Time does fly, or at least it seems to. Here I am 55 years old - could have retired May 18th of this year - and I'm still working. Even after two years of research I'm just getting things wrapped up so that I can leave knowing I'll have a sufficient annuity and other income to live comfortably. I also worked to reduce debts and towards completing, signing, and funding our wills and trusts. Still not quite there yet but will be soon.

I published this site in July after several years of research and working on my personal retirement plan. The basic federal retirement seminar that your agency offers doesn't do retirement justice. Agencies give you the mandatory basic benefit briefing however there is so much more to it than your benefits. Retirement is not the correct word to use today. I plan to work the remainder of my life, God willing, and if I didn't have other coals in the fire - and things that my wife and I want to do - I would stay indefinitely. My job with the FAA has been very rewarding on so many levels that I couldn't begin to describe them all here.  I work with truly dedicated professionals in Airways Facilities and Air Traffic that have contributed significantly to making the United State's National Airspace System the best and safest in the world. I feel humbled to have been a very small part of that and will always look back on my time in government service with pride and a true sense of accomplishment.

My government career started in 1968 when I was drafted during Vietnam. I immediately joined the Air Force - one of the best decisions I ever made - then spent 3 years with the DOD and transferred to the DOT/FAA in 1975. Now I'm so close to closing the door to this chapter of my life I suppose it's natural to have doubts. Even though I've planned this upcoming event for years now it's natural to get cold feet, doubt your intentions and plans. I now know why so many federal employees stay long after their eligibility date. I work with an individual who just turned 70 and is still going strong, highly competent and a key player in our organization. He has 48 years service and is very happy doing what he does so well. Oh well, enough of reminiscing.

My next step is to have our wills and trusts signed soon and then on to making sure all of my paperwork is in order. I'm also going for a complete physical just to make sure I'm in good working order before I make the jump. It's getting closer and my feet are just a little cool, not quite cold. Still looking forward to the change - not getting up at 5:30 every workday, reduced responsibilities, no late night calls from our operational control center in Atlanta, the whole nine yards as they say.

The past two weeks have been very busy. I finalized our wills and trusts using WillMaker Plus 2004 , did a last minute review of key sections in  "Plan Your Estate" to answer several questions that we had, and then we signed our wills and trusts at the local notary's office. Now we are working on what is called "funding" the trust - transferring assets to the trust. For example, if you have a mutual fund registered in your name. To transfer the mutual fund into a revocable living trust you have to change the registration to "(your name) Revocable Living Trust." Hope to have that done soon. Transferring mutual funds and stock registrations to your trust at first seemed difficult. I think the lawyers and transfer agents purposefully are not as forthcoming with what an individual needs to do to make this happen without incurring the cost of an attorney. I followed the instructions in  "Plan Your Estate" and found that it was quite simple to do. All you have to do is draft a letter of instruction and Power Transfer form that all transfer agents provide, then have your local bank witness your signature and stamp the Letter of Instruction or Power form with what is called a "Medallion Stamp."  I plan to add a sample "Letter of Instruction" on this site in the "Trust Section" early next month.

There are many ways to avoid probate other than formal revocable trusts including simple (POD) Pay on Death or (ITF) In Trust For designations on bank and brokerage accounts. Visit Probate to review ways to insure your heirs and family get what you what them to have when the time comes.

This week I set my retirement date for November 30, 2004. I did this for a number of reasons. First, if I go by end of November I'll still get a small COLA, 1/12th of the awarded COLA, in January 2005.  Secondly, to reduce taxes this year I didn't want my lump sum leave buy back check to arrive before the new year. Lastly, I have plans in December and don't want to use my annual leave so it's a good time to go. This date also works well with my sick leave balance. CSRS retirees get credit towards retirement for their sick leave balance. I have a years sick leave, over 2087 hours, so when I leave I'll get another 2% of my high three years average salary factored into my annuity. You should check your target retirement date with your personnel office to see where you stand.  You can check out the sick leave conversion chart that we have on this site to estimate what date is best for you. My annuity wouldn't go up significantly if I stayed to December 31st. However, I will be loosing out on one more month of earned annual leave to sell back and no contributions to my Thrift plan plus December's pay. There are always pros and cons to any decision you make. You just have to know what they are and figure out what is best for your situation. 

