If offered it, I'd be cautious and examine the environment before I made the switch. Especially if Social Security is under attack, and pensions/401K regulations are going out the window.
Even amongst government employees, there are very few people with enough in the pensions/401Ks to be able to weather a depression or recession any time soon. And you know "early retirement" cuts into long term retirement.
Best to keep working and getting a steady living wage - and socking away retirement - than have to compete for any sort of minimal wage work to keep one going until one actually has to start living off retirement and Social Security. My soon-to-be 80 year old and healthy mom has probably another 15 -20 years in her according to her genetics; lucky for her she has a paid off house in a "good" area of Albuquerque, and both her own pension and survivor's benefits to continue to live on.
She has enough she can still put money aside in an emergency household fund every month and still handle her medical issues and live comfortably on her own. She officially "retired" only eight/nine years ago to get her full 40 year (max pension) from the University of Washington (Dad retired two years previously from his school district job when he hit 70 with his full pension).
If they had both decided to retire early at, say, 65/63 - and started the middle class "retirement lifestyle", living off their moderate investments, pension money, the Roth IRAs, and Social Security early because they weren't getting a regular income, she'd be about collecting around $300 a month less than she is now - and that $300 less will start to make a big difference the older she gets.
Haele
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