{"id":5827,"date":"2016-09-22T07:27:09","date_gmt":"2016-09-22T11:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=5827"},"modified":"2016-09-22T07:27:25","modified_gmt":"2016-09-22T11:27:25","slug":"phase-into-retirement-with-a-part-time-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=5827","title":{"rendered":"Phase Into Retirement With a Part-Time Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"download\"<\/a>If you\u2019re like many employees approaching retirement age, you likely don\u2019t want to just quit working and walk straight into retirement. Rather, either out of want or need or a little of both, you\u2019ll likely want to transition into your golden years.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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But what\u2019s the best way to phase into retirement?\u00a0With your current employer, is what many workers would like. Unfortunately, many firms don\u2019t give\u00a0workers the chance. Just one in four employers lets pre-retirees shift from full-time to part-time work, according to the just-released 17th annual retirement survey\u00a0by Transamerica\u00a0Center for\u00a0Retirement\u00a0Studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

READ ON USA TODAY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Why the disconnect? 2 words: Cha ching<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI suspect the real issue is that it\u2019s expensive for employers,\u201d says Kerry Hannon<\/a>, author of\u00a0Getting the Job You Want After 50 for Dummies<\/em>.<\/strong> \u201cThey want to offer it to some cherry-picked employees on an individual-by-individual basis, so they aren\u2019t stuck with a formal program that involves offering benefits like health insurance coverage, which can be expensive,” in addition to more administrative work and scheduling challenges.<\/p>\n

So\u00a0the best thing to do\u00a0if you want to shift from full time to part time is to work for an employer that already offers that option. The federal government, for instance, is starting to allow civilian workers to phase into retirement. And some \u2014 mostly big \u2014 firms, Intel for example, also offer it.The transition from full-time worker to full-time retiree is a tricky one.<\/p>\n

\u00a0How to get what you want? Ask<\/strong><\/div>\n

Don\u2019t despair if your\u00a0employer doesn\u2019t offer a phased approach: You\u2019ve got several options, depending on whether you want to work for pay or volunteer.<\/p>\n

If you want\u00a0to work for pay, it never hurts to just ask your current employer if you can phase into retirement on a one-off basis. \u201cAn employee in good standing (can) proactively negotiate a specific ‘reduced hours’ work arrangement directly with his or her boss,\u201d says Tim Driver, president of RetirementJobs.com. Others agree. \u201cThere is no reason you can\u2019t ask. Nothing ventured, nothing gained,\u201d says Hannon<\/strong>. \u201cThe\u00a0key is convincing your employer that the arrangement will be good for them. Remember it\u2019s not about you. It\u2019s about them, and what you can do for the company and to make your boss succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you need help selling the idea, The Conference Board has a list of reasons<\/a>\u00a0you can use to make the case that phased-in retirement is a good thing for business.<\/p>\n

If you’re denied? Make your own plan<\/strong><\/p>\n

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