In early September I reviewed my paperwork to make sure I had all of the forms filled out. All I have to do is put the date on the forms and mail them to personnel in New York. I intend to do this in Mid October so they will have them about 6 weeks before I actually leave. If you decides to stay beyond the date you put on your forms all you have to do is fax a message to personnel stating that you are staying beyond the specified date and you won't be locked into leaving. I would also follow that up with a phone call to your immediate supervisor and to the personnel specialist assigned to your organization and send a certified letter to personnel as well just to cover all of the basis. Better safe than sorry.

I spent the early part of the month prioritizing what I wanted to complete before I leave, purging my office files, archiving old files, and started cleaning out my desk. I also backed up key office computer files for my successor incase of a LAN or computer crash and started sending him weekly updates about what he needed to know about so he isn't blind sided when he reports.  

I also got most of my results back from my physical that I had earlier this month. Even the stress test came back good and all I have left to do is the one test I dread the most, a colonoscopy! My doctor advised me to  take this when I turned 50 and I put it off but now I'm committed to get it done before I retire. I believe that it is a good idea for all who are planning to retire to schedule a thorough physical just to make sure everything is OK - DON'T PUT IT OFF. This way when you do retire you will know if you have any limitation or potential medical problems that may possibly disrupt your retirement plans. Some say I'm over cautions. However, I recently lost a good friend to cancer. He may have caught it earlier and survived had he had a thorough physical when he retired three years ago. The old adage still applies, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The clock is running down and I'm starting to actually accept the fact that I'll be leaving in about 8 weeks. Up to this point leaving the FAA seemed surreal after 35 + years and I wasn't - until this weekend - really excited about the change. I know that I'll have more than enough to keep me busy and involved after I leave. Years ago, when I first knew that I would probably retire when I reached 55, I was excited about the prospects and thought that when the time came it would be an event to celebrate. I'm not so sure that is the feeling I'll have when I leave that last day.

My wife and I stopped at our local mall this weekend and I asked her if she knew when they opened in the morning. She asked why and I said that I wanted to be on time for my morning walks this coming winter. When I'm off I walk for about a half hour around our plan in the early morning but in the winter looks like I'll be walking at the local mall. 

At work I received an email message asking for agenda for the October manager's meetings. Here are a few of the Manager's Meeting agenda items that I submitted in jest:

1) Lets discuss what the best time is to have a retirement luncheon!!! The month before you leave - while you are still employed - or one month after you leave?

2) Where should a new retiree take his first vacation after he leaves? What locations have the best early bird specials, lowest exclusive hotel rates, best deals for AARP members?

3) How does one maximize and supplement their annuity? Who needs grass cutting services or a not so handy handyman?

I'm sure I'll think of more agenda. Can I get an extension? Now that I'm a little older - maybe, maybe not wiser - I forgot half of what I wanted to say!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I discovered an error while reviewing my annuity estimates that our personnel office sent out earlier this year. I requested estimates for three separate dates. The specialist that generated the estimates didn't recalculate my high three for the two out dates. I was surprised I didn't catch this earlier. My annuity will actually be a little higher than what I was expecting. It always pays to check the math. I was able to recalculate the actual annuity high three from the spreadsheet I created four years ago. I list my gross pay each payday on a spreadsheet and I just went back 3 years from the three retirement dates and let Excel recalculate my high three for those dates.

One of our retirees came to visit at work this week. He retired in 1992, 12 years ago. I asked him how his COLA had impacted his annuity since he retired and he stated that his annuity is higher today than his salary was when he left. I previously calculated my annuity out 5 years compounding the annuity each year by an average COLA of 3% and again at 4%. Then I calculated my estimated salary out each year if I stayed for five years and calculated my annuity for each year. I was surprised to discover that there wasn't a large difference in the two figures. There was a difference but not enough to warrant staying when you factor in additional costs that you have when you are working full time and paying Medicare, retirement, higher federal taxes and state taxes, etc.     

Well, time continues to fly by and I just got back from the doctor's office. I went in for a colonoscopy. I mentioned in an earlier journal entry that I scheduled a physical this year and that I was dreading going in for this check. My doctor tried to get me to do this at 50, again at 53 and when he suggested it earlier this year when I turned 55 I reluctantly agreed. It wasn't half as bad as I had thought it would be and it is an excellent preventative check for detecting colon cancer. If you have been putting this check off, don't. The worse part was the prep the evening before and it was tolerable. I now have a clean bill of health - and for that matter a very clean colon at least for the time being - and next week I'm sending in my retirement package to HR.

