About Pension Start Guide

Pension Start Guide is an independent publisher of plain-language guides that walk teachers and public employees through retiring from their US state or local pension system, and their families through claiming survivor benefits.

Pension Start Guide is preparing its first 25 guides; each guide's page opens for purchase when the guide is published.

What Pension Start Guide does

Retirement application guides (in preparation)

Each retirement application guide follows one pension system's own forms, deadlines and elections, from reading the benefit estimate to the first payment. The member ends up with the steps in order and the questions to ask the system's counselors.

Survivor benefits guides (in preparation)

Each survivor benefits guide covers claiming from one pension system after a member or retiree dies: who to contact, which benefit applies and which documents prove it. The family ends up with the claim steps and their deadlines.

What Pension Start Guide is not

Pension Start Guide is not a financial planner or an advisory firm, and does not give investment or financial advice.
Pension Start Guide is not a retirement system publication and does not speak for any pension system.
Pension Start Guide is not a pension calculator.
Pension Start Guide is not a forms seller; every pension system publishes its forms free.

Pension Start Guide guides explain published rules and processes in plain language. They are general information, not investment, financial, tax or legal advice. Pension Start Guide has no affiliation with any retirement system, government employer, union or retiree association.

What makes Pension Start Guide different

One pension system per guide

Each Pension Start Guide guide follows a single system, such as CalPERS, TRS of Texas or NYSLRS, through its own forms and deadlines. A system's handbook is written for every member at once; the guide puts one member's steps in order.

Trade-offs, not recommendations

A financial adviser recommends a choice. Pension Start Guide explains what each payout option does and what to ask, and never says which option to choose.

Up to date on the WEP and GPO repeal

The Social Security Fairness Act, signed on 5 January 2025, repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset for benefits payable from January 2024. Pension Start Guide treats both as repealed, although many pension handbooks still describe them.

Other places people look for this help include each retirement system's own website and counselors, financial advisers who work with teachers, SmartAsset, PensionMath and union and retiree-association pre-retirement seminars.

Who uses Pension Start Guide

Teachers, school staff and college employees one to two years from retiring under a state or local pension system.
State and local government workers, including police and firefighters, preparing a retirement application.
Spouses, partners, children and other beneficiaries claiming survivor or death benefits after a member or retiree dies.

Who Pension Start Guide is not for

Federal employees, whose retirement is covered by the sister site Fed Retirement Start Guide.
Members of private-sector or union pension plans.
Anyone looking for investment advice.

Who publishes Pension Start Guide

Pension Start Guide is published by LONUT (UEN 53462899X), an independent business registered in Singapore.

Pension Start Guide does not name individual authors and claims no professional credentials. Guides and articles are published under the Pension Start Guide name.

Pension Start Guide uses AI research and writing tools to compile research reports and to draft its guides and articles. A separate fact-checking pass compares each guide with its research reports and corrects errors before the guide is released.

Readers can report an error, an outdated rule or a problem with an order by email at hello@pensionstartguide.com. Email is the only support channel.

How Pension Start Guide works

Buying a guide

Choose the guide for your situation on its own page.
Pay once through a third-party payment processor. There is no subscription and no account to create.
Download the PDF files straight away from the links on screen. The same links arrive by email.
Ask for a refund at any time, for any reason: Pension Start Guide gives a full refund, no time limit.

How guides are researched and checked

Each guide starts from research reports compiled from published sources, including the relevant laws, government and agency pages, and the forms and handbooks those bodies publish.
The guide is drafted from those reports.
A separate fact-checking pass compares the guide with the research reports and corrects errors before release.
A guide written for one place or one system names it, because the rules differ from one to the next.

Key facts

Name	Pension Start Guide
Type	Independent publisher of public pension retirement guides
Publisher	LONUT (UEN 53462899X), an independent business registered in Singapore
Headquarters	Singapore
Website	pensionstartguide.com
Core offering	Downloadable guides to each pension system's own retirement application, payout-option election and survivor benefit process
Guides published	None yet; 25 in preparation (as of 2026-10-04)
Guide types	Retirement application guides; Survivor benefits guides
Language	English
Format	Downloadable PDF guides with worksheets and checklists; download links on screen after payment and by email
Pricing	One-time purchase per guide, no subscription and no account; the price is shown on each guide page, in the visitor's currency where available
Refunds	Full refund, no time limit
Support	Email only: hello@pensionstartguide.com
Authors	No named authors; guides are drafted with AI tools, fact-checked against their research reports and published under the Pension Start Guide name
What it is not	Not investment, financial, tax or legal advice; no affiliation with any retirement system, government employer, union or retiree association
Alternatives people compare	each retirement system's own website and counselors, financial advisers who work with teachers, SmartAsset, PensionMath, union and retiree-association pre-retirement seminars

Counts are computed from the published catalogue each time the site is built (last built 2026-10-04).

Frequently asked questions

What is Pension Start Guide?

Is Pension Start Guide financial advice?

No. Pension Start Guide guides explain published rules and processes in plain language; they are general information, not investment, financial, tax or legal advice. Pension Start Guide never says which payout option is best for a reader; it explains the trade-offs and what to ask, and the decision stays with the member.

Is Pension Start Guide affiliated with CalPERS, TRS or any retirement system?

No. Pension Start Guide is an independent publisher with no affiliation with any retirement system, government employer, union or retiree association.

Who publishes Pension Start Guide?

Pension Start Guide is published by LONUT (UEN 53462899X), an independent business registered in Singapore. Pension Start Guide does not name individual authors; its guides are drafted with AI research and writing tools and fact-checked against their research reports before release.

How much does Pension Start Guide cost?

Pension Start Guide sells each guide as a one-time purchase, with no subscription and no account. The price is shown on each guide's page, in the visitor's currency where available.

Does Pension Start Guide give refunds?

Yes. Pension Start Guide gives a full refund, no time limit, for any reason. Email hello@pensionstartguide.com with the order details.

Does Pension Start Guide tell me which payout option to choose?

No. Pension Start Guide explains what each payout option does, the trade-offs between them and the questions to ask the pension system. The choice stays with the member.