ALASKA – Retirement planning is an essential part of career development that individuals may overlook, and sometimes wait, until there is less time to prepare.

That is something the Alaska Region is working to counteract. R10 is taking a proactive approach by adding retirement tips and lessons learned to its new employee orientation framework. This year’s three-day session was held in April. About 140 new agency recruits, two dozen regional presenters and one retired regional forester attended the Juneau-based event.

 The retiree, Beth Giron Pendleton, spoke about her retirement five years earlier.  She left federal service in 2018 after serving as the top Forest Service leader in the Alaska Region since 2010 and has two decades of Forest Service and other private and public sector experience to boot.

Pendleton’s wealth of knowledge and forestry expertise only added to her authenticity as she shared personal experiences of navigating retirement challenges. She was an ideal resource for the new hires who, whether one week, one month or one year on the job, knew they would eventually have to take the retirement leap themselves.

During her April 6 presentation, Pendleton shared information on how to prepare for retirement, when to retire and retirement stories from four other Alaska Region retirees. Thanks to Marlene Finley, Maria Lisowski, Marti Marshall, Becky Nourse and Beth Giron Pendleton, the employee orientation audience certainly heard from the finest.

Tips to prepare:

• Ask “What is the legacy I am leaving to those that follow?”
• Start building a nest egg early
• Connect with a financial manager at least five years before retiring
• Take a federal retirement class at least 10-15 years midway through your career
• Follow up with another retirement class 3-5 years before the big day
• Embrace having a whole different daily routine
• Consider what to do with time, talents, and interest in retirement
• Recognize retiring is an emotionally charged and significant life event

As a retiree:

• Make time for personal reflection and celebration
• Travel, volunteer, exercise and enjoy life in retirement
• Get a full health assessment early on
• Live a healthier lifestyle
• Seize and live life fully every day
• Start a hobby
• Volunteer in the community
• Spend more time with family and friends

“If there is one thing, I would hope folks took away from my presentation, it would be to start thinking about retirement as early as possible,” Pendleton shared. “If they are doing what they love, in a place they can call home, and they are making a difference, time will pass quickly and before they know it, they are at retirement’s doorstep.”