When I announced my retirement from the federal government, several people asked me what the process was actually like. Not just the paperwork, but everything that came with it. How long did it take? When did my pension start? What surprised me? And what did those first few months really look like? If you’re considering…
All posts in Retirement
🏝️ What Happened After I Retired from the Government
Peeps, Besties, Gladys and Brutus – It’s been a wild ride for the past nine months since I retired from the federal government. Last May, I made the decision to take advantage of an early retirement program. That’s still a little crazy to say out loud because I always assumed I would work for 35…
🤨 I Had No Idea How to Invest
When I started working for the government in 2000, I was 21 years old and had no idea, at all, how to invest money in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the government equivalent of a 401(k). I knew two things: I didn’t grow up in a family that talked much about money. And 401(k)s weren’t…
💡 What I Learned During the Seven Weeks I Had No Paycheck
In September 2025, I retired from the federal government after 25 years of service. I had already accepted a position with Markon and planned to continue working as a government contractor. There was only one problem. I had absolutely no idea when I was going to start. Because of a government shutdown, the process of…
🔎 What to Look for in a Financial Advisor
Do you have a financial advisor? That’s not ChatGPT? Hubby and I have had a financial advisor in our lives for over ten years, and I’m telling you, it’s made such a huge difference for us. Until that point, we were barreling through life saving here and there, but without someone to confirm we were…
⚕️ What’s an HSA?
A couple years ago, I decided to switch from a standard healthcare plan to a High-Deductible Healthcare Plan (HDHP) with a Health Savings Account (HSA). Why? I was the only one in my family (out of my husband, son and me) really using our standard healthcare plan, and felt like we were overpaying. The more…
🤖 A ChatGPT Retirement Analysis Prompt
Most people don’t actually know if they can retire when they want—they’re guessing. This is the exact prompt you can use to start getting real answers. I recently created this for my husband and me, and it was incredibly helpful as we’ve entered a new phase of life. I retired from the federal government and…