University Human Resources recognizes that the physical, financial, mental and social well-being of our employees is the very foundation for the success of our university community. This initiative is intended to provide you with tools and resources to support and promote employee wellness and build communities of interest around topics relevant to your needs and interests. This webinar series is one of many ways we will support your well-being and we encourage you all to join us in building a strong and caring virtual employee community. Below is a list of the webinars and links to register.
You can also visit our Financial Carrier Consultations page for information related to scheduling one on one consultations with our financial investment carriers.
Financial Wellness & Retirement Planning:
ABP Retirement Planning Overview:
A presentation with LIVE Q&A for members of the ABP retirement system who are contemplating retirement.
- REGISTER HERE (under 'Employee Benefit & Work-Life Programs')
PERS & PFRS Webinars:
A variety of webinar options for member of PERS and PFRS provided by the New Jersey Division of Pensions & Benefits. Topics include Retirement Planning, PERS Retirement Estimates, Submitting an MBOS Retirement Application and Understanding your Pension Benefits.
Voya Cares - Presented by Voya:
Serving the special needs community is an extension of Voya’s vision and mission to help all Rutgers, State University of New Jersey have the quality of life they seek in retirement. We are committed to being a leader in making a positive difference in the lives of individuals with special needs and disabilities — as well as their families, caregivers and other benefactors — by helping them plan, invest and protect their savings.
- 7/7/26 at 2:00pm - REGISTER HERE
Social Security - Presented by Social Security Administration:
This session will provide an overview of Social Security and Medicare for retirement purposes.
- 7/9/2026 at 12:00pm - REGISTER HERE
Financial Literacy - Presented by Voya:
Welcome to Financial Reality Check. We’re going to talk about money and when we’re done, hopefully ,you’ll have a better understanding as to why learning to save money now can potentially have a great effect on your future finances and learn some fun tips on how to save!
Voya’s financial literacy focus is guided by research and experience. We believe that the most impactful financial literacy programs teach employees how to navigate life’s financial milestones and occur right as participants are on the cusp of achieving financial independence.
- 7/14/26 at 12:00pm - REGISTER HERE
Roth Contributions - Presented by Empower (formerly Prudential):
This webinar will explore the two contribution types that are available in both the ABP/ACTS 403(b) plan and the NJ State Employees Deferred Compensation Plan or 457(b) plan: traditional before-tax contributions and Roth after-tax contributions. A representative from Empower will be on hand to:
- compare and contrast these contribution types;
- explain how the Roth contribution option within the Rutgers retirement plans are different from a Roth IRA; and
- provide you with the necessary tools to decide which option best suits your current needs and future expectations.
- 7/15/26 at 2:00 pm - REGISTER HERE
Your future starts now- Presented by Corebridge:
Take the Path to Greater Security in Retirement
- 7/16/26 at 12:00pm - REGISTER HERE
What you need to know about Social Security - Presented by TIAA:
Discover Social Security essentials and strategies to help maximize retirement income, including spousal, survivor, and disability benefits.
- 7/21/26 at 10:00am - REGISTER HERE
Tax and Estate Planning - Presented by MetLife:
Our Tax and Estate Planning workshop provides a clear overview of what estate planning is and why it plays an important role in protecting your legacy and loved ones. We'll discuss the key benefits of estate planning and review the primary tools commonly used, including wills, trusts, gifting strategies, and life insurance.
You'll also be introduced to simple estate planning design concepts — such as the "What's Mine Is Yours" and "I'll Pick Up the Tab" strategies — to help illustrate how different approaches can work in practice. While every situation is unique, this session is designed to give you the foundational knowledge needed to feel comfortable starting your estate planning conversations.
- 7/29/26 at 10:00am - REGISTER HERE
Planning for Long Term Care - Presented by MetLife:
Our Planning for Long Term Care workshop provides a clear overview of the tools used to address extended care costs and preserve wealth, helping families plan ahead with confidence. This educational workshop explores current trends in long-term care (LTC) planning, including traditional and hybrid LTC solutions, annuities with LTC riders, and life insurance with LTC benefits. Attendees will gain insight into evolving state tax legislation, caregiver impacts, and how to strategically protect assets while planning for future care needs. Whether you're just starting to think about long-term care or looking to refine your existing plan, this session is designed to give you the knowledge and clarity needed to make informed decisions for yourself and those you love.
