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Key Questions for Garrett Motion Employees to Explore When Evaluating an Early Retirement Package

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Healthcare Provider Update: Garrett Motion offers health and life insurance, annual health checkups, and mental health support. Employees benefit from retirement plans, relocation bonuses, and performance incentives. The company promotes learning through peer-to-peer training and digital communities. Paid time off includes maternity, paternity, and sabbatical leave 10. Garrett Motion As ACA premiums rise, Garrett Motions employer-sponsored coverage and global learning culture help employees maintain affordable healthcare and career growth. Click here to learn more

With the economic downturn and recession looming, companies across various industries are facing an uncertain future. We have been planning with Garrett Motion client's retirement for decades, and when an offer comes along, you typically don’t much time to act on it. Many give only 2 weeks to 30 days to make a decision. Many organizations are being forced to cut expenses to stay afloat, and unfortunately, that means workforce cuts in the form of furloughs, payroll reductions and forced layoffs. 

You have spent decades planning for retirement. Just when you think you have everything figured out and a concrete retirement plan in place, you’re thrown a curveball. Garrett Motion has offered you an early retirement or voluntary separation package.

You were planning on retiring in a few years. Now what?

If you’ve received an early retirement offer, accepting it doesn’t mean you must retire from the workforce altogether. It just means that you can no longer work for Garrett Motion. If you think you may be getting an early retirement package, here are questions to consider as you review your offer. 

What is an early retirement offer?

Does it include health benefits?

How does it affect my retirement assets?

How does it impact social security benefits?

What if I don’t want to retire, or can’t afford to?

Can I negotiate my offer?

What if I don’t accept my early retirement offer?

What is An Early Retirement Offer?

Early retirement packages, also known as retirement buyouts, are generally offered to employees who may be approaching retirement age, usually in a company’s efforts to reduce its overall costs. 

These packages may include perks in addition to standard severance benefits. For example, an employer may offer an extended salary continuation, a lump sum, payment of healthcare benefits or additional years of service to help employees reach the required time needed to collect a pension.

Some employers may even pay for career counseling or placement services to help you find your next job (if you want or need to keep working), but that benefit may be limited in the current environment.

Does my retirement offer include health benefits?

Health care has become one of the largest expenses for a retiree, even with good insurance. For many, a company’s contribution to your family’s health insurance premium is critical to keeping medical insurance and care affordable.

If you are lucky, your voluntary severance package will extend your health benefits. Companies may include health insurance benefits for a period of time in an early retirement package, but this varies by employer. If your offer from Garrett Motion includes medical coverage, make sure you understand how long you’re covered for and to what extent. If health benefits aren’t part of your initial offer, consider negotiating for any crucial coverage and premium benefits. Health insurance will be needed until you are age 65 and become eligible for Medicare. However, not all those offered an early retirement package are so lucky.

If you will be on your own paying for health insurance after accepting an early retirement offer from Garrett Motion, COBRA insurance is always available. COBRA may extend your family’s coverage for up to 18 months. But this coverage is expensive. You might be able to get added to your spouse's health plan if they are still working. 

If you still want to work, look into a company that offers health benefits to get you to age 65 You also have the option of entering the open market for an insurance policy. If you don’t have healthcare benefits or don’t yet qualify for Medicare, you may want to consider purchasing a health insurance policy from the Health Insurance Marketplace. 

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For example, a 60-year-old on a Silver-level plan may pay an average monthly premium of $1,216 in 2022, but this also does not include out-of-pocket expenses, such as deductibles, copays, or coinsurance.

Before making a decision about an early retirement offer from Garrett Motion, determine if your severance package includes any health care benefits. If not, price out other health care options, such as those available on  Heathcare.gov Can the added expenses be supported with your retirement savings?

How does an early retirement package affect my retirement assets?

Retirement accounts

If you have a Garrett Motion-sponsored 401(k) plan and are 100% vested, then that money is yours to keep. After leaving Garrett Motion, you can consider rolling your 401(k) over to a new or existing IRA.

Workers who are 55 or older that take an early retirement package may be eligible to withdraw money from their Garrett Motion-sponsored retirement plan, such as a  401(k) , without paying the 10% IRS penalty. This only applies if withdrawing from a current employer’s retirement plan, not any past employer. Just keep in mind that while you won’t have to pay the 10% penalty, you will have to pay income taxes on withdrawals from your 401(k). 

