Unpacking Your Employee Handbook

As I continue experimenting with the Personal Finance for Educators Project, I’m trying different approaches to the content—sometimes diving into a specific financial tool, other times reflecting more broadly on the teaching lifestyle. My hope is that the blog and podcast together provide spaces for expanding on ideas, sharing resources, and connecting the dots between topics. The goal is to offer both quick takeaways and deeper reflections that help educators make more confident financial choices.

Episode 4 Unpacking Your Employee Handbook
PFE Episode 4

In Episode 4 of the Personal Finance for Educators Podcast, I took a different approach and created a screencast that walks through an employee handbook. My aim was to demonstrate how reviewing a handbook can help you identify useful resources. When you start a new teaching job, chances are someone gives you a link to an employee handbook during orientation. Many of us file it away because we’re focused on the task at hand (e.g., classroom prep, curriculum) and only reference it when absolutely necessary. But here’s the thing: the employee handbook should be a primary resource for understanding the benefits of your position. If someone took the time to write it down, it’s worth your time to look it over.

The handbook often contains information about leave time, professional development, retirement contributions, and insurance benefits. It may also highlight unexpected perks like employee wellness programs, supplemental retirement contributions, legal assistance, or access to counseling and coaching. These benefits are part of your total compensation, but they’re easy to miss if you never open the book.

I hope you’ll give the episode a listen and let me know what you think. The point isn’t to memorize every page. Instead, it’s about knowing where to find answers when you need them and recognizing that your district is likely offering more than you realize. By taking a little time to review your handbook now, you can save yourself questions later and uncover resources that improve both your financial well-being and your daily life as a teacher.Happy listening!

PFE Episode 4 - Unpacking Your Employee Handbook


First posted September 6, 2025


Location: La Crosse, WI, USA

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