11
Years in Fort Collins
$140M
Assets under management
3
People
You've done the math and the money works. The question is how to bridge the years between the day you leave campus and the day Medicare starts.
CSU faculty and administrators who've hit Rule of 90 or their own target date, years ahead of Medicare eligibility.
Long-tenured professors and administrators sitting on a PERA pension and a 403(b) they've barely reviewed.
$800K to $2.5M invested plus a pension. The savings are enough. The health coverage plan isn't built yet.
A step-by-step way to close the gap between your retirement date and Medicare eligibility.
We lay out employer retiree coverage, COBRA, and marketplace options against the years remaining until you turn 65.
We pull actual premium figures for each option so the numbers in your plan are not guesses.
We add healthcare costs into your withdrawal and income strategy so they are covered, not an afterthought.
We line up your last day of work with the start of your new coverage so there is no gap in between.
We walk through the coverage decision together before you submit paperwork to your employer or PERA.
You'll need a bridge plan until Medicare starts. Options include COBRA, a marketplace plan, or a spouse's employer coverage if available. Each has different costs and rules. The right choice depends on your health needs, your PERA and 403(b) income timing, and how many years you need to bridge.
Costs vary widely based on your health, family size, and plan choice, and change each year with new rates. Marketplace and COBRA premiums both tend to rise the closer you get to 65. We build the actual number into your retirement income plan so it's not a guess.
It can. A bigger bridge cost sometimes means working a few more months or timing retirement around a PERA option election. We walk through the tradeoffs together so you see exactly what an earlier date costs you in healthcare dollars, not just in pension math.
If your spouse still works and has employer coverage, that can simplify your bridge significantly, sometimes covering you both. If your spouse is also retiring or aging into Medicare on a different timeline, we plan for both dates so there's no coverage gap for either of you.
No. This is planning guidance based on current rules and typical costs, not a guarantee. Healthcare premiums, PERA provisions, and marketplace rules can all change. We update your plan as your retirement date approaches so your numbers stay current, not fixed in place years early.
Many CSU retirees do use 403(b) or personal savings to fund healthcare premiums during the bridge years. We help you sequence withdrawals so you're not paying more in taxes than you need to, while keeping enough set aside to cover the gap until age 65.
Bring your retirement date and we'll map the coverage gap to 65 in a Calendly meeting. You will hear from one of us within one business day.
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