Note: Rule of 55 works only if you leave money in your 401(K)

Another method to avoid the 10% penalty is to utilize 72t if you rolled you money into an IRA.  You will need to take Substantially equal payments for 5 year or at age 59 1/2, whichever is later.

Accepting an early retirement offer or voluntary severance package from Garrett Motion may require you to begin withdrawals from your 401(k), IRA, or other retirement accounts sooner than you originally expected.

Extra years of retirement can take a toll on your retirement nest egg. In fact, retiring earlier than planned can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra expenses that your retirement portfolio must now support. It may also limit the growth of your assets already invested since you have to spend instead of saving.

Can your retirement portfolio withstand fewer years of contributions and more years of withdrawals? This is the first question you need to answer when making your decision.

When we help Garrett Motion clients answer this question, we commonly use a cash flow analysis. This allows us to simulate different scenarios side-by-side, and quickly see the impact accepting – or declining – an early severance offer will have on your financial plan.

Pensions

Garrett Motion employees who have earned a pension may worry that taking early retirement will affect their monthly benefits. Many pension plans partly determine monthly benefits based on how long an employee has worked for the company, so leaving early could reduce that monthly figure.

To offset these concerns, Garrett Motion may increase the total number of years of service as part of the early retirement package. This can help bridge the gap for those who would receive a reduced pension as a result of retiring early.

Social Security benefits 

An early retirement package from Garrett Motion can affect your Social Security benefits if you leave the workforce before working for a total of 35 years. The Social Security Administration averages your highest-earning 35 years of employment to decide your monthly benefits. For example, if you only worked for 32 years, then the government would add a $0 salary for three years to come up with your 35-year average. That means those three years of unemployment would technically count “against” you.

One potential consequence of accepting an early retirement offer is a reduction in Social Security benefits. Your future pension payments may also be reduced, depending on the language in your separation package.

If you accept an early retirement package, the benefits listed on your statement is not what you will receive. These estimated Social Security benefits assume that you continue to work for Garrett Motion and make your current salary. As a retiree who accepts an early voluntary severance package, your future income will likely be reduced. This means potentially lower future Social Security payments.

Likewise, your pension statement likely makes assumptions on years of service. If you accept an early retirement offer, your years of service may be less than what your pension statement assumes.

The first step is to determine what your Social Security or pension benefits will be if you accept the early retirement package. We use several different cash flow analyses to determine your future pension benefits and your optimal Social Security selection. Calculating your optimal Social Security and pension depends on the options you have available, your savings, and your spending needs.

Pensions, and particularly pension benefits for those who retire early, often have options for increased payments until the retiree reaches Social Security age. This is usually referred to as a ‘Social Security Offset’ option. This option adds more to your early benefits, but your lifetime benefits may be reduced.

You also will have to consider what portion of your pension would be left to your spouse if you were to pass away in retirement. For most, the peace of mind by ensuring their spouse will receive a sizeable pension, is best. However, this will leave you with lower monthly benefits.

You may know that your monthly Social Security benefit is increased the longer you delay beginning your benefit. But that requires you to likely draw down on your retirement savings more early on in retirement. Social Security increases its payouts by 6.7% to 8.3%, plus an additional increment for inflation, for every year a beneficiary between ages 62 and 70 refrains from collecting a check.  Sometimes delaying collecting benefits for just one year could have a huge impact on a successful retirement for married couples. It may make sense for the lower-earning spouse to claim benefits early, while the higher-earning spouse delays.

Therefore, not only is it important to known which Social Security strategy gets you the most money in total, but also which options fits best with your retirement plan. If you are evaluating the early retirement offer on your own, you can start by using the  Social Security Administration’s Benefits Estimator .

From there, you can enter estimated future income to arrive at an estimated correct Social Security benefit. Once you have this updated, compare your new estimate to your monthly expenses. What impact will this reduced benefit reduction will have on your retirement plan and anticipated retirement account withdrawals?

Accepting an early retirement offer may force you to tap into your retirement savings, such as your 401(k) or IRA earlier, or it may mean changing when you will need to begin receiving Social Security benefits.

Unemployment benefits

If you decide to take an early retirement package, you may still be eligible for unemployment in certain circumstances. Your state may have its own qualifications, such as a specific period of service with a company before you can claim unemployment after leaving Garrett Motion.

What if I don’t want to retire early, or I can’t afford to?

If you're unsure about your financial future, you might consider working with a financial advisor to go over your finances and how an early exit package may impact your retirement plans.  