We finally received all of our trust documents that we filed and our trusts are now funded and our estate plan is complete. I couldn't have done this without WillMaker Plus software and the book titled Plan Your Estate. The software was easy to use and the book explained what I needed to know to complete the documents. I placed the documents along with supporting information in our safety deposit box.

I attended my last managers meeting this week and it was difficult paying attention to briefings on long term agency goals and objectives when I'm leaving so soon. I contributed my two cents worth on subjects that needed addressed and listened to the major reorganization plans that were recently implemented. I personally talked to each manager that I've worked with for many years to bid them farewell and gave them my new contact information.

Last week I went through my desk again and cleaned out the last of my personal files, SF 50s, etc and took them home. Then I donated my Norman  Rockwell prints that were hung in my office and a large plant to the specialists for their break room. Another key action item for us soon to be retirees is to make sure we have sufficient funds available until OPM's annuity checks start kicking in. I talked with a retiree who left last July and he is still receiving interim checks, about 75% of the estimated annuity, each month. I closed one account and made up an auto deposit SF1199A form to send in with my retirement package. This way my checks will continue to go direct to my checking account each month.

This month was also devoted to improving my home office where I will work out of in retirement. I purchased a new printer and software that I needed for upcoming projects. I also started to research high speed internet vendors and am looking into a wireless hub. Lots to do and still not enough time to do it all.  

Well, I sent my retirement paperwork in to personnel today and feel relieved that I finally put a date down on paper. Not the date I originally mentioned earlier in my journal but a new slightly later date, December 31, 2004. Nick, my associate at work is also retiring on the same date. He convinced me to stay until the end of the year and we are going to have a joint retirement luncheon on December 15^th. The figures worked out too. I’ll get another 20 hours of annual leave to sell back to Uncle Sam, another holiday to take advantage of and I’ll get another month to add to my annuity calculation. All in all — not a bad deal! 

There isn’t any turning back now for several reasons. First, I didn’t use any annual leave this year and had 240 hours in the bank so when I leave I’ll sell 448 hours of my leave to Uncle Sam at my hourly rate. If I chicken out after November 15^th I wouldn’t have time to use my annual leave and would loose it. Secondly, in order to accrue maximum leave to sell back, I would have to stay another year and I’m not willing to do that. My mind is made up barring a major event that would cause me to rethink my decision. I can’t imagine what that would be.

I called personnel today to advise them that my paperwork is on the way. I also sent in a SF 2808 Beneficiary election form that personnel will certify and return to me for my records. I sent in the following forms and paperwork:

¨       SF-2801 Application for Immediate Retirement (CSRS)

¨       SF-2818 FEGLI election form

¨       SF-2808 Designation of Beneficiary Form for CSRS

¨       SF-1199A Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form

¨       A copy of my DD-214 Military Discharge Record

You will also need to fill out your agency’s Employee Clearance Record and Security Termination Statement. On your last day you have to take your signed clearance record to your office and turn in any personal items such as computer, cell phone, pager, credit cards, Ids, keys, etc. If you neglect to do this your lump sum leave payment and first estimated annuity check will be withheld until this is done.

November 3, 2004

All in all I’ve had a great two months leading up to retirement. I completed my estate plans and retirement paperwork, my physical and tests came out great, our football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, is on a wining streak and the national election was actually settled in short order. I was dreading a protracted election like we had in 2000. No matter what your party affiliation, I’m sure most are relieved that the election is settled and we can go on about our lives.    

I received an acknowledgement letter today from our personnel office advising me that my retirement package was received and is being processed. They listed the personnel specialist that was assigned to process my package and directed me to call them if I had any questions. The personnel office suggests that you send in your paperwork at least two months before your retirement date. This gives them sufficient time to process and check the paperwork so that your first interim annuity check will arrive on time.   

I reviewed my sick and annual leave balances this week and I checked my FAA issued personal property in preparation for turning it in when I leave. I can use my year of unused sick leave towards my annuity and I intend to sell back 448 hours of annual leave. The one year of sick leave takes me to 36 years and seven months total service and increases my annuity by 2% of my high three average salary. 

I met with my reporting office management team this week to discuss transition plans for when my assistant and I leave on December 31^st. We discussed who would be assigned to backfill my position and when he or she would be coming over for briefings and general familiarization before my departure.  

November 24, 2004

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I’m about 5 weeks out and closing fast on my last day of work. My compatriots sent out a flyer announcing my retirement and the luncheon date on December 15^th.  They reserved a dinning room at a local hotel, and a number of acknowledgements have already been received, many from retirees that I worked with years ago.

