Month: February 2025
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3 min read
3 MIN READ
APRIL 2025
Retirement planning: 3 ways Costco helps
Ever wonder what life will be like after you stop working? Often, what retirement will look like depends on how you prepare before you retire. Whether retirement is a year away or 25 years, learn what you need to know now for retirement later.
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Costco 401(k) Retirement Plan: The annual company contribution helps you grow your savings
Costco invests in your future with both matching and annual company contributions to your Costco 401(k) Retirement Plan account. Employees in Puerto Rico have the Costco Puerto Rico Retirement Plan.
Eligibility: Once an employee has completed a year of service, they’ll be entered into the company contribution portion of the plan beginning the first day of the month after their anniversary date.
Annual company contribution: Costco contributes a percentage of eligible earnings paid from the entry date – regular pay, overtime, vacation pay, holiday pay, sick pay, paid time off and extra checks – to your 401(k) account*, even if you don’t make any contributions of your own.
The contribution starts at 4% for an employee’s first few years, and increases as your years of service increase, capping at 9% after 25 years.
Matching company contribution: The company also matches 50% of your own contributions, up to $500 a year.
Best of all – these contributions belong to you with immediate 100% vesting.
To check your account balance, set up automatic payroll deductions, adjust your investment mix and much more, go to RPS.TRowePrice.com. You’ll also find financial tools and resources, including an Education Library, Retirement Income Planner and calculators:
- Paycheck Impact Calculator
- Contribution Maximizer
- College Planning Calculator
- Roth Comparison Calculator
- Social Security Calculator and more
2024 Annual company contribution: Costco contributed nearly $616 million to employee retirement accounts in 2025 for the 2024 annual company contribution. If you missed the letter Costco sent noting this year’s contribution amount, see your quarterly statement from T. Rowe Price.
| Years of Service | Company Contribution | Average Contribution Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 years | 4% | $1,371 |
| 4-9 years | 5% | $2,996 |
| 10-14 years | 6% | $4,198 |
| 15-19 years | 7% | $4,994 |
| 20-24 years | 8% | $5,897 |
| 25+ years | 9% | $7,147 |
*Employees at union warehouses should consult their collective bargaining agreement for more information about Costco’s contributions to their 401(k) plan.
Purchase company stock and become a shareholder in the company
The Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with UBS lets you purchase Costco stock through payroll deductions. You choose the amount you’d like to invest each pay period. Fees and commissions for these purchases are fully paid by Costco. To learn more, visit Costcobenefits.com > Financial Wellbeing > Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).
Get familiar with Medicare — know your health coverage options before and after 65
While Medicare is available beginning at age 65, if you retire before age 65, you’ll need health coverage to fill the gap. You can explore coverage options available at HealthCare.gov, or you can contact the Benefits Department at 800-284-4882 to learn more about your retirement health plan options.
Do you or a family member have questions about Medicare, Medicare Advantage or Supplemental plans? Get answers to your questions. SGIA Medicare Consulting offers one-on-one support to help you find the plan that fits your needs. This service is available at no cost to all Costco employees and their families, including parents.
To connect with a Medicare expert, call 888-821-6486 or learn more at sgiamedicare.com/costco.
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3 min read
3 MIN READ
APRIL 2025
Make a plan to take care of your loved ones
Have you ever worried about what would happen to your family if something unexpected happened to you? A peace-of-mind plan can help you feel secure knowing that your loved ones will be taken care of. It’s like leaving a map for your family to follow, so they know where to go.
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Start with a list
Write down all your assets, including real estate, financial accounts, personal property, insurance policies and digital assets. You can also include any debts, such as a home or car loan, or credit cards. Here are some examples:
- House
- Bank or investment account
- Retirement account
- Car
- Art, jewelry or collectibles
- Life insurance policies
- Social media accounts
- Digital photos
You’ll collect all the details, such as account numbers and passwords, and list them in a separate document, such as a letter of instruction. This helps keep information private as wills can become public documents. It will also keep you from having to update your will if account numbers or passwords change.
Consider life and AD&D insurance
Life insurance pays a cash benefit to a beneficiary if the insured person dies. Accidental death and dismemberment insurance pays an additional amount for certain covered accidents.
- Basic life and AD&D insurance is provided to all eligible employees and their enrolled family members at no cost.
- Supplemental life and AD&D insurance is available for you to purchase if you’d like more than the basic life insurance provided. Learn more about how much and when you can purchase this coverage at Costcobenefits.com > Financial Wellbeing > Life & Disability.
Choose beneficiaries
A beneficiary is who you choose to get your money and things when you die. It can be a person (or multiple people), the trustee of a trust you’ve set up, a charity or nonprofit organization, a minor (under 18 years of age) or your estate (in the case of a life insurance policy).
Why it’s important
- Clarity: When you name beneficiaries, it’s clear who gets what. This helps avoid arguments and hurt feelings among your family.
