If you are married, when you retire from a City, County or State job that has a defined benefit pension, you have one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make…. What is the best method of providing a survivor benefit for your spouse?

Here are some common issues we see quite often:

• Choosing the wrong option can cost you tens of thousands of dollars.
• Choosing a reduced option drastically reduces your post retirement COLA.
• Choosing the wrong option can disinherit your children or estate.
• Choosing a reduced benefit is a lifetime cost for the retiree with no equity or cash balance.
• You get no discount for this enormous cost for good health, non-smoker, or age