Director of Retirees

Mark Harris

June 5, 2026

Hello fellow Retiree’s

As we transition into retirement (or are already retired), we often focus on the financial aspect of our new lives. We plan budgets, organize schedules and or map out travel destinations. However, there is another critical component that directly protects our freedom and lifestyle: it’s our physical balance.

Maintaining our balance is the ultimate invisible support system, which we often neglect. It is what allows us to do things like hike trails, play on the floor with grandchildren, and live independently in our own homes. But, because our balance gradually changes as we age, we often do not think about it until we slip or fall.

The good news is that balance is not a fixed trait, it’s a skill. Just like playing an instrument, learning a new language or playing sports, your balance can be trained, strengthened, and improved at any age.

To improve your stability (balance), it helps to understand how it works. Your brain relies on three things to help keep you upright: your vision, your inner ear system, and the sense of where your feet and limbs are.

As we age, these three systems can experience minor setbacks. The muscles in our legs and core naturally lose density, making it slightly harder to recover from a sudden slip or fall. By practicing balance exercises, you are "rewiring" these pathways, sharpening your reflexes and building the physical strength required to stay upright.

You do not need an expensive gym membership or specialized equipment to build a-solid foundation. You can turn making your daily coffee-brewing routine into a personal training session using these three simple moves. Always keeping your hands a few inches above a sturdy kitchen counter for safety.

• The Single-Leg Stand: Lift one foot slightly off the floor and balance on the other leg for 10 to 20 seconds. Switch sides. This strengthens the stabilizing muscles in your ankles and hips. Repeat this two to three times daily.

• Heel-to-Toe Walking: Imagine walking a tightrope. Place the heel of one foot directly in front of the toes of the opposite foot. Take 10 steps forward along the edge of your counter, then 10 steps back. Repeat this two to three times daily.

• The Sit-to-Stand: Sit in a sturdy chair. Without using your hands to push off, stand up completely, then slowly lower yourself back down. Repeat this 5 to 10 times daily (helps to build thigh and glute strength).

Besides exercising, changing your lifestyle will pay (show) big rewards. Ensure your footwear offers firm arch support and non-slip soles. Take a few minutes to inventory your home: secure loose throw rugs, clear walkways of electrical cords or toys, and add nightlights to the hallways for those midnight trips to the bathroom.

By investing just five minutes a day into your stability, you are directly impacting your future independence. Stay proactive and stay moving.

Mark Harris – State Director of Retirees

October 2026

Before You Work One More Year, Know Your Number

You may be closer to retirement than you think.

When I was still carrying mail, I thought the biggest retirement question was simple:

“How much money do I need in my TSP before I can retire?”

What I learned is that may be the wrong question.

I waited until roughly a year before retirement to really start digging into my numbers. Looking back, I wish I had started sooner. Not because I necessarily needed to work longer or save some enormous amount more—but because I didn't know what “enough” actually meant.

No one had ever sat me down and turned retirement into a simple plan I could understand.

And now, as Director of Retirees, I wonder how many other letter carriers are doing the same thing I did: continuing to work because they are afraid to retire—not because the numbers say they can't.

Your TSP Balance Is Not Your Retirement Number

Recently, I sat down with Johnathan Burgess, Owner and Chief Investment Officer of Big Money Retirement, to talk about this.

I should disclose that Johnathan and Big Money Retirement also advise me personally, which is one reason I wanted to have this conversation.

Big Money Retirement specializes in helping people turn a lifetime of savings into retirement income. BMR has several locations throughout SC; Greenville, Simpsonville, Spartanburg and in Charleston. The firm has also been recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies two years in a row.

But Johnathan showed me something far more useful than another impressive number.

He showed me how to think about my number.

Start with what it actually costs you to live.

If you want approximately $80,000 per year to maintain your lifestyle in retirement, and your pension provides $30,000 while Social Security provides another $30,000, you don't necessarily need your investments to produce $80,000.

You need them to fill the $20,000 income gap.

Using a traditional 4% withdrawal guideline simply as a starting point:

$20,000 × 25(yrs) = $500,000

That doesn't mean $500,000 guarantees your retirement. It doesn't. Taxes, inflation, longevity, investment risk, healthcare and your personal goals all matter.

But suddenly retirement becomes a problem you can actually solve.

Instead of asking: “Do I have enough?”

You can ask: “What is my income gap, and what would it take to fill it?”

That is an entirely different conversation.

Don't Let Fear Add Years to Your Career

Maybe your calculation says you're ready today. Maybe you're three years away.

Maybe it identifies a specific amount you need to save between now and retirement. But at least you know.

That matters because there is another side of retirement planning we don't talk about enough: time.

Johnathan describes retirement in three stages: the go-go years, slow-go years and no-go years.

Those first years matter.

They're the years when you may still be healthy enough to travel, knock items off the bucket list, spend time with family and do the things you spent decades saying you'd do “one day.” I've learned that personally.

Money is important. But the objective isn't simply to die with the largest account balance possible.

The objective is to build a plan that gives you the confidence to actually live your retirement while you can enjoy it.

Get the Answer Before You Make the Decision

If you're approaching retirement, don't choose your retirement date based on a guess, a coworker's TSP balance or a number you've built up in your head.

Find out what your life costs.

Calculate your pension and Social Security.

Determine the remaining income gap.

Then sit down with someone who understands retirement income, investments, taxes, Social Security and the TSP and have them show you—in plain English—how the pieces work together.

You may discover you need more time.

But you might also discover something much more exciting:

You're closer than you think.

After my own experience, that's the message I want other letter carriers to hear.

You worked too hard to let uncertainty decide when you retire.

MORE THAN MONEY

by Johnathan Burgess

Retirement is about more than accumulating money. More Than Money was created to help you think through both sides of retirement: building financial security and deciding what you actually want to do with the freedom you've earned.

Mark Harris (with the help of Johnathan Burgess CIO of Big Money Retirement)

State Director of Retirees / CDL Dist. 4