- Speed: Naming beneficiaries ensures that claims for benefits such as life insurance get processed and paid timely. Without a beneficiary listed, there can be delays in determining who should receive the benefits.
- Control: You decide who gets your money and things. If you don’t name a beneficiary, the state decides, and it might not be what you want.
How to choose
Think about the people who depend on you:
- Who needs your financial help? Make sure they’re included.
- If you have children under 18, who will manage their money? You can name a trustee to handle this.
- Do you want to set conditions? For example, you might want your children to get money only after they graduate from college.
Please note, in order to name someone other than your spouse as your beneficiary on your retirement account, you’ll need to contact T. Rowe Price for assistance.
Make a will
A will makes sure your house, cars, money and assets go to the right people.
You may also want to consider a trust. Here are some of the benefits:
- Set the rules — You decide how or when your beneficiaries receive their inheritance. This can be useful for kids or those who need help managing money.
- Avoid probate — Your trust distributes your assets. That means no court supervision and a faster, more private process.
- Estate planning — You can include real estate, bank accounts and investments to be managed the way you decide.
Other legal documents to think about:
- Durable powers of attorney — Lets someone make financial, legal and benefit decisions for you if you can’t.
- Health care directive — Lets someone make health care decisions for you if you can’t.
Through Resources for Living®(RFL), you have access to the Free Legal Resource Center. Use online tools to create free legal forms, such as wills, trusts and powers of attorney. To get started, visit RFL.com/Costco > Life & Relationships > Legal services > Legal forms and documents.
You can also learn more about a variety of legal topics in the Resource Library. Or take advantage of a free 30-minute consultation with a lawyer to answer any questions you may have about wills, trusts or other legal concerns. Call RFL at 833-721-2320 (TTY: 711) to request your free consultation.
Update your documents
Make sure your life insurance, retirement accounts and other documents have the right beneficiaries. You can update your beneficiaries at any time here:
- Life insurance: Costcobenefits.com
- Retirement plan: RPS.TRowePrice.com
Talk to your family
Let your loved ones know about your plan. By taking these steps, you can both have peace of mind that they’ll be taken care of.
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3 min read
3 MIN READ
APRIl 2025
Your financial knowledge toolkit
Dealing with money and finances can be overwhelming. But small changes, wise choices, and a little guidance and support can help you reach your financial goals.
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Here are some tips:
Be mindful with your spending
“I can’t afford a house, so I might as well treat myself to a fun weekend.” That might seem like a good idea in the moment. But here’s the truth: small, intentional spending decisions can add up more quickly than you think, and help you reach big goals.
Reduced spending can also reduce waste in landfills. Ordering out for dinner means higher meal costs plus plastic bags, boxes and other disposable materials. Meal planning for the week on a free day helps you save money and reduce your carbon footprint.
Write down your financial goals
What are your financial goals? What’s important to you? SmartDollar, your no-cost confidential online personal finance program, is designed to help you reach your goals.
SmartDollar’s step-by-step plan helps you take small steps to pay off debt and save more using the online budgeting tool. It keeps you motivated with video lessons from personal finance experts and gives tips to:
- Pay off debt faster
- Set up an emergency fund
- Save for college
- Buy a car
- Save for a down payment on a house
Free one-on-one financial coaching is also included. To sign up and get started, visit SmartDollar.com/enroll/costco or text Costco to 33789* to download the app.
If you want to grow your financial knowledge, additional financial resources are available through Resources for Living. Get a free 30-minute consultation per concern with a financial specialist. They can help with things like budgeting, credit repair and reports, mortgages and refinancing, debt management and tax questions. Visit RFL.com/Costco to request a free financial consultation.
Be smart about big purchases
Do your research before buying a house or car. Take the time to compare prices and learn about the market in your area. Consider things like rates and resale value to make an informed decision and get the best value for your money. Consider checking out the Costco Auto Program.
Watch these SmartDollar videos for additional ways to save:
Take advantage of these ways to save
Your Costco benefits can help you make the most of your money.
- Save on monthly expenses — New for 2025, you have access to LifeMart for employee discounts on gym memberships, virtual fitness and childcare.**
- Contribute to your 401(k) — Costco offers matching and annual contributions to your retirement plan with T. Rowe Price. To check your 40l(k) account balance, set up automatic payroll deductions, adjust your investment mix and much more, go to RPS.TRowePrice.com.
- Purchase company stock — The Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) lets you buy Costco stock through payroll deductions. You choose the amount you’d like to invest per pay period.
To learn more, visit Costcobenefits.com > Financial Wellbeing > Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). - Save on taxes — Use reimbursement accounts for eligible expenses.
- A Health Care Reimbursement Account (HCRA) lets you set aside pretax dollars to pay eligible medical expenses. You can use it for things like copays, deductibles and coinsurance, dental and vision expenses, plus prescriptions and over-the-counter items. Sign up for an HRCA during Annual Enrollment.
