As an employee of the State of Arizona, your ASRS pension provides a solid foundation for retirement. However, it's not designed to replace 100% of your pre-retirement income. Without automatic cost-of-living adjustments, your monthly ASRS benefit will stay the same even as expenses rise.

If you're an Arizona state employee nearing retirement age, you're in the critical window for maximizing your benefits package. The decisions you make now can add tens of thousands of dollars to your lifetime retirement income. Here are some key strategies to maximize your benefits in your final working years.