There was an excellent article in USA TODAY on November 23, 2004 titled, “Retirement isn’t just a date – it’s a new life.”  It talks about how people adjust differently to retirement and profiles a number of recent retirees. You may find this article interesting and it offers a 12 question “Readiness Test” that you can use to see how you measure up. If your point count is 10 or above the author states that you will be likely to have a great or highly satisfying retirement. The article is no longer available online.   

I continued to organize things at the office so that my replacement will not be blindsided and I’m sending him email messages daily to keep him in the loop. My office is just about cleared out and I put aside a box to cart off the last few personal effects that I have in the office. I attended a number of meetings with participants from around the country the past several weeks that I won’t be seeing again, at least not as an FAA employee. 

Looks like smooth sailing ahead unless something comes up to rock the boat. I’ve been looking at all that I want to do after I retire. I will be very busy. I, like most, put off many things that we either need to or would like to do. We just lack the time to do them or don’t have the quality time that the task deserves while we are working full time. I need to start writing these activities down before they get lost in the shuffle. 

The closer I get to retirement the more I’m looking forward to the change.

December 2, 2004

I should have stayed in bed yesterday morning. My alarm went off at 5:45 am and 10 seconds later we lost power at our house. High winds caused power outages throughout our area. I got up, dressed in the dark, went down stairs, and with the aid of a flashlight ate breakfast. When I went to the garage, I pulled the garage door opener bypass and discovered to my dismay that the 19 foot long – and very heavy – garage door didn’t have a handle to lift the door with. I was eventually able to get the door up several inches, with the aid of a snow shovel, just enough for me to get my hands under it.

On the way to work police officers were stationed at many intersections to direct traffic and it took me twice as long to get to work. At 10:30 a.m., my wife called to let me know that the house alarm system was malfunctioning and the intermittent alarms were driving our dog crazy. I went home at lunch and disarmed the system until I could work on it later. I rushed back to work to attend a scheduled 12:00 o’clock meeting at our System Management Office only to find out that the meeting was canceled.

Monday December 1st would have been my first day of retirement. My original retirement date was November 30^th. Was this an omen, a message that I overstayed my welcome? So far today things are going fine, so forget the omen or curse theory. Looks like I’ll just have to struggle through these last few days. I have about 15 workdays left, not that I’m counting.

I started a list of some of the things I want to do when I retire, just the little things that you often let go for lack of time. I’m looking forward to taking short day trips with my wife, detailing our cars, landscaping, and working on my various collections  plus I have a business to run. Now that I’ll be working from my home office, I’ll have the time to devote to other things.

December 6, 2005

I received the following question from Mike, a federal worker who is thinking of retiring next April. My reply follows his question about Thrift Savings withdrawal options. You will also find helpful links at the end of my reply that are very informative and will address many of your concerns. I removed personal information to protect the submitter’s privacy. If you have information to add please e-mail your comments to ddamp@aol.com .  

Question

"Hi, I've been enjoying reading your articles on retiring from the federal government.  I turned 55 recently and am pretty sure I'm going to retire this coming April.  I've got high-3, time in service and everything pretty well figured out.  What I have been trying to figure out is what to do with my TSP funds. 

I'll have a substantial amount in my THRIFT Plan at retirement time and I've read all the literature I can find about withdrawals.  I know I can leave it there, start withdrawing, buy an annuity, etc. etc. etc.  What I can't seem to find is a list of pros and cons concerning the various options. Should I start withdrawing the money, even if I don't need it right away?  It's going to be taxable whenever it's taken out, so should I withdraw a monthly $1000 until it's exhausted and use this money to invest in other things?  Should I leave it there as long as possible?  Should I roll it into an IRA?

There just seems to be many options and I know it’s a personal kind of thing, but I would like to see some discussions of this topic.  Are you aware of any on the internet or do you have any guidance that you can provide?

Thanks for any help you can provide and good luck with your upcoming retirement."

