It is not a secret, nor is it magic! I sought the help of an Ameritime / Resource One Control Option Team that was well versed with our retirement system (the MO PSRS). I then decided to implement the strategies shared and suggested based on “My Overall Financial Picture”…
- I qualified for and decided to purchase 2.5 years of service credit because I paid into Social Security for a couple of years before starting my teaching career in Missouri. (I had NO idea about service credit towards retirement until I sat down for a complimentary consultation with an Ameritime team of Educator Specialists. They took the time to educate my husband, Joe, and me about my PSRS and answer our questions.)
- I was then able to purchase an additional .5 years of service credit when I was within 5 years of retirement. (In short, I taught for 27 years and bought 3 years of service credit for my full 30 years.)
- In an effort to measure and monitor my journey toward retirement, Joe and I met each year with our Ameritime/ Resource One Control Option Team to review and update my retirement plan as needed. (The bonus here is that since our Ameritime team of Educator Specialists was familiar with the PSRS and our overall financial picture, the team was able to educate and guide us in a direction that was a comfortable fit for our family).
- Once I purchased the three years of service credit I qualified for, I stopped putting money into my 403b. Since we, teachers, are required to send 15-17% of our salaries into our tax-deferred PSRS account, I did not see the wisdom in saving for retirement in a second tax-deferred account. Instead, at the advice of my Ameritime/ Resource One Control Option Team, I decided to start saving those dollars in an alternate place (my own privatized banking system) which allowed me more CONTROL of my money and more tax advantages for now and in the future.
- I have been retired for three full years. Joe and I still measure and monitor our financial picture with our Resource One Control Option Team on a regular basis. We discuss changes to our financial picture, our privatized banking system* that we have been utilizing for the last 11 years, as well as generational planning for our four children.
**Our Resource One Control Option Team helped us set up our privatized banking system. This system puts Joe and me in control of more of our wealth and cash flow.