Posted on Friday, 5th April 2024 by Dennis Damp
Print This PostConsidering today’s high cost of living, it’s no wonder why many retirees are looking for jobs to make ends meet.
A visit to your local grocery store brings this home when we walk out with two small bags of groceries for $100. Meat, coffee, and just about everything is simply off the charts. We picked up 6 cupcakes at a local grocery for Easter and they cost $8.99.
My wife and I made a rare visit to McDonalds, it cost over $18 for two hamburgers, a medium fry, and one small drink. A good friend stopped at Taco Bell with his wife and daughter recently; the bill was $40!
It’s no wonder why many, if not most, retirees choose to cook their meals at home today. One of the few ways to save is to buy in bulk at Sam’s Club or Costco. Walmart is even getting expensive.
Stuck in Neutral
I feel sorry for those looking to buy their first home or downsize with mortgage rates over 7 percent considering the outrageous cost of housing today. We looked at a new connected patio home last month. The price for a 1500 square foot, three bedrooms, two bath home was just over $450,000, $300 a square foot! That was the starting price.
Retirees wanting to downsize are hesitant to do so because of the high cost of new homes and rental costs are literally through the roof, yet we see apartment construction everywhere you turn today. Do we really think inflation is coming down for life’s essentials? Prices always go up must faster than they come down, if ever.
Abundant Employment Opportunities
Fortunately, there is no shortage of jobs for skilled federal annuitants. Private sector employers actively recruit highly qualified and skilled federal annuitants and federal employees approaching retirement.
Government employees and retirees are sought out by corporate America due to their exceptional skills, education, security clearances held, and knowledge of their agency or federal programs.
Updated Jobs Board
Full and part time job vacancies are available nationwide in most occupations. Visit our Jobs Center and use our free Jobs Board to start your search.
Opportunities exist for those looking to supplement their retirement income or to start a second career. We provide this job listing service specifically for companies that are seeking to hire retired federal workers.
We changed the format recently and focus on major employers across the country such as Walmart, Home Depot, and others. A list of the websites and career centers is available for the top 68 companies that hire contractors for the federal sector. Companies can also post their vacancies on our site for their critical hiring needs.
Current Listings
Northrop Grumman has over 1800 vacancies currently listed and employs over 100,000 worldwide. They provide pioneering technologies and create revolutionary technology to connect, advance and protect the U.S. and its allies. If you are interested in working overseas, they deliver products and services to customers in 25 nations.
Jobs range from administrative to highly technical positions to address problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace for their customers worldwide.
Review our master list of the 68 largest companies that hire contractors to explore opportunities in your area. There are many thousands of positions currently available.
Large American Corporation Recruiting Sites
We provide links to large corporation recruiting sites that you can search by location and desired occupation. These companies have stores within commuting distance to most metropolitan areas: companies like Walmart, Target, Ace Hardware and others. To find other jobs in your areas we link to CareerBuilder.com that provides free job searches for the entire country.
Salary Impact on Your Annuity
A federal retiree’s annuity is not reduced when returning to work for private sector employers. Federal retirees can return to federal service under the Rehired Annuitant Program. In most cases this will impact and reduce your annuity. However, certain rehired annuitant positions offer waivers for critical hard to fill positions, allowing the applicant to retain their annuity and new salary in full.
Making Ends Meet – Earn More or Cut Costs
Summary
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Leaving the Federal Service for the Private Sector
There are abundant opportunities to work for contractors. While working with the FAA I’ve seen many retirees came back to work as contractors with companies such as Booz Allen, Lockheed Martin, and others.
Those interested in working for a contractor after retirement should explore their options early and look for opportunities on the company’s website. Many of these jobs require you to have a security clearance before you retired from federal government.
If a contractor job isn’t a good fit for you, explore private sector jobs in all occupations or if you feel inclined, you may be able to return to federal service as a rehired annuitant.
Use our jobs board and job-hunting resources to get started and search for opportunities of interest.
There are two primary ways to make ends meet, either go back to work or use our budget spreadsheets to evaluate your expenses and cut costs.
Helpful Retirement Planning Tools
- Financial Planning Guide for Federal Employees and Annuitants
- TSP Guide
- Budget Work Sheet
- 2024 Pay Tables
- Retirement Planning for Federal Employees & Annuitants
- The Ultimate Retirement Planning Guide – Start Now
- Deciding When To Retire – A 7-Step Guide
- 2024 Federal Employee’s Leave Chart
- Medicare Guide
- Social Security Guide
Disclaimer: The information provided may not cover all aspect of unique or special circumstances, federal regulations, medical procedures, investment, and benefit information are subject to change. To ensure the accuracy of this information, contact relevant parties for assistance including OPM’s retirement center.
Over time, various dynamic economic factors relied upon as a basis for this article may change. The information contained herein should not be considered investment advice and may not be suitable for your situation. This service is not affiliated with OPM or any federal entity. You should consult with a financial, medical or human resource professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher or author shall be liable for any loss or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
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Posted in BENEFITS / INSURANCE, EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS, FINANCE / TIP, LIFESTYLE / TRAVEL, RETIREMENT CONCERNS, SOCIAL SECURITY / MEDICARE, SURVIVOR INFORMATION | Comments (0)
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