As someone who recently retired, let me offer my opinion.
You know the history of your employer. If there is a chance that they will do something that will adversely affect you as soon as they get your notice, give only as much notice as required in any policy manual, contract, etc.
However, many employers aren't so shitty that they are going to do something like this. In that case, give them as much notice as is reasonable. One to three months is pretty good. I would not give notice more than six months in advance. However, informal conversations about future plans are probably OK.
In my case, I had already made succession plans and had written documents that covered how to do certain tasks, who to call for certain issues, etc. Once you give your notice you need to kick this into high gear.
My retirement was unexpected because I stumbled into a better offer from another employer. I gave my former employer just over a month's notice. However, I did also let my former employer know that I would be willing to help them with the transition, and would even consult if necessary to get them through the transition. We are six months from my retirement and they still have not found a replacement and I am still fielding calls/emails from them.
If you have a pension, defined benefit plan, etc. you should talk with the pension plan folks to determine how much notice you have to give them before your benefits start should you be dependent on those benefits. Even if you start another job it may be weeks before you get your first check and you don't want to wipe out your savings trying to pay the bills till things start. Don't forget your COBRA benefits, life insurance, etc. factored into your plans. All those costs add up.
Best of luck. Nothing felt as good as when I got my first retirement check and I knew I was going to get one of those every month for the rest of my life.
Slashdot Mirror
As someone who recently retired, let me offer my opinion.
You know the history of your employer. If there is a chance that they will do something that will adversely affect you as soon as they get your notice, give only as much notice as required in any policy manual, contract, etc.
However, many employers aren't so shitty that they are going to do something like this. In that case, give them as much notice as is reasonable. One to three months is pretty good. I would not give notice more than six months in advance. However, informal conversations about future plans are probably OK.
In my case, I had already made succession plans and had written documents that covered how to do certain tasks, who to call for certain issues, etc. Once you give your notice you need to kick this into high gear.
My retirement was unexpected because I stumbled into a better offer from another employer. I gave my former employer just over a month's notice. However, I did also let my former employer know that I would be willing to help them with the transition, and would even consult if necessary to get them through the transition. We are six months from my retirement and they still have not found a replacement and I am still fielding calls/emails from them.
If you have a pension, defined benefit plan, etc. you should talk with the pension plan folks to determine how much notice you have to give them before your benefits start should you be dependent on those benefits. Even if you start another job it may be weeks before you get your first check and you don't want to wipe out your savings trying to pay the bills till things start. Don't forget your COBRA benefits, life insurance, etc. factored into your plans. All those costs add up.
Best of luck. Nothing felt as good as when I got my first retirement check and I knew I was going to get one of those every month for the rest of my life.