I put in my retirement paperwork

[James48]

This week.

I am a federal employee, with 33 years of service, and turn 60 in August. I had planned to work until age 62 or so, but this Covid thing has changed my plans.

I know some meat inspectors - thank GOD I am not one of them. They are being forced to work inside meat plants with no protection. Their only choice is to quit or risk the virus with no PPE gear.

I’m tired of seeing my beloved country, whom I have faithfully worked for these last 33 years- I’m tired of seeing my country destroyed by these people. I’m tired of seeing Republican partisanship damage and destroy the professional non-partisan civil service.
I’m tired of an Administration who gives ZERO Fu$&s about the men and women who go above and beyond on a daily basis to hold thus nation together. I’ve had it.

I will be working from home until my retirement goes through in August. Should they decide to try and make me go back before then, and go back into the office of 100 other federal workers, I’ll simply go in at night, clean out my desk, and leave a note saying goodbye on my computer.

My pension will be small, but will be enough to survive. It will take until August to get my paperwork pushed through for what I hope will be a seamless transition into retired pay with minimal delays.

Then I can spend September through November calling people to vote to get rid of that menace in the White House.

[walkingman]

1. Congratulations on your well deserved retirement

I retired at age 53 in 2003. Enjoy everyday because time will fly by.

[demosincebirth]

2. Hang in there, James.

[DFW]

3. Retirement at 60, not to mention 53? Greetings from my faraway planet

I just turned 68, and figure I might consider retirement in 12 years or so (earlier if I drop dead first).

These last 6 weeks, I have been given a taste of what forced retirement might look like, since the borders of the countries where most of my work is have been closed off. Only the border with the Netherlands is open (admittedly, I haven't checked the situation with Luxembourg), and even then, they now have border guards again, who ask you why you are traveling. This is the longest I have been within the borders of one single country in over 40 years, and it's beginning to feel like house arrest.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

11. I've been retired five years. Trust me: this is not what retirement looks like.

I didn't cross many borders, but we used to cross the border to Canada periodically. As retirees, we had the luxury of weekday recreation: sparsely-populated golf courses, tennis courts, restaurants (as long as we beat the office lunchtime), museums, parks, stores, you know, normal stuff.

If I wan't retired, I might put it off another year, because I don't think things will improve much until cures and vaccines are invented, tested, and mass-produced.

Plus, if my mind was focused on work, I wouldn't watch the news so much, or white house press conferences.

[DFW]

15. Considering the news and WH pressers these days

That sounds like reason enough to go back to work!

Living where I do, crossing borders is no big deal. Holland and Belgium are less than 2 hours away by car or train, Paris is less than 4 (by train) or 6 (if you're crazy enough to want to fight Paris traffic in a car). England, Denmark, Poland and Switzerland are an hour by air, and Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Czech Rep., Spain, Slovenia, Italy and Austria are less than 2 hours by air. The idea behind the EU was that DeGaulle and Adenauer finally looked at map and figured that sitting right on top of each other as they did, there must be a better idea than going to war with each other every 20 or 30 years.

We don't play golf or tennis, but we have museums, restaurants and stores everywhere. My wife is a master chef, so the restaurants have a hard time competing. There is a park with a 1000 year old castle and hiking trails that go on for many miles right in back of our house, so we don't lack for that, either. It's just that my work, even taking the insane hours and the occasional dangerous run-in with bad guys, is still fun and pays a lot. I don't want either the boredom of inactivity or the guilty conscience of drawing a big paycheck for stuff I can't do as long as I'm cooped up here in one country. I know that most people draw smaller paychecks for jobs they can do, but would prefer not to. This August marks my 45th year at my job. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't like it. If we all have to die from something, I'd rather not die of boredom. Plus, I painted myself into a corner, jobwise. Perfect job security because we can't find someone to replace me. I wish I could. The line of applicants does not exactly stretch around the corner!

The virus and the wait for an effective, mass-produced vaccine are turning a lot of things upside down, and disrupting lives far worse for most people than for us, so I have to try to keep my first-world complaints in perspective.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

17. Agree that all my complaints about confinement are "first-world" gripes.

Being retired, I know (and deeply appreciate) that I can't be laid off in this economy. My financial security is unaffected. It's been ruled that I don't have to take a Minimum Required Distribution from my IRA (a U.S. funny savings account) this year.

Probably the worst thing about staying at home is that my wife has to put up with me 24x7. It's not easy on her.

[DFW]

18. Funny thing about the domestic situation

My wife is just as busy after her retirement as she was before her retirement. Once a social worker, always a social worker. She always finds people in need of something, and springs to help out of pure instinct. So we don't see each other enough to get on each other'S nerves. Yet, anyway!

