So many posters here have announced their retirement from long careers or successful businesses. This is what supported their family and their lives. Mine is different. This was my pleasant little part time job as a School Crossing Guard.
A little background…In 2006 I was 51 years old and had been a stay at home mom for 22 years. Before having a family I had been a staff accountant and I had accumulated 33 Social Security quarters. I still needed 7 quarters to be able to get any kind of Social Security benefit and I always planned to get that done. I saw an article in the local newspaper (they still existed!) that the Police Department was looking for school crossing guards for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon. I figured this would be enough income to qualify for my quarters and if I didn’t like it I could quit and look for something else. Employees of the Police Department contribute to the state Police and Fire pension system but any part time employees are hired through a temp staffing agency and pay into Social Security so this is just what I needed.
So I applied at the Police Department and was offered a position. I started as a sub for the other crossing guards at many different posts and then was offered a post of my own when one of the other guards had to leave for a family illness. I was moved to another post the next year and stayed at that one for 4 years. I had already reached my goal of 40 Social Security credits but I kept my job because I just enjoyed it!
In 2006 we still had our younger son in college so my income went toward that. Then 2007 - 2009 we used it toward repurchasing some years of service in DHs state pension plan. In 1981 he had cashed out 5.25 years of service to help pay for getting his Masters degree. He didn’t expect that he’d be back in public service, but that’s where he ended up and now we wanted to buy back his time (with 26 years of interest) in the pension plan. We got that done before he retired in 2010 and having that 5.25 years back made a huge difference in his ability to retire.
So starting in 2010 I opened a Roth IRA at Vanguard and every year since then I’ve put 100% of my gross pay into my Roth IRA. In the early years this was a minimum wage job but later they gave us nice increases. Still, my income was always under the limit for the Roth. Since 2010 I’ve contributed $86,600 to the Roth. It’s been mostly invested in VFIAX (S&P 500) with a little STAR and Wellington. The Roth is now up to $159,000 so my $86,600 in contributions has grown by over $72,000!
I really did enjoy the job. I was at my last post for 15 years. I got to know some families and saw their kids grow up. I saw the neighborhood change and improve. My post was at a main street a block away from the elementary school. It was the same school my sons went to when they were young. This last year my grandson was in first grade there. Many years this was a busy spot, then it was just busy enough and then lately it has been far too quiet. Kids are being driven to school or picked up later or going to after school care. In bad weather (Ohio winter) the sidewalks aren’t shoveled and nobody walks. This year no one was walking even in good weather. I still enjoyed the job and the routine but it wasn’t the same.
I could move to another corner but I didn’t want to. My heart’s not in it anymore. It’s been 20 years of being tied to the clock and dealing with the weather.
I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished. I now get a Social Security benefit that’s larger than my monthly income from the job. After the Social Security Fairness Act passed DH now gets a Social Security benefit as my spouse. Repurchasing his pension system years of service allowed him to retire at 55 and his COLAed pension supports us comfortably. And I have $159,000 in my Roth IRA. All from my pleasant little part time job.
Taking this job at 51 was one of my best decisions. I truly enjoyed it and managed to do it for 20 years without getting hit by a bus or truck or distracted driver. But my heart’s not in it anymore and I want to wrap it up before I start to see it as a negative rather than a positive.
A little background…In 2006 I was 51 years old and had been a stay at home mom for 22 years. Before having a family I had been a staff accountant and I had accumulated 33 Social Security quarters. I still needed 7 quarters to be able to get any kind of Social Security benefit and I always planned to get that done. I saw an article in the local newspaper (they still existed!) that the Police Department was looking for school crossing guards for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon. I figured this would be enough income to qualify for my quarters and if I didn’t like it I could quit and look for something else. Employees of the Police Department contribute to the state Police and Fire pension system but any part time employees are hired through a temp staffing agency and pay into Social Security so this is just what I needed.
So I applied at the Police Department and was offered a position. I started as a sub for the other crossing guards at many different posts and then was offered a post of my own when one of the other guards had to leave for a family illness. I was moved to another post the next year and stayed at that one for 4 years. I had already reached my goal of 40 Social Security credits but I kept my job because I just enjoyed it!
In 2006 we still had our younger son in college so my income went toward that. Then 2007 - 2009 we used it toward repurchasing some years of service in DHs state pension plan. In 1981 he had cashed out 5.25 years of service to help pay for getting his Masters degree. He didn’t expect that he’d be back in public service, but that’s where he ended up and now we wanted to buy back his time (with 26 years of interest) in the pension plan. We got that done before he retired in 2010 and having that 5.25 years back made a huge difference in his ability to retire.
So starting in 2010 I opened a Roth IRA at Vanguard and every year since then I’ve put 100% of my gross pay into my Roth IRA. In the early years this was a minimum wage job but later they gave us nice increases. Still, my income was always under the limit for the Roth. Since 2010 I’ve contributed $86,600 to the Roth. It’s been mostly invested in VFIAX (S&P 500) with a little STAR and Wellington. The Roth is now up to $159,000 so my $86,600 in contributions has grown by over $72,000!
I really did enjoy the job. I was at my last post for 15 years. I got to know some families and saw their kids grow up. I saw the neighborhood change and improve. My post was at a main street a block away from the elementary school. It was the same school my sons went to when they were young. This last year my grandson was in first grade there. Many years this was a busy spot, then it was just busy enough and then lately it has been far too quiet. Kids are being driven to school or picked up later or going to after school care. In bad weather (Ohio winter) the sidewalks aren’t shoveled and nobody walks. This year no one was walking even in good weather. I still enjoyed the job and the routine but it wasn’t the same.
I could move to another corner but I didn’t want to. My heart’s not in it anymore. It’s been 20 years of being tied to the clock and dealing with the weather.
I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished. I now get a Social Security benefit that’s larger than my monthly income from the job. After the Social Security Fairness Act passed DH now gets a Social Security benefit as my spouse. Repurchasing his pension system years of service allowed him to retire at 55 and his COLAed pension supports us comfortably. And I have $159,000 in my Roth IRA. All from my pleasant little part time job.
Taking this job at 51 was one of my best decisions. I truly enjoyed it and managed to do it for 20 years without getting hit by a bus or truck or distracted driver. But my heart’s not in it anymore and I want to wrap it up before I start to see it as a negative rather than a positive.
