PERAC Memo #25 - 2026: Mandatory Retirement Board Member Training – 4th Quarter, 2026

Mandatory Retirement Board Member Training – 4th Quarter, 2026

Summary

This memo restates the Chapter 32 mandatory training requirement for retirement board members: 18 credits over the course of a member's term, with at least 3 credits earned in each year of the term, and failure to meet either standard prohibits the member from serving beyond the end of the term in which the requirement was not met. It lists the 4th-quarter 2026 training schedule (live and on-demand webinars, conferences, Open Meeting Law, Fraud Awareness, NCTR, NPEA, NCPERS events, New Administrator Training on November 4 in Woburn, and the MACRS Fall Conference December 1-3 in Quincy, offering up to 9 credits with required sign-in at each session). Credits for PERAC-run live webinars, New Administrator Training, and MACRS are applied automatically by staff, provided members register with their full name and the email on record. For all other trainings, members must submit a Training Affidavit in PROSPER, and where non-PERAC training offers a Certificate of Completion, the certificate must be submitted through PROSPER to receive credit. Conflict of Interest Law training now requires creating a login on mass.gov, with a certificate required and credit awarded only once every two years; boards not listed in the dropdown should contact the State Ethics Commission directly. PERAC will also consider credit requests for other organizations' events if approval is requested well in advance of the event.

Full Text

M E M O R A N D U M

TO: All Retirement Boards
FROM: Bill Keefe, Executive Director
RE: Mandatory Retirement Board Member Training – 4th Quarter, 2026
DATE: September 30, 2026 Chapter 32 mandates retirement board members to complete training during each year of service on the retirement board. This requirement has two elements: 18 credits over the course of the member’s term and at least 3 credits in each year of the term. Failure to meet either of these statutory standards will prohibit the member from serving beyond the conclusion of the term for which the training requirement was not met. We urge board members to utilize the full array of training choices in order to remain eligible to serve. All classes, webinars, seminars, and conferences listed will earn three credits each, unless otherwise noted.
Ways to receive your credits: • Credits for attending live PERAC webinars, the New Administrator Training, and the MACRS Conference are automatically updated by PERAC staff approximately one week after each event. o All attendees must register through the links available on our website.
o Board members seeking educational credits – it is important that you register with your full name and the email address we have on record so we can accurately update your account.

• You must submit a completed Training Affidavit in PROSPER for all other trainings, including pre-recorded PERAC webinars and pre-approved webinar and conference attendance. Any session listed under sections I, II, and III are pre-approved.
• If a Certificate of Completion is offered for training not directly provided by or sponsored by PERAC, you must submit the certificate through PROSPER to receive credit.
• Please note the full name of the recorded session you have viewed when submitting a Training Affidavit in PROSPER.
• Some sessions require pre-registration. Check individual sessions for closing dates. The Commission appreciates all the retirement board members who are making a good faith effort to fulfill their duties and responsibilities. We look forward to seeing you in December at the MACRS Conference, which will be held at a new location in Quincy, MA.

PERAC Memo #25/2026 - Page Two

I. Training Schedule Dates (pre-registration is required) Date/Time Topic/Organization Registration / Location September 30 COLA Reform Informational Session Register (webinar only) 1:00 p.m. PERAC Hybrid Webinar/In Person October 1 Fraud Awareness Register 1:00 p.m. OIG Academy Webinar October 3-6 NCTR Annual Conference Register NCTR Coeur d’Alene, Idaho October 7 Investment Consultant Perspectives Register 2:00 p.m. NCPERS Webinar October 7 Open Meeting Law Register 3:00 p.m. AGO Webinar October 17-21 NPEA Annual Conference Register NPEA Indianapolis, Indiana October 21 Fraud Awareness Register 1:00 p.m. OIG Academy Webinar October 24-25 Fiduciary in Focus Workshop Register NCPERS Nashville, TN October 24-25 Advanced Fiduciary Institute Register NCPERS Nashville, TN October 25-28 Public Safety Conference Register NCPERS Nashville, TN October 26 Open Meeting Law Register 11:30 a.m. AGO Webinar November 4 New Administrator Training Register 8:00 a.m. PERAC Woburn, MA November 9 Boards and Commissions Register 1:00 p.m. OIG Academy Webinar November 10 Recent Cases of Interest Register 10:00 a.m. PERAC Webinar November 19 Open Meeting Law Register 6:00 p.m. AGO Webinar

