Retirement Planning Built Around Your Benefits
You’ve earned complex benefits. Our advisors make sure you can use them to your full advantage.
Schedule a Complimentary Consultation
Your state pension, your 403(b) or TSP, your 457(b), your years of service, your Social Security contributions, your retirement goals — they’re all unique to you.
State Pension Advisory helps you build a comprehensive review of everything you’ve earned.
Together, we’ll get a clear picture of where you stand and develop a strategy built around what you actually need.
For pension members and employees of affiliated universities, school districts, or state and federal agencies, your initial consultation is complimentary.
Pension Consultation
Most public employees have never had someone sit down and walk them through the full value and options within their pension. When questions arise, many try calling their pension system’s customer service line — only to face long hold times and answers that raise more questions than they resolve.
Our advisors are state-licensed professionals trained in depth on the pension systems they serve. We review every detail of your retirement accounts so nothing falls through the cracks.
We work with all major public employee pension and retirement systems, including:
State pension plans (all 50 states)
FERS — Federal Employees Retirement System: the defined benefit pension for federal civilian employees, providing a monthly annuity at retirement based on years of service and salary history
PERS — Public Employees’ Retirement System: state-administered defined benefit pension plans for state and local government employees
TSP — Thrift Savings Plan: a defined contribution retirement savings plan for federal employees and uniformed services members, similar in structure to a 401(k)
403(b) — a tax-advantaged retirement savings plan available to employees of public schools, universities, and certain non-profits; contributions are made pre-tax and grow tax-deferred until withdrawal
457(b) — a non-qualified, tax-advantaged deferred compensation plan available to state and local government employees; unlike 401(k) or 403(b) plans, early withdrawals are not subject to the 10% early withdrawal penalty
401(a) — an employer-sponsored money purchase plan common in government and educational institutions; employers define contribution amounts and may require employee participation, with vesting schedules that vary by plan
Whether you’re in California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, or any of the other 46 states where we serve public employees, our team will help you understand your options and make the right call.
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Social Security
Statement Review
Your Social Security benefit is a meaningful piece of your retirement income, and the decisions you make around when and how to claim it can have a significant long-term impact. Our advisors help you:
Review your Social Security earnings record for accuracy
Understand your projected benefit at different claiming ages
Coordinate Social Security timing with your pension and other income sources
Evaluate spousal and survivor benefit strategies
Don’t leave money on the table by overlooking an account you’ve been contributing to for decades.
Schedule a Social Security Review
Retirement Planning
Retirement security goes beyond income. It helps ensure your assets, your wishes, and your family are protected.
We identify any shortfalls, surface options to close them, and build a plan you can act on now. You deserve a picture of retirement that’s honest, not optimistic.
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Financial &
Estate Planning
Retirement security goes beyond income. It helps ensure your assets, your wishes, and your family are protected.
Our advisors work with public employees to think beyond the paycheck and build a plan that accounts for everything: beneficiary designations, estate documents, wealth transfer strategies, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing it’s all handled.
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Health Coverage, Long-Term Care
& Retirement Benefits
For many public employees, employer-sponsored health benefits are among the most valuable parts of their compensation — and one of the least understood when it comes to retirement.
Health insurance in retirement looks very different from the coverage you have as an active employee. Our advisors help you understand exactly what you're entitled to, what it will cost, and how to protect it.
Retiree Health Coverage Eligibility
Eligibility for retiree health benefits often depends on years of service and vesting. Premiums typically increase significantly at retirement, and available plans may change. We help you understand what you've earned, what it will cost, and what to watch for.
Federal Employees (FEHB)
Federal employees can continue Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage in retirement if they meet eligibility criteria. We help federal employees understand FEHB continuation, costs, and coordination with Medicare in retirement.
The Pre-Medicare Gap
If you retire before age 65, you may face a window where your employer coverage is reduced or unavailable and Medicare hasn't yet begun. This gap is one of the most financially dangerous and least-planned-for risks in early retirement. We help you identify the gap, understand your options for bridging it, and avoid being caught without adequate coverage.
Medicare Coordination
Once you reach Medicare eligibility, coordinating your retiree health plan and Medicare is critical. We help you structure your Medicare enrollment (Parts A, B, and supplemental coverage) to work with your existing benefits, avoiding duplicate coverage or gaps.
Long-Term Care Planning
Beyond health insurance, the cost of long-term care is a major retirement risk. A single extended care event can wipe out decades of savings if you're unprepared. Our advisors help you evaluate your long-term care risks, understand what your pension benefits (state, federal, or institutional) cover, and put the right protection in place.
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Tax-Smart Retirement Strategies & Account Awareness
Every recommendation is based on your specific tax situation, your income goals, and the accounts you actually hold.
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Early Withdrawal Penalties
Withdrawals from 403(b), TSP, and 401(a) accounts before age 59½ are generally subject to a 10% IRS early withdrawal penalty on top of ordinary income taxes. (with 457(b) plans being a notable exception.) Knowing these rules is essential before making any distribution decisions.
Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
Once you reach the IRS-required age, you must begin taking minimum distributions from most tax-deferred accounts — whether you need the income or not. Failure to take the correct RMD amount results in significant tax penalties. We help you plan distributions proactively so RMDs don’t push you into a higher tax bracket or create unnecessary tax exposure.
Market Risk vs. Pension Security
Unlike your defined benefit pension, which provides a guaranteed income for life, your 403(b), TSP, and similar accounts are tied to market performance. We make sure you understand which of your assets are guaranteed and which carry market risk, so you can plan accordingly.
Tax Risk
Distributions from tax-deferred accounts are taxed as ordinary income. Depending on when and how you draw down these accounts, you could face a significantly higher tax burden than expected. Strategies like Roth conversions can reduce your lifetime tax liability when timed correctly.
Management Fees
Fees embedded in retirement accounts are often invisible but compound significantly over time. Even a difference of 1% in annual fees can cost tens of thousands of dollars over a 20-year retirement. We review the fee structures in your accounts and flag anything that doesn’t serve your interests.
Life Insurance & Annuities
As you approach retirement, your risk tolerance naturally decreases. Annuities can serve as a meaningful tool for protecting a portion of your retirement income from market volatility — providing guaranteed income that doesn’t fluctuate with the market.
However, not all annuities are created equal. Some carry hidden fees, complex surrender charges, or terms that quietly erode their value. State Pension Advisory helps you evaluate annuity options with full transparency — identifying products with straightforward structures, no hidden fees, and terms that genuinely work in your favor.
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Ready to See Where You Stand?
Every consultation starts with your goals and your questions — not a sales pitch. Our advisors will review your benefits, walk you through your options, and make sure you’re on the right track.