- 8/6/26 at 10:00am - REGISTER HERE (Rescheduled from 8/4/2026)
Social Security - Presented by Social Security Administration:
This session will provide an overview of Social Security and Medicare for retirement purposes.
- 8/12/2026 at 12:00pm - REGISTER HERE
Deferred Compensation - Presented by Empower (formerly Prudential):
This session will discuss deferred compensation and provide information regarding the opportunity to voluntarily shelter a portion of your wages from federal income taxes while saving for retirement.
- 8/13/26 at 12:00pm - REGISTER HERE
How to get the most out of your retirement income - Presented by TIAA:
Discover how to maximize your retirement income to ensure your financial security doesn’t stop when you stop working.
- 8/18/26 at 10:00am - REGISTER HERE
TIAA Financial Wellness: https://www.tiaa.org/public/land/rutgersfinancialwellness
VOYA Retirement Seminar Library: https://www.voya.com/voyalearn
Empower's Education on Demand Library: https://www.nj.gov/treasury/pensions/
Previously Recorded Sessions:
Parenting During a Pandemic - How to Keep Your Sanity – hosted by Dr. Maurice Elias
Advice on the best ways to cope with and make the best of the new way of life—and the new stressors caused by the global health crisis.
Dr. Maurice Elias
Dr. Maurice Elias is a Professor of Psychology, Rutgers; Director, Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab; Co-Director, Collaborative Center for Community-Based Research and Service; Co-Director, Academy for SEL in Schools.
He is Past President of the Society for Community Research and Action/Division of Community Psychology (27) of APA and has received the SCRA Distinguished Contribution to Practice and Ethnic Minority Mentoring Awards, as well as APA’s National Psychological Consultants to Management Award, the Joseph E. Zins Memorial Senior Scholar Award for Social-Emotional Learning from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the John P. McGovern Medal from the American School Health Association, and the Sanford McDonnell Award for Lifetime Achievement in Character Education.
Dr. Elias lectures nationally and internationally to educators and parents about students’ emotional intelligence, school success, and social-emotional and character development. Dr. Elias writes a blog for the George Lucas Educational Foundation’s Edutopia Website.
Stress & Coping – hosted by Dr. Kristen Riley
In these stressful times during the COVID-19 pandemic and racism pandemic and social movement, coping strategies are important.
Dr. Riley will present about stress and coping during a pandemic, will conduct two relaxation coping exercises (progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing), and will help participants create SMART goals for coping strategies.
Dr. Kristen Riley
Kristen E. Riley is an Assistant Professor at GSAPP. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a certificate in health psychology is from the University of Connecticut, and completed a health psychology internship at the Miami VA Medical Center and postdoctoral fellowship in cancer prevention at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Her program of research decreases unhealthy behaviors and increases access to care, with a focus on health disparities. Specifically, she studies stigma, rumination, superstition, mindfulness, tobacco, and sleep, and she uses dissemination and implementation science to integrate behavioral medicine into medical settings to improve access to care and get interventions to those who need them most.
Dr. Riley is the chief of the Health Policy Council at the Society for Health Psychology at the American Psychological Association. She promotes integrated care teamwork as a member of the Interprofessional Education Faculty Advisory Council. She is an affiliate member of the Department of Psychology, Center for Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, and the Center for Tobacco Studies at the School of Public Health, is a member of Women’s Health and Psychiatry at RWJBarnabas Health, and is an associate member of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey in Cancer Prevention and Control. She is fluent in Spanish.
Dr. Riley is currently working on several lines of research GSAPP, including:
- LGBTQ+ smoking cessation
- Lung cancer stigma and anti-tobacco public health campaigns
- Integrating psychology into primary care and medical settings
- Spanish speaking insomnia treatment
- Ultra-brief mindfulness interventions
- Maternal mortality and morbidity in Black women
The Growing Challenge of Suicide in America – hosted by Dr. Edward Selby and Dr. Evan Kleiman
Discussing trends in suicidal behavior and personal clinical factors such as suicide risk assessment and self-care.