PERAC Memo #25/2026 - Page Three

Date/Time Topic/Organization Registration / Location November 24 Understanding Leadership Register 10:00 a.m. OIG Academy Webinar November 30 Fraud Awareness Register 10:00 a.m. OIG Academy Webinar December 1-3 MACRS Fall Conference Register MACRS Quincy, MA December 11 Understanding Leadership Register 10:00 a.m. OIG Academy Webinar December 17 Open Meeting Law Register 10:30 a.m. AGO Webinar December 14 Fraud Awareness Register 1:00 p.m. OIG Academy Webinar March 11 New Administrator Training Registration opens next year!
Norwood, MA

II. Recently Added or Recurring Pre-Approved Online Training
(available on demand) Organization Topic Office of the Inspector General Inspector General Videos
You must watch all three videos Office of the Attorney General Open Meeting Law Training You must watch all six videos PERAC New webinars added:
• History of Call Fire Fighter and PIPO’s • Retirement Board Best Practices National Conference on Public Employee Retirement New webinars added: • AI In Public Pensions: What the Data Tells Us • Building an AI Strategy for Public Pension Systems • How AI is Reshaping Pension Administration Links to all of the above resources can be found on PERAC’s Education page at
mass.gov/perac-education. Members can view the recordings and receive 3 educational credits by completing a Training Affidavit in PROSPER.

PERAC Memo #25/2026 - Page Four

III. Conflict of Interest Online Training (three credits) The State Ethics Commission no longer offers live webinars for the Conflict of Interest Law training. Users must create a login to take the training and receive a certificate: • Complete the Conflict of Interest Law Education requirements on the mass.gov website.
• If your retirement system is not listed in the dropdown menu, please have your board contact the State Ethics Commission at ethicstraining@mass.gov. They will add organizations upon request. • A certificate of completion is still required to receive credit for this training and credits may only be awarded once every two years.

IV. New Administrator Training
Our next New Administrator training will be on November 4, 2026, in Woburn. The same training will be repeated again next spring in Norwood on March 11, 2027.

These all-day trainings are designed for newer administrators and board staff with less than five years of experience, however, board members are welcome.

Date: November 4, 2026, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Location: Crown Plaza, 15 Middlesex Canal Park Drive, Woburn, MA 01801
Credits: Retirement board members who attend will receive three educational credits.

Register through PROSPER. If an individual wishing to attend does not have access to PROSPER, please contact Rose Morrison at rose.a.morrison@mass.gov. Please contact Natacha Dunker at natacha.a.dunker@mass.gov to request a reasonable accommodation.

V. MACRS Conference
PERAC will be presenting at the MACRS Kevin J. Regan Fall Conference to be held at a new location in Quincy on December 1 – 3. More information on agenda and credits will be available as the date approaches, but we offered 9 credits at the spring MACRS Conference. Board members must be present and sign in at each session where credit is being offered to ensure they receive proper credit.

Date: December 1 – 3, 2026 Location: Marriott Boston Quincy, 1000 Marriott Drive, Quincy, Massachusetts, 02169 (note: GPS recommends 1200 Crown Colony Drive)
Credits: Retirement board members can earn up to 9 educational credits.

PERAC Memo #25/2026 - Page Five

VI. Other Opportunities to Obtain Educational Credit The Commission is willing to approve other educational credits for a variety of events sponsored by “...local, state, regional and national organizations recognized by the Commission as having expertise in retirement issues of importance to retirement board members or other entities...”

Additionally, the Commission has approved education credit for participating in webinars. We will entertain requests for credit in relation to relevant webinars provided that such a request is made well in advance of the session.

Approval for credit must take place well in advance of the date of the event or webinar.
This will enable the Commission to analyze the program and provide a general notice to other retirement board members to maximize participation. Once approved, you must complete the Training Affidavit in PROSPER to ensure proper credit. Board members experiencing Extenuating Circumstances in meeting educational requirements should review Memo 15 of 2019 and contact PERAC with any questions.
The following list of local and national organizations provide additional educational opportunities that may be relevant for retirement board members:

• American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) • City/Town Sponsored Conflict of Interest or Open Meeting Law Training • Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) • International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) • MA Association of School Committees Open Meeting Law Training • MA Town Clerks Association Ethics Training • National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA) • National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS) • National Council on Teacher Retirement (NCTR) • National Pension Education Association (NPEA)