Marie Ardito taught in the schools of Massachusetts for 31 years. Her love of teaching prompted her to look at what she would spend her retirement years teaching. She spent seventeen years prior to retiring studying retirement in general and the Massachusetts retirement system in particular. She was largely responsible for the research that prompted the MTRB, the Massachusetts legislature, and both teachers’ unions to recognize the grave injustices that existed in the retirement formula. She is an active member of the grass roots group of teachers responsible for the passage of four pieces of legislation involving retirement benefits.

Marie currently serves as Information Coordinator for MA Retirees United and is a member of their Executive Board. Her knowledge and understanding of the Massachusetts retirement system, as well as her respect for educators, is evidenced in her presentation. Marie is both an informational and inspirational speaker and in her four hour seminars places equal emphasis on the emotional, psychological, and practical aspects of financial preparation for retirement.

Most of the seminars Marie offers are two hours in length. She has been a presenter on retirement issues to numerous school districts doing her two hour seminars, and does three twelve hour workshops for the Northeast Consortium for Staff Development as needed. Her knowledge of Retirement Plus saw her doing some forty seminars that year for school districts and the American Federation of Teacher's MA Locals. For many years she was a presenter at the Melrose week long workshop. In addition she is asked to speak at various groups, clubs, and organizations.

Marie was involved in her town’s politics as an elected member of Town Meeting and served for over ten years as an appointed member of the Towns Ways and Means Committee. She is also actively involved with National Coalition for Social Security Fairness. She is very forcefully working to repeal both the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision that were attached to Social Security.

In addition to all this she still finds time to read, be a member of the "Crafty Chicks," who taught her to knit, and is presently working on a book on retirement. Marie has published a pamplet on "My Life is in Order, which is sold at her seminars, writes a monthly column for The Advocte, the AFT-MA newsletter, and writes for the Massachusetts Retirees Untied newsletter. Marie is married, the mother of five, and has fifteen grandchildren, so babysitting is also on her agenda.