URS Retirees Share Their Stories | Jay Henry
‘Cruising With Confidence’
His steady URS benefit lets this retiree enjoy the ride in retirement.
“I really can’t believe my life right now. Sometimes I just walk along, I laugh out loud.”
When Jay Henry looks out at I-215 on a snowy Monday morning and sees the taillights crawling along, he doesn’t miss a thing about it. “I tell people every day is like Saturday, except Sunday!” he said. “I get to just live my life.” Jay retired at age 56 from the Utah Department of Public Safety’s crime lab after 31 years. “I really can’t believe my life right now,” he said. “Sometimes I just walk along, I laugh out loud.”
In the Driver’s Seat
Jay may laugh out loud about how good retirement feels, but the foundation for his financial freedom is no laughing matter. What URS provides, he said, is certainty. “Regardless of what’s happening in the economy, there’s a check coming in to cover the basics,” he said. “That assurance takes a lot of weight off when you’re retired.” Jay’s days are filled with projects, reading, and road trips in his camper van with his wife. One of his favorite adventures so far was tracing the old Route 66. “We got on I-80 and drove to downtown Chicago, and we made a right turn and drove to Santa Monica,” he said. “We did maybe just 100 miles a day, stopping and touring around … just enjoying life, talking to the people who come along.” Next up on his list: road-tripping all the way to the Arctic Ocean in Alaska.
Road to Financial Freedom
Retirement has taught Jay the value of building financial independence slow and steady through a career in the Utah public sector. “It’s the quieter way to do it,” he said of building wealth through a pension and steady saving. “While you’re plugging along, enjoying your career … before you know it, you’re on the road to financial freedom.” His advice for younger URS members: Take the time to understand your URS benefit early and think carefully before walking away from it. “If you’re thinking about leaving (the system) for higher pay, the benefit is so good that you should really think this out.”
