Ok, you have made the decision that you have served your country and it is time to move on. There are several reasons why you have come to that conclusion. You have served in many positions and feel that you have "been there, done that" or maybe you feel your career has stagnated and that you are being left behind. It may even be that the grass appears to be greener on the other side of the "fence". All of these issues create a "push, pull" effect.

Quite often this combination of events starts to play inside your mind. It plays over and over like a bad tape recorder until some how you come to the conclusion that it might work, it all makes sense and you wonder "what if". Then that one moment in time strikes you and you are overcome with emotions and decide to sit down with your better half and say "honey... what would you say to a chance of moving on to something else? "

Many people have been there before, but its not the decision I am here to speak about, its the "no mans land between your release and the starting of the new adventure". You will often come to the question as to whether or not you have made the right choice. I know that there is an empty void because your family is depending on you to continue with an income. You and your family have been used to that security of a pay check for so long. If you stayed long enough, you would have generated enough earned pension which will cover some expenses until your second income (be it from your business idea, franchise or company) kicks in. This is where you should understand that if you are going to make a leap of faith into your own business or franchise, that you have done your research and made sure that you can get from point A to point B with a serious level of success. In the case of a company hiring you, it is not so bad, another constant paycheck will come in and quite often there is a level of overlap with your terminal leave while you are working at your new job. Then, if entitled, your terminal leave pay will cease followed by a short pause while waiting for your pension to kick and finally you are on you way.

The better you are prepared, the less stressful the change will be. You owe to yourself and your family to ensure that you have covered all the angles. Make sure that you attend all SCAN Seminars that you can. Talk to a financial advisor about your new direction. Talk to SISIP about any policies that you have and address the opportunity of continuing your coverage. Deductions can come from your pension but will cease at age 75 with no return. You may consider a living will if you do not already have one, a Power of Attorney for both you and your wife. Remember to have a chat with your CPA and Financial Institution (Bank or Credit Union).

Your success is directly proportional to the size of your team. I found that my best team member was my wife who listened to me intently but other team members are people like your Lawyer, CPA, Bank Manager, Book Keeper, Real-Estate agents etc. These are key members who can give you good advice. Finally, its up to you. I wish you the best in your future.