My District Just Offered an Early Retirement Package… Now What?

“I am getting out of here as fast as I can.”  

This is what a friend of mine had said for the past ten years.  But, now the reality has hit. He is eligible to take IPERS (his pension plan) and his school district has offered a generous early retirement package.  He can finally do what he has said he would do all these years.

But now he is having second thoughts.

He still loves what he does and is not sure what the next stage of life would look like.  Maybe you are in this situation as well. What should you do?

The Early Retirement Package

School districts have a monetary incentive to get their more seasoned teachers to leave the district. They can hire a younger replacement for much cheaper creating savings of thousands of dollars per year. Some districts attempt to quicken the decision by offering an early retirement package.

The specifics of this incentive vary from district to district but they usually have one or more of the following components:

• Access to district health insurance for a period of years.

• A cash payment usually based on salary or amount of years worked in the district.

• A cash payment for sick days accumulated.

If you are eligible for these benefits it can bring a lot of anxiety as you begin to ask yourself, is

this something I should be thinking about? This, of course, is a major decision that should not be taken lightly.

Below are some things to think about as you consider the specific offer on the table:

What will you do next?

Whether you are going to completely stop working, enter the substitute teaching pool, or do something entirely different, one thing is for sure:

Change is not easy.

Many of you have been in education for many, many years. Teaching may be your main identity. Giving that up may have some emotional consequences. It will definitely be different.

Reflecting on whether you are prepared for what you will be doing next and whether you will be happy as a result is important.

There are many examples of people not knowing what to do when they retire. Some are miserable. Some have difficulty staying active and their health declines. Many have a difficult time finding meaning in their life.

It is worth taking time to address important considerations:

• What your lifestyle will be like.

• What you will do with your time.

• The hobbies you will have.

• The potential activities that will motivate you.

The best way I have heard it asked… “What are you retiring to?”

Retiring to an activity or job is typically a better scenario than just retiring to get away from the day-to-day grind of the classroom.

How will you pay for health insurance?

This is a major consideration for anyone under age 65, the age when you become eligible for Medicare. Health insurance costs continue to rise and this can be quite a burden. Depending on your age, this may be an issue to deal with for many years.

If you are close to 65, COBRA may get you to Medicare.  This will give you access to the district’s health insurance policy for up to 18 months.  This option can be costly because you will most likely have to make the entire premium payment each month, both what you have been paying as well as the amount paid by your school district.

Another option is the health exchange (www.healthcare.gov).  Because you would be changing status from employed to retired, you would be eligible for coverage in the plans listed.  

If you are married, going on your spouse’s health plan with their employer may solve the problem.  This may be temporary depending on the age of your spouse and when they plan to retire so that should also be considered.

What will be your pension income?

Most of the time a teacher taking an early retirement package will begin taking their monthly benefit from a pension. It is important to know exactly what the income would be if the decision is made to take pension income.  Your pension provider can run you an estimate to give you good numbers to work with.  

Compare the the numbers of retiring today to retiring in later years.  It is possible that waiting another year or two will drastically change your financial situation.  

In Iowa, where I live, it is important that teachers know that IPERS benefits are not inflation adjusted over time. Once you start those monthly benefit checks, the amount will not go up, but costs surely will.  Every year you receive the same amount of money but your check will buy less and less!

Another reason to get an estimate from your pension plan is because you most likely will have some choices of how to take your benefit. (single annuity, joint annuity, etc.) Work with your financial planner to help you determine what is the best for your particular situation.  

What is your plan for taking Social Security benefits?

If you are going to make a major decision affecting your retirement you will want to map out your whole retirement situation. I like to think of it as a puzzle. There are many different pieces that you need to figure out how they all fit together.

Here are just a few of the pieces to identify and think about:

• Other sources of retirement income you have.

• Which accounts will be withdrawn first.

• How personal savings should be invested.

• When Social Security benefits should be taken.

• Tax considerations.

You do not have to take Social Security when you leave your job.  You can delay it until age 70 or take it as early as age 62. There is a major difference in monthly payments based on when you do start taking the benefit.  

Social Security benefits are based on a 35 year history of work or a spouse's work history.  So working 1-2 extra years will not typically change the payout much. But delaying the benefit will.  

There are great reasons to delay, but your whole retirement situation should be taken into consideration.

Make sure you have good reasons for taking Social Security in whatever time frame you plan. If you are married, Social Security should be a decision that is made with the household in mind, not just you as an individual. What your spouse does may have huge impact on you as well.  Especially after one of you dies.

Your unique situation

As you can see there are many things to consider. Your situation is unique compared to others so make sure you take your specific situation into account as you look at this. I have only outlined some of the issues that could be involved.

I know of retired teachers who are loving their post-teaching lives. Some even wish they would have done it a couple years prior when given the first opportunity. On the other hand, I know of others who wish they were still back in the classroom for various reasons.  And still others who probably shouldn’t have made the jump, based on their finances. Because there is a lot to think about, make sure you look at the whole picture.

I wish you luck as you consider this choice, and am happy to help walk you through the choices.