Going back to the original question about the retirement location choice… Make sure to investigate the local ordinances before making that big decision! This former Boeing executive is now fighting the ordinance that does allow him to move his herd of cats to his new place:
Wow, that’s a lot of cats. However, I can’t imagine even thinking about ordinances that limit pets. I can see maybe dogs, because of potential noise. However, why is it the communities business to count their other pets?
My sister and her husband had a lot of trouble buying a retirement house in Ft. Myers, FL because they have 3 Greyhounds (not to mention the cars…). Most of the nicer communities have restrictions on number and size of dogs, and don’t have much of a yard. Of course, most people retire to Florida to NOT have a yard… They settled for a decent but older ranch house in a so-so neighborhood where they could fence a yard and have all the animals. It was a compromise, for sure. They spend half the year there and drive the whole crew up to the Poconos for the spring and summer.
@rutgersmamma, I am in a similar situation…no spouse, no interest in leaving this area, but I’m still working (for a bit more).
I bought the condo and sold the house; I’m about 3 miles closer to work in a more urban walkable neighborhood near Metro. Two of my three children are close enough to meet for a movie +/or dinner, the other is on the opposite coast.
I am fond of the underground garages (home and work) to mitigate the snow. I love the ability to ‘lock and leave’ for vacations.
@tom1944 and @NoVADad99 You both completely get it. When I was in college and started working for the government (as opposed to taking the offers from DuPont and State Farm). my college classmates assumed I could make more money in the private sector. Could I have? Maybe. But for me it was about benefits and job security…it’s worked out very well for me. I’ll retire next year (49 1/2) with a law enforcement pension (1.7% x 29.5 years + 4% x my high 3 of $145,000+). That doesn’t include my 401k, SS supplement and $200,000+ we made from the sale of our home 7 years ago (which is now covering our sweet girls undergrad). We have a second home with no mortgage so that’s covered. My government job has provided everything we’ve needed and then some.
@MotherOfDragons You are correct :))
You and I would have a great conversation 
@HappyFace2018 Wow. To be able to retire before 50 with an immediate pension. Can you access your TSP right away or do you have to wait till a certain age?
@doschicos You get what I’m saying. On one occasion one of the moms asked “so, what do you do for a living?”
I said “I work for the federal government”.
With all the snark and sarcasm she said “Well, you are very welcome!”
I said “what do you mean?”
She said “I’ve been paying your paycheck for all these years!”
I said “so what is it you think I do?”
Before giving her an opportunity to answer I calmly said “I am a federal law enforcement officer and while I am not a member of the military, I put my life on the line for YOU each and every day…I’ve been shot at…punched and kicked…but I’m sorry…that’s just me doing my job”. I end my response with “what, not the government lackey you were expecting?”
I calmly got up and walked away (leaving several dropped jaws including her).
Yes, I chose my job and I take what comes with it but no one has the right to disrespect me just because a portion of your paycheck goes to pay mine.
Tom1944, I think the increased contrib for fed pensions applies to new hires. I could be wrong. I know they increased the share for one several years ago.
DH is getting a pension, but we have also seen a number of his colleagues leave the agency and double or triple their salaries. DH likes what he’s doing (he is making policy and doing lots of international work), and he’s had headhunters tempt him, too. The alternatives out there are more high-level executive stuff with healthy doses of management or new business development, and he knows those are not his strengths. He’s a subject matter expert and likes it that way. He has a team of seven, and that’s enough for him. We know what he’s worth on the civilian market.
He has 18.5 years of service at this point. FERS pension is 1% of pay times service time high-3 average salary, though Congress has talked about making that high-5. He has been throwing $$ the 401(k) because his prior law firm didn’t have a plan for associates, and therefore he didn’t start saving for retirement til age 37. OTOH, I have never cashed out a penny of retirement money, so while I have put a lot less in, those lovely compounding returns give me a decent balance.
There is also the reality of needing reliable health coverage for me. We pay a sizeable chunk in premiums and copays, but it could be a LOT worse out in the civilian pool.
@HappyFace2018, I love that response. That is classic, and the fact that you said it calmly makes it all the better. However, I suspect she would have said something different if you had said you were in law enforcement. I have a number of family members who are/have been in law enforcement, and it is a tough job every day. My BIL was almost killed by a nut with a shotgun while doing his job, and has been blind for over 25 years. Many people are completely oblivious of the risk that law enforcement officers face.
@NoVADad99 Last year POTUS signed a bill which allows retired federal LEO’s to access their TSP’s without incurring the 10% penalty:
https://www.tsp.gov/PDF/bulletins/15-04.html
The only catch is that I’d have to work until my 50th birthday to meet the requirement of “who separate from service during or after the year they turn age 50 to make a withdrawal from the TSP without incurring a 10% early withdrawal penalty.”
So working the extra six months would be worth it
I took early retirement before my 52nd birthday with 29.5 yrs. I got a VERA payout and have immediate annuity, but can’t touch my TSP until 59.5, and no COLA until 60. But it’s worth it to be able to go back as a contractor and make more.
busdriver- taxpayers actually fund a very small part of the pension in my State. In fact the normal pension payment is about 1% of the budget. The problem is if you miss that 1% for 25 years and the fund earns 8.85% over that period sooner or later you need to make up the 1% you missed plus the earnings. It becomes a very big number.
FYI in NJ overtime does not count towards any state or local pension.
@NoVADad99 I have a co-worker who retired at 52. He was CSRS. He returned as a contractor with ATF for a cool $100,000 a year!
"- taxpayers actually fund a very small part of the pension in my State. In fact the normal pension payment is about 1% of the budget. The problem is if you miss that 1% for 25 years and the fund earns 8.85% over that period sooner or later you need to make up the 1% you missed plus the earnings. It becomes a very big number.
FYI in NJ overtime does not count towards any state or local pension
tom, I think that is s very good thing for people to know. I’m sure most people are unaware of the facts.
@busdriver11 One would think her response would have been different if I said law enforcement but nowadays…with federal, state and local LEO’s being killed for less…who knows. 
@HappyFace2018, your story reminds me of my friend who worked for the public schools in his area and a tax-payer went off on a rant, yelling at him–“I pay your salary…blah blah blah.” My friend very calmly put his hand into his pocket, pulled out a quarter and said, “Here, you can have your part back.” The guy just walked away and my friend had the last word!
Shake and nod is a great idea!
Yeah, I know what you mean, @HappyFace2018. It’s absolute insanity how people are talking about law inforcement right now, it’s as if they don’t realize that these are the brave souls that stand between us and complete chaos in society, and have no idea what kind of sacrifices and danger they are in. don’t even get me going on this one! Thank you for your service, and you deserve whatever pension you get!
I ha e to say it would never occur to me upon hearing that someone is retiring to think about whether they had a pension or not, and if so, did I pay for it through my taxes. I assume everyone who retires is capable of figuring out what they need to live on without my help, and if they can’t, it ain’t my problem.
Beil at 25 cents he substantially overpaid him.
@NoVADad99 I stand corrected! Since I will be retiring in 01/09/18 (the year I turn 50) I don’t have to work until I actually turn 50 in June!
“It is the responsibility of individual employing agencies to determine whether an individual is a public safety employee. The TSP does not have the necessary information to make that determination. Therefore, the TSP will treat as eligible for the exemption only those participants who are (1) identified by their employing agencies as public safety employees and (2) determined by the TSP to have separated during or after the year they turn 50.”
WooHoo!!