Free Washington Retirement Planning Community and CoursesIf you are a Washington State employee planning to retire soon, 2026 is a year you cannot afford to wing it.

In this episode, I break down five retirement planning mistakes I saw repeatedly this past year and how to fix them before they cost you money .

We cover:

- Why taking the highest pension option is not always the smartest move

- How survivorship choices can dramatically impact your spouse

- Why Roth conversions need a real strategy, not guesswork

- What most people misunderstand about long term care insurance

- Why timing matters more than your account balance

We also answer a key listener question:

How can I retire as early as possible on PERS 3 with over 30 years of service?

If you qualify for the 2008 ERF and are considering retiring at 55 instead of 62, the break even math might surprise you . We walk through how reductions, COLAs, and lifetime payout comparisons actually work.

Whether you are in PERS 2, PERS 3, TRS, SERS, or DRS deferred comp, this episode will help you avoid costly timing mistakes and build a retirement plan that survives real life.

00:00 Intro

01:11 Tip 1 - Bigger pension is not always better

04:38 Tip 2 - Do not assume your spouse will figure it out

07:40 Tip 3 - Roth conversions need strategy

09:25 Tip 4 - Long term care insurance misconceptions

11:20 Tip 5 - Timing matters more than account balance

13:31 - How to retire early on PERS 3 with 30 years

Links:

1. ⁠⁠Free Washington Retirement Planning Community⁠⁠

2. ⁠Plan 3 Investment Advice⁠

3. ⁠Schedule Meeting⁠

4. More free resources at ⁠WATRSPERS.com⁠