This teacher came to Fortress Financial thinking she may be able to bridge the gap to social security with her 403(b)s and retire now even though she wouldn’t get her full pension benefits. She was a stay-at-home mom for her kids until they were old enough for school, so although she was 55 years old, she only had 21 years in the NJEA pension.

We showed her a strategy where she could get her full pension benefits, including lifetime health insurance benefits, without draining her emergency money. This made her decision easy. She put in her papers to retire and finished the school year.

She is now retired and doing some charity work. For us, it was very satisfying to see her whole disposition change within a year.

*The example is for illustrative purposes only. Actual performance and results will vary. The example does not constitute a recommendation as to the suitability of any investment for any person or persons having circumstances similar to those portrayed, and a financial advisor should be consulted.