Marine Corps Retirement in 2025 // How do I...?
Step 1: Pick a date. If you're on the enlisted side of the house, your retirement date is going to be the last day of whatever month you choose. For officers, it's going to be the first day of the month.
There's lots of talk out there about the "COLA Trap" that'll "cost you thousands a year in pension payments," but the thing is, those date selections might not line up well with milestones that you/your family have on the horizon. I only mention it because it comes up so often in retirement discussions. If you are interested in the topic, you can find the study here:
Step 2: Now that you've got a date in mind, you can peruse the source document that governs our retirement process, The Marine Corps Separation and Retirement Manual, or MARCORSEPMAN, here:
Key things to look for in this manual are service obligations (school attendance, promotions, etc.) that may have an effect on your retirement date, and the way the process works across different components/situations. One thing to note is that there was an update to application timelines - you can't apply more than 18 months out from your requested date...or less than 6 months out.
Savvy? Okay, let's get movin'...
Step 3: Fill out, sign, and route that Appendix J - Normally to your commanding officer, unless you are in some sort of joint/different billet...in that case, just ask the nearest senior Marine.
At the time of writing this, the Appendix J starts on page 622 (4 pages) of the .pdf file for the MARCORSEPMAN.
Here's a link to a fillable version that you can download:
Once this is signed, your administrative section will likely forward it to MMSR for you...but it's worth following up and staying on top of it to be sure. Once received at MMSR, you may or may not be notified via email. Another key indicator will be the bottom portion (retirement data) of your BIR on Marine Online changing to pending or approved.
That's the real quick, down and dirty, of it...I found that applying for retirement, while it did entail a bit of paperwork and routing, was the easy part. It was all of the decisions that came next that I found to require more detailed planning. A few of those were:
-Life Insurance. My take? Term policy, all day. If you are healthy enough, why not go after a nice 30-year term policy...say $1,000,000 in coverage for just over $100 per month? I would lean into securing a policy BEFORE...BEFORE getting all of your medical issues captured/diagnosed. I wouldn't want to be in a position where VGLI is my only option. Getting a good term life policy may also convince you that you don't need to use SBP. Different strokes for different folks, but VGLI gets very pricy, depending on coverage amounts, as we age. A term policy stays the same across the length of the policy.
-Relocation and Career. Where to next? Closer to family? Job-dependent? How much stuff are you moving? Kids off to college? 'round the world cruise or adventure in Thailand?
-Budgeting. Make a good budget sheet. While you're at it, make 3, 4, or even 5. What's your base pay take home? Have you planned for that slight lapse in income? Example: Budget sheet 1 should capture expected pension and any bills (or even unexpected medical care, etc.). For budget number 2, let's add any expected disability compensation or maybe even added income if you took on another career. Beyond these examples, you could add varying degrees of disability compensation...and after you have 4 or 5 budget sheets, you've likely got a nice little spectrum of pay possibilities.
If you enjoyed this article...or thought it was complete rubbish, please drop a comment on here or elsewhere in the Free Lance realm. Best of luck on the journey and thank you for taking a gander. Have a good one.
Cheers,
FLT
YouTube: Free Lance Travels
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