I have an IRA, too, but a Roth IRA. If I were to move back to the States, I would not have a worry, as when you make the conversion, you pay all taxes due up front. Whatever it's worth later on is all yours, whether your investment is more or less than what it at the time of conversion. I made my conversion while I was still officially a full-time US resident, and the Cheneybush recession was hitting hardest. The Dow was around 8,000 and I knew that under Obama it had nowhere to go but up. So, I paid the tax bill in full, and watched it grow. Except--now the Germans are making noises about ignoring the double-taxation treaty between the USA and Germany (it states that a US citizen, resident in the USA, cannot be taxed in Germany on funds which were already taxed in the USA). Since I paid 39.6% in the USA, and the Germans now want another 50% on top of that, it doesn't leave me with much left over, and I had budgeted for a lot more than 10.4% of my IRA to live on when I need it. Enteignung didn't quite die out with the Nazis, it would appear. Since I'm still working, I have my salary to live off, but if I really do stop, I'll have to leave Germany if I want to live off my IRA. My wife is horrified at the idea, but panhandling on the street at age 70 isn't our idea of a dignified retirement, either. Good thing I can speak Swiss-German! She doesn't like Texas, though she loves New England, and that could also be an alternative. U.S. federal law still is in force there.

[pnwmom]

4. Congratulations and good luck!

My husband also took retirement a few years earlier than he'd planned, because of a layoff at his company, but it has all worked out. I think he's healthier because of it. Stay well!

[OnDoutside]

5. Health is wealth, James, enjoy your retirement.

[Demovictory9]

6. good for you

[MarianJack]

7. Mazel Tov

I've only been subbing a few days a week for the past couple of years. I took Social Security at 62. The schools up here in Maine won't be open until the Fall. I'm going to be 65 next month, and so (with the complete support and encouragement of my wife and son) I decided to go now. I'm going to make a few bucks by baking special orders for friends and community members.

I can't remember a career decision with which I've ever felt better.

Much happiness to you for a long and healthy and happy retirement.

RESIST

[Hekate]

8. Hang in there and stay safe

[benld74]

9. I'm working on my paperwork

My last day will be 01/11/20, 39 years of service. This administration is abysmal at best. It sucks whatever it can from its employees, its people and especially The Treasury.

[mobeau69]

14. 01/11/20?

[benld74]

24. Couldn't sleep & Obviously count as well

🤪

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Good For You

You deserve it.
I retired a few years early, but was fortunate because we make more now than when I was working.
Stock bonuses, profit sharing, & being thrifty really paid off.
Hope you're in a similar spot.

[DarthDem]

12. Congratulations!

Best wishes to you.

[Harry Walpurgisnacht]

13. Congrats!

I've been retired for almost three years and bah-dah-dah-DAH-dah, I'm lovin' it!

[Freddie]

16. Congratulations!

I retired at 62.5 to watch my grandkids, now 9, almost 6 and 18 months. After 7 weeks “off” I go back today as my son-in-law is going back to work (construction) and daughter has been WFH and will continue to do so indefinitely. Took my SS at 63 and I’m incredibly fortunate to have my PA public schools pension. (The real reason McConnell won’t help blue states - to screw over public employees in states where they’re treated decently).

[lagomorph777]

19. Congratulations and 60 days of phone-banking is both reward and paying it forward.

You rock!

[madville]

20. Make sure you ask about the FERS SS Supplement

If you retire after your MRA but before age 62 with at least 30 years of service you should be eligible to receive the special supplement. With 33 years that should be around 80% of the amount of social security you would eventually draw at 62.5.

That’s part of my plan, I’ll hit 30 years right at my MRA of 57 so I should get 75% of the social security I’ll eventually draw at 62.5 up until I turn 62.

Always seemed to me it’s an incentive to get people to retire at their MRA of around 56-57 under FERS and not wait until after 62.5 so they can get SS also.

[James48]

21. Yes, I'll get FERS supplement-

Which is another $1100 or so, which helps. Unfortunately it doesn’t help if I earn too much in a future venture. I’m thinking of buying a sailboat and setting up a sailing rental bareboat charter company. Just to “test the waters” and see if there is sufficient demand in my short season Northern Michigan Lake Huron area.

My health is- not great, but not yet bad. I just hope I can make it a few years before my body falls apart. I’ve already had bypass surgery, and now arthritis is beginning to make it difficult to walk, but at least I’ll have a nice sailboat to ride in, and charter out, if everything goes well.

[madville]

22. The wage threshold is $18,240 this year, so just try to structure anything

where you don't go over that as far as net income. I imagine there will be more than enough potential tax write-offs with a sailboat rental business

Also, you probably already know this, even if you get the FERS supplement until age 62 you don't have to start drawing your actual social security at age 62.5, so you could make more money if you want after the supplement ends and just delay your social security to a later date. My dad didn't start drawing until age 70 because he wanted to keep working and not be penalized, I was kind of surprised him and my mom are getting around 5300 a month in SS by delaying it until the maximum age.

[Arthur_Frain]

23. I've been retired since 2010

My wife since 2018. Welcome.

This is much easier to deal with as a retiree, especially at the federal level.

[brer cat]

25. Best of luck to you!

I can't imagine the frustration of being in civil service under trump's administration. Enjoy your retirement.

[peacebuzzard]

26. Well done, James!

Best wishes for a peaceful retirement, you deserve it.
And thank you for your service.

[mike_c]

27. Congratulations and best wishes for your retirement!

My wife retired four years ago when the nonprofit she worked for laid her off. I retired two years ago in an early retirement program that lets me draw my pension while still working half a year. We are so fortunate. She gets Social Security and I get a modest pension for decades of service at a public university. We both started Medicare last month. We have an income and health care. Best wishes. I hope you enjoy retirement!