Government Executive email When you choose to end your federal career could make a big difference in your retirement security. Retirement Counseling and Training www.retirefederal.com This column isn’t about the perennially popular topic among federal employees of the best date to retire in any given calendar year. Rather, it’s about a decision that involves much more than the potential loss of a partial month of salary or retirement benefits. The choice you make about what point in your career you leave federal service could make a big difference in your financial security. There are many reasons to think about moving on into a new phase of your life. No one, for example, wants to stay in a career that has run its course. But sometimes hanging in there and making the best of a less-than-ideal situation will pay off in the end.