Mike 

Reply

My TSP account balance is about the same as yours and you brought up a good point. I haven't read much about the pros and cons of various withdrawal options, however. I did research withdrawal options these past two years. The key is whether or not you need the funds to live on. I'm retiring from the Federal Aviation Administration at the end of December and I'm leaving my TSP intact for the time being for the following reasons:  

1) First, I can tell you that the TSP is one of the safest investments you can have considering that you have NO market risk with the G-Fund. The G-Fund won't decrease in value. Private sector mutual funds that offer government bond funds can fluctuate in price and most, if not all, charge much higher management fees than the TSP. You do have to be cautious of the fund mix though. To get your funds to grow and because you and I both are relatively young yet, age 55, it’s a good idea to have at least 50% of your TSP in stock funds. Right now I have 30% in the G fund, 25% in the C fund, 20% in the S (Small Cap) fund, and 25% in the I (International Stock Index) fund. When I retire at the end of the month I'm going to rebalance the mix to 50% G fund, 30% C, 10% S and 10% I.  There is no magic formula. The TSP is going to offer a fund mix based on your age and risk tolerance in the near future.  

2)  I'm selling back 448 hours of annual leave when I leave and it will count as taxable income in 2005. When you also consider your annuity, other income such as dividends and capital gains, and then add in the lump sum payment for annual leave buy back you may have significant taxable income in 2005. If you elect to withdraw fixed payments or a lump sum from your TSP it will add to your taxes in 2005.  

3) You mentioned rolling the fund over to an IRA. You have to be careful who you work with. Investment advisors work off of commissions. When you open a new account you are often charged front loads, many have hidden charges that are basically sales commissions for the agent. Front end loads and hidden fees can immediately reduce your account balance by as much as 4 to 10% depending on the company you are dealing with. I would look into any offer to be sure there is NO front end or hidden fees.  

Here are some links to help you decide what to do with your TSP when you retire:

http://www.nitpinc.com/NITPITK/Columns/wealthpart1.asp  What to do with all of this wealth? Part 1 of a 4-part Series
http://www.nitpinc.com/NITPITK/Columns/wealth2.asp  (Part 2)
Link to Parts 3 and 4 on the left column of either of the above listed articles. Very informative.

http://www.tsp.gov/features/chapter13.html
http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=235395

The four articles from the National Institute of Transition Planning (NITP) are very helpful. I hope this helps with your personal decision.

Dennis V. Damp

December 12, 2004 

Two at my office are retiring on the same day. We sent our paperwork to personnel on the same day in the same envelope. Both of us received confirmations of receipt about two weeks later. Early last week, my associate received a package from personnel that included a letter of Documentation in Support of Retirement Application, a notice to separated employees concerning the disposition of you Official Personnel Folder, a SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action for Voluntary Separation, and Section A of the 2801-1 form to verify military service.  I still haven’t received my package and I have been unable to get through to my personnel specialist. I did get through to my Division and asked them to follow-up and they confirmed that all was well it was simply that personnel was really backed up with end-of-year retirements.  

Otherwise, things are going well and I have just 9 workdays remaining. My last day is December 30^th since the 31^st is a holiday. I’ve received a number of calls from people I’ve worked with throughout the years and I enjoyed talking with them about the times we spent together over the last 3 decades.

December 16, 2004 

My retirement luncheon was yesterday and I have to say it caught me off guard. Even though I’m looking forward to leaving, it was humbling to see the turnout and to be on the receiving side of so many kind words. Close to 60 attended and Craig, the toastmaster for the occasion, did an exceptional job. Carol organized the event from start to finish and it was as though a professional events coordinator managed the luncheon.  

I made the mistake of not writing down bullets for my speech and got off track. When I saw someone in the audience with tears in their eyes, I lost my composure for a few seconds. Unfortunately, I didn’t say many of the things I intended to address and I missed some key people that I wanted to thank for their support and friendship over the years. I even forgot to thank the toastmaster and affair organizer for their sincere and professional efforts. I did thank them personally when the luncheon was over.  

One thing that I wanted to say was that retirement for me is similar to publishing a new edition of one of my books. When I update a title I often add a new chapter or appendix, and revise outdated data as necessary throughout the book. I’m just adding a new chapter to my life. I can’t change or edit the earlier chapters — if we only could — but I do have control, to some degree, over what goes forward from this point on. I'm really looking forward to this new chapter in my life, however. It is always difficult leaving good friends and that’s why it was difficult addressing the people that I respect and have worked with for all these many years.   

Actually, I’m leaving with no regrets. I had a GREAT career and to leave knowing that my service was sincerely appreciated is very rewarding from a personal perspective. How often does a manager's union representative offer to be the feature speaker at his retirement luncheon? I am relieved that the luncheon is over because deep down I knew it would be emotionally trying, however. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world and my wife was pleased and impressed by all who talked with her and indicated that I would be missed.   