If you can’t retire just yet, try to determine if a part-time job will be enough to fill the gaps. If not, can you at least afford to take a pay cut with your next job? If so, how much? Try to map out these answers while also thinking about ways you can cut back on expenses and adjust your budget to accommodate your new income. 

If you end up landing another job, your early retirement package won’t be impacted. However, you may want to check for a non-compete disclosure that could prevent you from working with one of Garrett Motion's competitor for a specified time.

Can I negotiate my early retirement offer?

Just as you would negotiate a salary for a job offer, consider negotiating an early retirement package, too. Some employers may be willing to offer more money in the form of extended salary coverage or a lump-sum, better healthcare benefits or an addition to your years of service. Of course, they may decline, but you won’t know if you don’t ask.

If You Accept a Voluntary Separation Package – Consider Roth Conversions

Roth conversions can be an incredibly valuable tool for those who accept an early retirement offer. They can increase asset longevity and reduce total taxes paid during their retirement.  

For those with retirement account assets in tax deferred retirement savings accounts (like 401(k)s and IRAs), an  early retirement offer opens up the potential to save significantly on future taxes . Those who accept an early retirement buyout offer from Garrett Motion will likely be facing a year or two of reduced income before Social Security benefits kick in. These years of reduced income can be the perfect time to convert some assets within your 401(k) or traditional IRA into a Roth IRA.

What if I don’t accept my early retirement offer?

Rejecting an Early Severance Offer

Of course, you have the option to say no to any voluntary severance package offered by Garrett Motion.

If you want to continue working, or are unable to retire early, this may be your best option. Working additional years can lead to pay raises, promotions, increased Social Security and pension payments, and increased financial stability. However, rejecting an early retirement offer has potential drawbacks, too.

First, there is no guarantee that Garrett Motion will repeat the early retirement offer in the future. Assuming that another offer will come later is not always a wise move. Second, and more importantly, realize that companies offers an early severance package to its employees to cut costs. If the company’s finances do not improve, there may be much worse outcomes in the future. Garrett Motion may make layoffs, reduce employee pay, or eliminate other benefits.

 

 

What retirement savings plan does Garrett Motion offer to its employees?

Garrett Motion offers a 401(k) Savings Plan to help employees save for retirement.

How can employees of Garrett Motion enroll in the 401(k) Savings Plan?

Employees can enroll in the Garrett Motion 401(k) Savings Plan through the company’s HR portal or by contacting the HR department for assistance.

Does Garrett Motion provide any matching contributions to the 401(k) Savings Plan?

Yes, Garrett Motion offers a matching contribution to the 401(k) Savings Plan, which helps employees maximize their retirement savings.

What is the vesting schedule for the Garrett Motion 401(k) matching contributions?

The vesting schedule for Garrett Motion's matching contributions typically follows a standard schedule, which employees can review in the plan documents or by consulting HR.

Can employees of Garrett Motion change their contribution percentage to the 401(k) Savings Plan?

Yes, employees can change their contribution percentage to the Garrett Motion 401(k) Savings Plan at any time, subject to plan rules.

What types of investment options are available in the Garrett Motion 401(k) Savings Plan?

The Garrett Motion 401(k) Savings Plan offers a variety of investment options, including mutual funds, target-date funds, and other investment vehicles.

Is there a minimum contribution requirement for the Garrett Motion 401(k) Savings Plan?

Yes, there may be a minimum contribution requirement for the Garrett Motion 401(k) Savings Plan, which employees should verify with HR or the plan documents.

What happens to my Garrett Motion 401(k) Savings Plan if I leave the company?

If you leave Garrett Motion, you can choose to roll over your 401(k) balance into another retirement account, withdraw the funds, or leave it in the Garrett Motion plan if permitted.

Are there any fees associated with the Garrett Motion 401(k) Savings Plan?

Yes, there may be administrative fees associated with the Garrett Motion 401(k) Savings Plan, which are disclosed in the plan documents.

Can employees take loans against their 401(k) Savings Plan with Garrett Motion?

Yes, Garrett Motion allows employees to take loans against their 401(k) Savings Plan, subject to specific terms and conditions outlined in the plan.

