• Do you have a trusted mentor you can learn from?
  • Communicate with colleagues or mentors that retired in the past 6 – 18 months that will share their experiences.
  • The experience of retiring from the military is multi-faceted. Talk to someone you trust and respect about the process as well as management of the change from being a Soldier to a civilian.
  • If you want to pursue mentoring from others outside your contacts, try an online mentor. There are a variety of programs available for active duty, separated, or retired military as well as military spouses and widows/widowers. Try the resources here on the SFL website.  [Disclaimer: The above info is not a partnership or endorsement of non-federal entities by the US Soldier for Life Program, the Army Retirement Services Office, the US Army or DoD. This is for informational use only.]

Schedule yourself (and your spouse) to attend both a local Retirement Planning Seminar by contacting your servicing Retirement Services Officer (RSO) and the Army Transition Assistance Program (TAP).  Attendance is allowed starting 24 months before retirement.