- VIEW RECORDED SESSION | Password: iDxQpEi6
Dr. Evan Kleiman
Evan Kleiman is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University. Prior to coming to Rutgers, Dr. Kleiman was a Postdoctoral Fellow (2014-2017) and Research Associate at Harvard University. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at George Mason University (2014), completed his clinical psychology internship at Temple University (2014), and received his BA in Psychology from Temple University (2008). Dr. Kleiman’s work focuses on understanding the everyday occurrence of factors of interest to clinical psychological scientists. He has a specific focus on the everyday lives of individuals at risk for suicide using smartphone and wearable monitoring technology. His work has been published in over 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts and is currently funded by several NIMH grants. He has been the recipient of several awards for his research and was named a “rising star” in 2020 by the Association for Psychological Science.
Dr. Edward Selby
Dr. Edward Selby specializes in the research and treatment of suicidal and self-injurious behavior, personality disorders, and eating disorders. A major focus of his research on these disorders involves emotion dysregulation and the use of self-sabotaging behaviors, such as binging and purging, self-injury, alcohol and substance use, fighting or reckless driving, to distract from upsetting emotions. Dr. Selby completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at The Florida State University in 2011, following completion of his psychology residency at Brown University – Warren Alpert Medical School in 2011. He previously earned his M.S. in clinical psychology from The Florida State University in 2007, and he completed a B.S. in Physiology and Neuroscience and a B.A. in Psychology at the University of Wyoming in 2005. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters. He was the recipient of a predoctoral National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Mental Health, and he has received several national awards for his research including the Neil S. Jacobson Award for Outstanding and Innovative Clinical Research from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the American Psychological Association Division 12 Distinguished Student Research Award. In his free time, Dr. Selby enjoys running, learning new languages, and spending time with his family.
Increasing Valued Living During COVID-19 – hosted by Dr. Samantha Farris
Describe common psychological reactions during COVID-19 and introduce valued living as a strategy to improve mood and well-being.
- VIEW RECORDED SESSION | Password: FnvFCUk2
Dr. Samantha Farris
Dr. Farris is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, a licensed clinical psychologist, and is the Director of The Rutgers Emotion, Health and Behavior (REHAB) Laboratory. Dr. Farris’ research focuses on understanding the link between how and why fear and anxiety contribute to problem health behaviors and chronic disease and developing novel behavioral interventions that target anxiety to improve both physical and mental health.
Mindfulness – hosted by Dr. Kristen Riley
Mindfulness has been shown to confer benefits to mental and physical health, which are especially important during the coronavirus pandemic and the racism pandemic. Didactics about mindfulness, discussion of mindfulness interventions and apps, and two mindfulness practices will be incorporated in this presentation.
Dr. Kristen Riley
Kristen E. Riley is an Assistant Professor at GSAPP. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a certificate in health psychology is from the University of Connecticut, and completed a health psychology internship at the Miami VA Medical Center and postdoctoral fellowship in cancer prevention at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Her program of research decreases unhealthy behaviors and increases access to care, with a focus on health disparities. Specifically, she studies stigma, rumination, superstition, mindfulness, tobacco, and sleep, and she uses dissemination and implementation science to integrate behavioral medicine into medical settings to improve access to care and get interventions to those who need them most.
Dr. Riley is the chief of the Health Policy Council at the Society for Health Psychology at the American Psychological Association. She promotes integrated care teamwork as a member of the Interprofessional Education Faculty Advisory Council. She is an affiliate member of the Department of Psychology, Center for Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, and the Center for Tobacco Studies at the School of Public Health, is a member of Women’s Health and Psychiatry at RWJBarnabas Health, and is an associate member of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey in Cancer Prevention and Control. She is fluent in Spanish.
Dr. Riley is currently working on several lines of research GSAPP, including:
- LGBTQ+ smoking cessation
- Lung cancer stigma and anti-tobacco public health campaigns
- Integrating psychology into primary care and medical settings
- Spanish speaking insomnia treatment
- Ultra-brief mindfulness interventions
- Maternal mortality and morbidity in Black women