With the current political climate we are in it is important to keep up with current news and remain knowledgeable about your benefits.
Employee Pension Plan Name of Pension Plan: Garrett Motion Pension Plan Years of Service and Age Qualification: Employees are generally eligible for the pension plan after meeting specific service and age requirements, typically 5 years of service and age 55. Pension Formula: The pension benefit is often calculated based on a formula that includes years of service and average salary. Specifics can vary, so it's essential to check the plan documents. Source: Garrett Motion Form 10-K (Annual Report) Page Number: 54 (2022) 401(k) Plan Name of 401(k) Plan: Garrett Motion 401(k) Savings Plan Eligibility: Employees are generally eligible to participate in the 401(k) plan upon hiring. The plan allows employees to contribute a portion of their salary to the account. Qualifications: Employees must meet specific criteria, such as being a regular full-time employee, to qualify for company matching contributions. Source: Garrett Motion Form 10-K (Annual Report) Page Number: 60 (2022)
Restructuring and Layoffs: In 2023, Garrett Motion announced a strategic restructuring plan aimed at streamlining operations and reducing costs. This plan included workforce reductions and the consolidation of certain facilities. The company reported that these changes were essential to enhancing operational efficiency and addressing market challenges. With the current economic environment being volatile, including inflation and fluctuating market conditions, it is crucial for employees and stakeholders to be aware of these developments as they can significantly impact job security and operational stability.
Garrett Motion (GTX) offers stock options and restricted stock units (RSUs) under its 2018 Stock Incentive Plan to its employees and directors. These stock-based awards are designed to align employees' interests with the long-term success of the company. Garrett Motion has granted stock options that typically vest over three years, with a 10-year expiration period. RSUs are a common feature for mid-to-high-level employees, vesting annually over three years. According to Garrett’s SEC filings, RSUs and stock options have been distributed to eligible employees and directors in 2022, 2023, and 2024, depending on their performance and role​
Company's Official Website: Review the health benefits section or any relevant reports for the latest details on health benefits. Financial and Corporate Reports: Check annual reports or filings (such as 10-Ks) that might provide insight into employee benefits. HR and Employee Review Websites: Look at Glassdoor, Indeed, or similar sites for employee reviews and details on health benefits. News and Press Releases: Search recent news articles or press releases for any updates on changes to health benefits. Industry Publications and Reports: Look for industry-specific reports or publications that might detail trends or changes in employee health benefits for Garrett Motion. Garrett Motion Health Benefits Information Official Website: 2022: Garrett Motion’s official site provided details on health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision plans. They offered a variety of plan options, including high-deductible health plans (HDHP) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). 2023: The company updated its benefits package to include improved wellness programs, telemedicine services, and enhanced mental health resources. 2024: As of early 2024, Garrett Motion continued to offer a comprehensive range of health benefits, including preventive care, wellness programs, and flexible spending accounts (FSAs). Specific plan details are often updated annually. Financial and Corporate Reports: 2022 Annual Report: The report mentioned a focus on employee well-being, including mental health and work-life balance initiatives. Specific spending on health benefits was not detailed. 2023 Filing: The company highlighted investments in employee health programs and benefits enhancements to attract and retain talent. Specific changes included better coverage options and support for remote workers. 2024 Filing: Recent filings indicate ongoing investments in employee health benefits, with an emphasis on expanding access to mental health services and wellness initiatives. HR and Employee Review Websites: Glassdoor: Employee reviews from 2022 and 2023 indicate generally positive feedback on Garrett Motion’s health benefits. Employees appreciated the variety of plan options and wellness programs. Indeed: Reviews also highlight satisfaction with the health benefits package, particularly the availability of telehealth services and mental health support. Some reviews noted that while the benefits are competitive, they could be improved in terms of cost coverage. News and Press Releases: Recent News: In recent months, Garrett Motion has been noted for its commitment to employee well-being, with several press releases emphasizing new initiatives in mental health support and telemedicine services. Industry Publications and Reports: 2023 Industry Report: Industry reports indicate that Garrett Motion has been aligning its health benefits with industry standards, focusing on enhancing employee wellness and offering flexible benefits packages to meet diverse needs. Healthcare-Related Terms and Acronyms HDHP: High-Deductible Health Plan HSA: Health Savings Account FSA: Flexible Spending Account Telemedicine: Remote medical consultation services Wellness Programs: Initiatives focused on improving overall health and well-being This summary should provide a clear overview of Garrett Motion's health benefits landscape over the specified years. If you need more detailed information or additional companies, feel free to ask!
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For more information you can reach the plan administrator for Garrett Motion at , ; or by calling them at .

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1735707/000119312518288687/d622124dex23.htm https://contracts.justia.com/companies/garrett-motion-inc-6154/contract/181030/ https://investors.garrettmotion.com/financial-information https://last10k.com/sec-filings/gtx https://www.garrettmotion.com/news/media/press-release/garrett-motion-delivers-strong-2023-issues-2024-outlook/

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