Making Good Use of the Railroad Retirement Board

There are a number of different benefits that come from working for the railroad, but one of the benefits that you may not consider at first is the end of it all. Upon retirement, you will be receiving a pension that comes through the Railroad Retirement Board, an agency that was set up in order to provide retirement benefits for the nation’s railroad workers. Being able to receive benefits from the railroad is an excellent way for you to enjoy your retirement years. Here are a few different things, however, that you should know about the board itself.

The Railroad Retirement Board is administered through a number of different field offices that can be found around the nation. The reason why these different field offices were set up is to make it easy for you to be able to get information on a number of different subjects that are tied in with the retirement board itself. For example, you can contact your local field office in order to find out information about your regular benefits, as well as to any information that may be available about survivor benefits. If you need some tax withholding information or statements, these can also be provided to you through the local field office.

One of the easiest ways for you to find the information you need, outside of going to the local field office is to look at the Railroad retirement Board website on the Internet at www.rrb.gov. This website can not only put you in touch with any specific part of the agency that you need to talk with, it can also give you general information about the retirement board itself. News releases are also posted on the website, as well as downloadable public forms and publications. Many times, it is easier for you to find what you need directly on the Railroad Retirement Board website rather than contacting the local field office and having them find it for you.

Something else that is also provided in many instances by the local field offices is genealogy information. Although not a primary function of these field offices, they do maintain records on the deceased employees which will be released after paying a $27, nonrefundable fee. The easiest way to get this information is by providing the Railroad Retirement Board office with a Social Security number. If you do not have the Social Security number, they may be able to look up the records with a full name and any other information that you can provide to help them to pin it down. It’s important to note, however, that information about someone who is still living will not be provided without their express, written consent.

There are a number of other benefits that the Railroad Retirement Board can provide to its employees. It was set up in order to provide for Railroad employees, long after they reached their retirement years and it is still in use for that very purpose. If you are able to take advantage of these benefits, it can provide for you and your family formany years into the future.

Retirement Gag Gifts

Retiring from a job where someone has worked for a long time does not have to be a somber occasion. The transition to retirement can be celebrated in a light hearted manner that make the retiree feel good about this transition in their life. Many times a retirement party is thrown in honor of the person about to retire. This can be a simple celebration or more formal event. In either case a good way to lighten up the party is through the use of retirement gag gifts. They can bring a lot of enjoyment to the retiree and those attending the festivities.

It is important to recognize that most workplaces can stressful even under the most routine of circumstances. When a person who has worked at a business for many years decides to leave, naturally there will some added tension. Goodbye gifts in the form of retirement gag gifts can go a long way to help reduce that stress.

What exactly are retirement gag gifts? Well, generally speaking retirement gag gifts are a kind of prop that relates to something funny about the retiree. This can be about the job itself, a specific work incident that involved the retiree or anything about the retiree personally. The idea is to create good hearted humor but not to be malicious and hurt the feelings of person who is being honored.

There are many options in selecting retirement gag gifts. You can buy them from a vendor who specializes in generic gag gifts, buy a regular or gag gift that you personalize in some manner such as having it engraved, or you can make a gag gift yourself that is customized for the person involved. It is not that difficult to make your own gifts and is often more meaningful to the recipient.

n addition to specific work incidents that can be parodied, things that relate to the retiree’s job can be the source of inspiration for retirement gag gifts. For example a police officer who is retiring might be presented with a fancy revolver that is actually a squirt gun or cigar lighter. Also the impeccably dressed executive might be given an outrageous necktie. These gifts are intended to bring smiles and laughter.

The old notion of a sedentary retirement rings hollow to many modern retirees. One gift idea that parodies this notion is a rocking chair with a humorous saying stenciled on the back, something like “Born to Rock”. You might also take an alternate approach by presenting a motorcycle helmet with a similar inscription. Try to think outside the box.

Someone who is retiring is about to start the next phase of their lives. so think about the kind of activities that they will be enjoying during their retirement. This will also help you select retirement gag gifts. For example, a golfer might be given a golf club head modified to cut grass so they can do their lawn chores while practicing their golf swing. Of course it won’t be use it for that purpose but it will put a smile on the retiree’s face.

These are just a few ideas. Try to be creative but make sure your choices are good natured ribbing and not hurtful. With a little imagination and effort your retirement gag gifts will help turn a retirement party into a truly fun occasion for everyone involved.

Article courtesy of Don Jackson