Ready to turn career choices into retirement confidence? We sat down with Georgia’s Teacher Retirement System leadership to decode the rules that matter most: how promotions interact with anti-spiking safeguards, why your highest 24 months drive your benefit, and when a June paycheck might outweigh an earlier COLA. We walk through clean, real-world scenarios so you can compare April 1, June 1, and July 1 retirements without guesswork—and understand the trade-offs.

We also dive into the workforce challenge facing Georgia schools and the role TRS plays as both a recruitment magnet and a retention anchor. You’ll hear what an independent audit found about return-to-work programs, how new bills could expand opportunities without harming the fund, and what the average retiree’s path looks like before stepping back into the classroom. If you’ve wondered about the “25 years” headline, we set the record straight: eligibility to return is not a shortcut to full retirement.

Two constants rise to the top: COLAs and security. Georgia’s long record of cost-of-living adjustments—prefunded through member contributions—helps retirees keep pace with inflation while driving billions into local economies. Just as important is protecting what you’ve earned. Only about half of members have current beneficiary information, and that gap has real consequences. We cover the quick fixes: log in annually, update beneficiaries, and turn on multi-factor authentication. Along the way, you’ll hear stories of leadership, community impact, and why professional networks like GAEL shape better decisions over an entire career.

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