To learn more, visit Costcobenefits.com > Financial Wellbeing > Health Care Reimbursement Account. - A Dependent Care Assistance Plan (DCAP) lets you set aside pretax dollars to pay for qualified child and elder care expenses needed for you and your spouse to work. You can use it for expenses like day care, before- and after-school care, nursery and pre-school, and in-home aids. Keep in mind that the DCAP isn’t for dependent health care expenses. You can sign up, change or stop your DCAP based on your dependent care needs.
To learn more, visit Costcobenefits.com > Financial Wellbeing > Dependent Care Assistance Plan.
- A Health Care Reimbursement Account (HCRA) lets you set aside pretax dollars to pay eligible medical expenses. You can use it for things like copays, deductibles and coinsurance, dental and vision expenses, plus prescriptions and over-the-counter items. Sign up for an HRCA during Annual Enrollment.
NOTE: If you were enrolled in a reimbursement account in 2024, remember that your claim filing deadline is April 30. Any unused funds are forfeited after this date. Only your HCRA rollover amount of up to $640 can be carried over from 2024 to use in 2025.
*Message and data rates may apply.
**Childcare discounts are not available in Puerto Rico.
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2 min read
2 MIN READ
APRIL 2025
Talk about money — even when it’s hard
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking everyone but you has their money figured out. But the truth is, 72% of Americans report feeling stressed about money within the last month.
Topics like budgeting, investing, interest rates and managing debt aren’t always taught in homes or schools. And that can leave many adults feeling overwhelmed by their finances.
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It’s ok to talk about it. And you should. If you share expenses with a spouse or partner, talk to them. Getting on the same page is important. But you can only do that if you have clear, open communication about your financial goals.
Talk with a trusted friend or family member. Once you start getting more comfortable having money conversations with the people in your life, not only will it shed light on your own milestone moments, but it will also help you understand how the people close to you view money and make decisions.
And be sure to ask for help when you need it. Support is available from these helpful resources:
- Struggling to make ends meet? Get connected with local community resources through Worklife, made available by Resources for Living® (RFL). They can connect you with resources for rent, water and electricity, food and more. Social workers are also available to help support you and your family.
- Stressed and overwhelmed? RFL offers 6 free counseling sessions per issue per year for you and your household members. Dependent children living away from home can use RFL up to age 26.
To connect with support, call 833-721-2320 (TTY:711) or visit RFL.com/Costco. - Need help taking the first step out of a rough financial situation? SmartDollar offers budgeting tools and free one-on-one financial coaching. They can help you figure out a financial plan that meets your needs, such as tackling debt, repairing credit or saving an emergency fund.
To get started, visit SmartDollar.com/enroll/costco or text Costco to 33789* to download the app.
Learn more about the importance of talking about money with SmartDollar.
Here’s the truth about money: If you don’t tell it where to go, you’ll always wonder where it went.
– Dave Ramsey
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Categories
2 min read
2 MIN READ
APRIL 2025
Whole-wheat sausage bake with pasta & broccoli rabe
This pasta recipe pairs savory turkey sausage with broccoli rabe that, despite its name, is not part of the broccoli family (it’s closer to a turnip). A nutty, slightly bitter-tasting vegetable, broccoli rabe is also high in vitamins A and C and is good for the gut microbiome. Serve this comforting dish immediately or make the night before — top the dish with the cheeses, cover and refrigerate, and then pop in the oven for 25 minutes before serving.
Ingredients: 9
Prep Time: 10 min | Total Time: 45 min
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
4 sprays cooking spray
1 tablespoon kosher salt (for the pasta water)
12 ounces whole-wheat rotini
1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage, casing removed
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 ½ cups no-sugar-added, fat-free marinara sauce
1 ½ cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large pot of generously salted water, cook the pasta for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 2
Stir in the broccoli rabe. Cook until the pasta is almost al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve 1⁄2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and broccoli rabe and return to the pot.
Step 3
Meanwhile, coat a 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Cook the sausage until browned, about 3 minutes, stirring and breaking up the meat with the back of a spoon.
Step 4
Add the garlic and cook until the sausage is cooked through, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 5
Coat a 2½-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Add the sausage to the pasta and broccoli rabe. Stir in the marinara and reserved pasta cooking water. Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle with the cheeses.
Step 6
Bake until the cheeses are melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving size: 1 ½ cups | Calories: 241 | Total fat: 9 g | Saturated fat: 4 g | Sodium: 623 mg | Total carbohydrates: 23 g | Sugar: 4 g | Fiber: 4 g | Protein: 18 g
Source: WeightWatchers
Enjoy low monthly rates from WeightWatchers. Costco employees can join for as low as $9 per month, and spouses/domestic partners and dependents can join for as low as $14.50 each per month. Participants must be age 18 or older to join. Sign up at WW.com/Costco or call 866-204-2885.