Q. I am a 23-year federal employee. I was going to retire at 60 years old with 25 years. I was wondering why so many federal employees are retiring now? Should I, too, or wait two more years?
A. Some employees are retiring now because they are tired of being picked on by politicians. Others are retiring because they haven’t had a pay raise in so long that their high-3 hasn’t increased because of pay freezes. Still others are retiring because they fear that there will be changes in the retirement system, which would reduce their benefits. The last reason is the only one you can do anything about. If a detrimental change looks like it will really happen, you can always retire before it becomes effective.