I talked to my wife who's been working at the state hospital for nearly 4 years now and is enrolled in PERS. I asked her if she sees us lasting in Oregon for the next 10 to 15 years and if not, she should stop her PERS contribution.

We live outside Portland and the deteriorating culture here is wearing on me. I've lived here for close to 20 years and its changed and the culture shift annoys me. I'm thinking TX or FL. My wife would be ecstatic to move to FL. She originally moved to FL from Brazil in 1999 and misses FL so bad. We literally don't fit in here anymore.

We're beginning to position ourselves to be prepared to move within 5 to 10 years. My son will graduate high school by then and it will be less disruptive, but if the culture is unbearable, we'll move earlier if we can swing it.

My question is, if she's enrolled in PERS working for a state hospital, can she move to another state hospital and transfer her PERS to that state? I can't seem to find an answer online which kind of tells me perhaps no.

Any help would be appreciated.

Tony.

If I were in your shoes, I might consider moving over the pass to the Bend area. Entirely different political scene in eastern Oregon. One of the best 1000 yard rifle ranges around, as well. The Sisters/Mt Bachelor/Bend area is absolutely beautiful! If you like fishing, hunting, camping, skiing etc, you can't beat that area.

https://www.cossapark.com/

My pension is from PERS. While I was working, a guy with the municipality decided to move to NC with 17 years in. NC accepted all his time. He got in his 25 years and was a more relaxed person after moving out of NJ.

I think you should ask PERS that question and not your internet friends.

North Carolina's state employee pension is called "Teachers and State Employees Retirement System" (TSERS), and all local governments are in "Local Government Retirement System" (LGERS). There are provisions within each to accommodate and account for movement within either of these, but there are provisions to accommodate other states' pension systems, but they, often times, prove to be overly costly. Federal system(s), yes.

As I understand your situation, your wife belongs to an Oregon pension system?

I would seek an answer from the State pension you finally decide to relocate to.

Thanks. She's calling this morning to make an appointment with someone who can answer those questions. Just thought I'd ask the brain trust here since nearly every answer can be found right here.

Tony.

Yeah Benny, going to speak to someone in person is better than calling the retirement system.

After my stroke, the city's HR dept told us a buncha stuff, but NC's LEO retirement system is not managed by the city rather it is run by the state along with teachers and fire fighters.

My wife is a Senior Professional in HR and she had a hard time decifering the BS....a short trip to the people managing the system was much better than going thru several layers of bureaucracy.

After she talks to the people on your end (Oregon?) have her find out who runs the retirement in her field in FLA. Then call them and make sure she can transfer her stuff there.

Glad she has an appointment. That is the best solution. My hunch is that PERS is not transferrable to another state. Federal pensions are not a problem. Take a look at the the eastern portion of your state.

Florida is on a downward trend and will be politically very much like Portland and Seattle within a few years time.

I have never heard of any state pubulic employees having reciprocity with any other state. Some state systems have arrangments with other in state systems , county systems, teacher systems , legislature systems ect. Seriously doubt you will find that with another state. I dont know what age your wife is, how long she has worked, when vesting occurs , or her formula is , but please understand how all that relates before making a decision. For example , if lifetime health insurance (or some medicare arrangement) is included , leaving to early could eliminate that. Also, if she has a 457b instead of a 401k make sure you know the deference. The financial advisors i have talked to have given erroneous advice.

No, Oregon PERS does not transfer to another state.

quote:

Originally posted by Scott in NCal:
I have never heard of any state pubulic employees having reciprocity with any other state. Some state systems have arrangments with other in state systems , county systems, teacher systems , legislature systems ect. Seriously doubt you will find that with another state. I dont know what age your wife is, how long she has worked, when vesting occurs , or her formula is , but please understand how all that relates before making a decision. For example , if lifetime health insurance (or some medicare arrangement) is included , leaving to early could eliminate that. Also, if she has a 457b instead of a 401k make sure you know the deference. The financial advisors i have talked to have given erroneous advice.

Here's the link to the transfer form for TSERS from another state - Form 455.

Also, Section Seven of the guidebook discusses out-of-state pension purchases.

As I said earlier, check with the state pension you are wanting to go to.

She’s barely been on the job for less than 5 years. Looks like she’s already fully vested since it’s calendar years and not actual to the date years. She’s going to axe it and go UPP (401k) and she’ll get a small PERS check when she retires so it’s not lost money.

After looking, we may consider Georgia instead. They’ve got a big tech industry which is my actual profession. We’ve got to go where jobs are, but we both know we don’t want to be in Oregon anymore.

Houston may be another option. Ohio would be ideal except for the winters which is a deal breaker.

Tony.

quote:

Originally posted by benny6:
She’s going to axe it and go UPP (401k) and she’ll get a small PERS check when she retires so it’s not lost money.



Tony.

Not an Accountant, but...
If you touch that check, (again, depending on how much) you pay taxes on it.

Think about rolling it right into the 401K or another investment.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
I think you should ask PERS that question and not your internet friends.

Best advice !

Houston is the Berkeley of Texas, and the summers are brutal--very hot and humid. Although I'm an adopted Texan (38 years now) I wouldn't recommend Houston.

flashguy

I decided to end my career working for the state of Oregon and retired last November after 5 years of service. I am now drawing my pers pension and am surprised at how generous it is after only 5 years. My previous 38 years of employment was spent working for large corporations in a variety of middle management positions, all with 401k retirement programs.

Even at 5 years the Pers pension is so much more generous than anything i could get through a 401k or IRA in the same timeframe that I would stay engaged as long as you are working for the employer and after you move, just let it sit until you are ready to retire. No matter what tier you're in, they can't changed any of the benefits you've already earned.

Oregon s pers pension system is extremely generous compared to what is available to you from private employers.

quote:

Originally posted by Marc1911:
I decided to end my career working for the state of Oregon and retired last November after 5 years of service. I am now drawing my pers pension and am surprised at how generous it is after only 5 years. My previous 38 years of employment was spent working for large corporations in a variety of middle management positions, all with 401k retirement programs.

Even at 5 years the Pers pension is so much more generous than anything i could get through a 401k or IRA in the same timeframe that I would stay engaged as long as you are working for the employer and after you move, just let it sit until you are ready to retire. No matter what tier you're in, they can't changed any of the benefits you've already earned.

Oregon s pers pension system is extremely generous compared to what is available to you from private employers.

Well of course it is. Everyone else is paying for that "generosity"...