbook is available. Eder looks forward to helping you have a fruitful and rewarding retirement.
You will continue to have multiple options for your retirement funds including a distribution via a periodic payment plan, an annuity, and the continued options of rollouts and lump sum withdrawals.
Eder Financial is looking forward to sharing the enhancements to the retirement plan with you after the board finalizes plan and regulatory amendments and the staff has updated all related documentation.
Yes, your retirement contributions are pre-tax unless you selected a Roth contribution option. To review your current contribution selections, go to: https://ederfinancial.org/Retirement-Member-Portal and click on the Member Portal Login button.
As you save for retirement, you will still have the same 30+ investment options, most of which align with Brethren values. To review your current investment options, go to https://ederfinancial.org/Retirement-Member-Portal and click on the Member Portal Login button.
Eder Financial authorizes a housing allowance designation for retirees and we will continue to provide this designation each year.
Please contact the Eder Retirement Service Center at erpservicecenter@nwpretirement.com or (866) 723-0001.
Email the Eder Retirement Service Center for the housing allowance designation at erpservicecenter@nwpretirement.com or call them at (866) 723-0001.
Access the Retirement Member Portal through the Retirement Member Portal page on our website.
As you approach retirement, you can keep your contributions in the plan. When you are ready to receive a distribution, you have three choices -- a periodic payment plan, an out-of-plan annuity, or a rollover into another retirement vehicle. You may be able to implement a mix of distribution choices too.
Review the Retirement Handbook to learn more about this option. You can model payment scenarios using the Periodic Payment Plan calculator by logging into your retirement account and selecting Resources then Retirement planning. Contact the Eder Retirement Service Center at erpservicecenter@nwpretirement.com or (866) 723-0001 and they will help you initiate the paperwork for distribution.
Eder Retirement plan participants can initially choose to interact with the Hueler annuity platform simply for the purpose of generating potential annuity payment “quotes” and see what their potential numbers look like…that is, just because a participant goes to the Hueler site, they are not immediately locking into an annuity transaction. Hueler encourages Eder plan participants to go and examine their site in this way to get more information & promote understanding of what the Hueler platform offers.
Log into your account and click on the link for Annuity Options. This link will redirect you to Income Solutions®, a program in which you can evaluate annuities and personalize lifetime income scenarios through Think Income. Using this service, you can take advantage of the following benefits:
Participants may only be able to annuitize a portion of their retirement account balance through this program. The annuities are provided by insurance companies that are independent of Eder. Eder does not guarantee that any annuity offered is the least expensive available annuity nor does Eder guarantee the payment of benefits under any annuity. Participants should review the insurance companies and the proposed annuities closely to confirm they are appropriate for the participant’s circumstances.
Contact the Eder Retirement Service Center at erpservicecenter@nwpretirement.com or (866) 723-0001 and they will help you initiate the paperwork for distribution. However, clergy members should be aware that rolling funds out of the Eder Retirement Plan will likely result in the loss of housing allowance eligibility.
An Eder staff member or our strategic partners at Edelman Financial Engines can help. See this article for the value they can provide. https://ederfinancial.org/Retirement-help-Why-Eder-and-EFE-are-the-perfect-team
You can call Eder Financial for a retirement planning consultation or talk to your financial planner.
Access the Retirement Member Portal through the Retirement Member Portal page on our website.
Please call 800-746-1505 and choose option 1, or email us at retirement@eder.org.
Our team is available to assist you during our regular business hours, 8AM-4PM CST.
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Annual Conference
Bethany Seminary
On Earth Peace
Church of the Brethren
1505 Dundee
Avenue,
Elgin, IL
60120
800-746-1505 (toll-free)
847-695-0200 (local)
847-742-0135 (fax)
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