Military Retirees: What can I do to begin preparing for retirement?

Question

Military retiree's only please. I will be retiring from the US Army in 2 years with 20 years of active duty service. What things can I do now to make the transition smoother?

Answer 1

I retired from the U.S. Army. I recommend that you visit your Education center for the writing of your resume. I would send your resume to all businesses in the area you plan to retire in. You may get a good job offer before your retirement date. If you had any injuries while in the Army, get a percentage of disability from the Army or a Veterans Affairs center. If you have a wife or family, have them attend all retirement meetings you attend, as the retirement affects them also.

Answer 2

Jimmy,

Ed covers a good bit in his response, except I don't necessarily agree with the part about a resume.  There are some talented folks in some of the family and airman support centers and they can really help.  My wife works in a Family Support Center and she elicits help from the employment folks off-base, and they definetly know the job market.  They also help with the resumes, and they are top notch.  If you're not fortunate enough to have such a level of expertise where you are located, then Ed may be right.

Also, aside from employment, not sure exactly what you're looking for.  Are you going to remain in the local area.  Plan to work?  Have medical problems?  Do not put off medical review with VA.  Some guys think they are too proud or partiotic to allpy for VA benefits, but that is hogwash.  Army guys especially are guilty of this.  You earned and "DESERVE" any benefits you are entitled to through the VA.  There's a VA rep that is supposed to be visiting each army base on a regular basis to help you guys with VA issues---use his expertise.  I don't know what the Army equivalent to the AF Family and airman support center is though...But that's usually where the VA rep has an office.  Start getting all your medical records in order now, and make sure any and all of your medical conditions are adequately documented while you're still in the service.  Don't take table scraps from the VA either.  If you apply for VA disability and their answer has  disability percentages that are too low, resubmit.  They like to give less than one deserves, because they know a certain portion of folks will never resubmit---they are just like the social security office in that regard.

Get all dental care done while you're still in the army.

See if you can't get a complete personal copy of your medical and dental records.  You never can tell when you may need them for documentation. I got a complete copy of my personnel records too...just in case I needed documentation for some other military issue/benift where proof of documentation was needed.

Don't over-look getting a copy of your education records if applicable.

If you don't own a home, but plan to once you retire, think about buying and financing before you retire.  Reason:  your ability to borrow money will be based upon you current income.  You may not land the same paying job, but you know you'll be able to afford a home when coupled with the VA home buying entitlement.  Do this only if you're sure where you're going to live after retirement.

Once you settle down, go to your local courthouse and have your DD Fm 4 filed with the county clerk;  just make sure you keep a copy at home.  That way, if there's a fire, etc., you'll always have a copy of your DD Fm 4 available.

Jimmy, if you're planning on remaining in the local area after you retire, send me an email and I'll give you a tip on traveling after retirement.

Make sure your innoculations for you and your family are up to date.  Stuff like tetanus.  It's better and cost effective if you and your family leave the service with all your shots up to date.  It costs in the civilian world.  Also, start looking at Champus medical coverage now.  I think the best is Champus for life.  It ovffers the best coverage in my opinion.

Also, shop around for a good dental plan if you still have a couple of kids living at home.  Even not, once you retire and start to age, stuff like the teeth start to age too....I held off because I had some medical problems that I knew would be significant with VA, and at a certain percentage, I think it's 90% and above, you get dental care thru VA as well.  As it turned out, I'm 100% disabled.  But still, need dental coverage for the wife.

I can't think of much more to recommend without knowing your specific intentions after retirement.  

anyway, good luck and thanks for serving!

Answer 3

I recommend going through TAP, ASAP.  Lots of good info in there that can get you started and get you pointed in the right direction.  Get profiles set up on all the military job boards (recruitmilitary.com, recruitarmy.com).  Get a feel for what employers are looking for.  Check out www.acinet.org

Under career tools there is a link called "certification finder".  Research there and see what certifications you qualify for and start working toward those...many will require little or no effort because of your experience.  

Also, check out resources such as GIJOBS.com ( think that is the site) and get your hands on a copy of, well for me it was Navy Blue to Corporate Grey.

From there despite what they tell you in TAP, I personally STRONGLY RECOMMEND having your resume professionally written.  That was the difference for me in getting employmenet offers over close too and over that six figure mark.  A professionally written HONEST resume is well worth the couple hundred bucks.

I used http://gotthejob.com/

they did a fantastic job!

Any other questions...feel free to email