Public Sector Spotlight

When I started working full time, I had lots of priorities: student loans, rent, food, and of course, entertainment. Retirement savings didn’t even make the list. Then I got a job where my employer contributed fifty cents for every dollar I put into the company’s defined... Continue reading »

Even if you can retire young because your finances are in order, a good question to ask yourself is “Should I retire young?”   I wrote an article that asked the question “Is it possible to retire young?” and many readers wrote in to say it is possible, particularly if you... Continue reading »

Pressure on local governments isn’t fading and most likely is heating up. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article: “For many local governments – the 89,000 cities, counties and school districts that provide the most visible government services – more pain is... Continue reading »

The Dream Big site focuses largely on the public sector. So what exactly does that mean? And who exactly are public sector employees?   For a sneak peek into the lives of public sector employees, view these YouTube videos on how they help our communities. The videos... Continue reading »

Behavioral economists — yes, they exist — talk about the tendency of humans to procrastinate. And yes, they apply that to retirement plans. Individuals often put off signing up for them and, even when they do sign up, put off increasing their contributions over... Continue reading »

Turn on the tv, radio or Internet on any given day and you’ll see no shortage of news about the fiscal challenges facing many state and local governments. thedreambigsite.org was designed to help public sector workers realize their financial dreams and serve as a platform... Continue reading »

To many this question is only the name of a popular television game show, but for others it is a retirement goal. If it’s your goal, I’ll bet you’ve wondered just how to get there.   For one thing, you have to make retirement a priority and start saving now. The earlier... Continue reading »

For some workers in the public sector, the answer might be “most definitely,” you can retire young.   People who work in local and county government tend to retire at an earlier age than most other workers. Why? Well, they are our police officers, firefighters, and public... Continue reading »