Originally Posted by
APC225
There's a point I think where the lump sum may peak, sometime after 60 and before 65, so in that sense it may hurt. However the reason people continue working past that peak is because no matter when you take the lump sum, retiring early instantly stops an annual income stream of $175K or so. That's what most can't afford to give up even if it means some degradation of the A Plan lump sum.
Yeah, even those pilots who "aren't intellectual giants" can figure that out. There are also other benefits, such as health insurance, that stop when you retire before you reach the age to qualify for Medicare.