I suggest that when your retirement luncheon or dinner is planned write down the names of the key people to thank and key events in your life that you want to talk about. Emotions run high for the retiree during these events and the best way to remain in control and to stay calm is to be prepared. I’m normally good at speaking impromptu. I just didn’t consider that I would be so impacted by the moment. Especially when I am going out on a very positive note and looking forward to the change. Live and learn as they say.   

7 workdays left……………..

December 22, 2004 

I finally got in touch with the personnel specialist who is handling my retirement and she confirmed that my retirement package was on her desk and would be processed soon. Earlier today, an old friend called to let me know he was also leaving at the end of the month. He suggested that I turn in all of my personal property and security releases this week to expedite my annual leave lump sum payout. Apparently, due to large numbers of end-of-year retirements the earlier you send your clearance record to the division the better chance you have of receiving a timely lump sum leave payment.  

I turned in everything today including my laptop computer, cell phone, pager, ID, most of my keys, credit cards, and  security forms, and our office sent my clearance records form to the division with my ID and credit cards via overnight mail. My friend also advised me that he received his SF-50 for voluntary retirement and other documentation. He sent in his package the same day I did and now there are two who received this information and I’m still waiting. I hope my forms arrive soon! He discovered an incorrect SCD date on the forms they sent him for review and he was having a hard time contacting personnel. Two of my friends recently received forms with incorrect SCD dates annotated on their SF-2801-1 (Certified Summary of Federal Service). Personnel filled out and returned the forms to them for review. It is up to the employee to contact the specialist assigned to process their retirement and provide them with the correct information. An incorrect SCD date can dramatically impact your annuity payment.   

One of my friends digitally recorded the retirement luncheon last week and gave me copies today. The DVD came out GREAT. He presented both Nick and I with a DVD of the entire event and there was also a slide show with 80 digital pictures that he took during the event. He even put it to music and it is an excellent retirement memento. He also recorded the digital pictures on a CD so that I can make prints. There are a number of pictures that I want to print out for my home office and albums.

I packed up two small boxes with all my personal effects today and carried them out to the car. I’m done except for walking out the door next Thursday for the last time. I decided to take all of my personal effects home today so next week it won’t be an issue. It will be easier to just get up at quitting time and walk out without any fanfare.

Having your retirement luncheon two weeks before you leave is like going to the airport to find out your flight was delayed  not for an hour but for several weeks. You know you want to get where you intended, in this case a new routine and way of life, but the plane just refuses to take off.  

Four more wakeups to go…. Who’s counting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

December 29, 2004 

I’m between Christmas and New Years and so close to retirement that I can taste it. This morning I called our division office because I still didn’t receive a copy of my Voluntary Retirement SF-50 personnel action form or my SF 2801-1, Certified Summary of Federal Service.  Typically you receive this information 4 to 6 weeks after you submit your paperwork along with OPM contact information that you will need to follow-up on the status of your annuity and benefits. The person I contacted went to the personnel office and verified that my package had been sent out Monday and she faxed me a copy of my SF-50. I thought that my paperwork was lost or misplaced and I didn’t feel comfortable leaving without a formal personnel action cut for my retirement. Several others that I know, who are retiring the same day, received their packages several weeks ago. If you submit your paperwork less than 6 weeks before you retire you probably won’t receive this information until after you leave.

The SF 50 listed my retirement date, salary, current benefits, and in the remarks column it stated that I elected to continue health benefits coverage. It also stated that a SF-8 was issued to the employee. I’m not sure what that is yet since I still don’t have my package. Hopefully it will be in the mail today or tomorrow at the latest.

I talked to a friend this week that was still holding her paperwork. She announced her retirement in early December for the 31^st and they had a luncheon for her earlier this month. However, she still hasn’t made up her mind to go as of yesterday. You really have to know that this is the road you want to take before making the jump. Once you are gone it’s difficult if not impossible in most cases to come back as a rehired annuitant. The agency has to have a significant operational justification to rehire you.

I had IRM delete all of my LAN files and archived e-mail this week and I beamed my Palm PDA government calendar and contact lists to my replacement’s PDA. My office is cleaned out and I’m ready to go. What I am looking for after leaving is a slower pace, not running from sun-up to sunset, and being able to enjoy life more. I’ll let you know if I’m able to achieve these goals after I leave. I’m really not retiring in the true sense of the word; I’m just changing careers.   

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