After she retired early from Duke in 2006, she took a full-time job at the Durham VA Medical Center. She didn’t want to stop working, a trend noted by the AARP in a survey showing 80 percent of baby boomers plan to work, at least part-time, for reasons including money and social interaction.

“My financial adviser said that my husband and I couldn’t afford to live on what I would get monthly from my retirement plan,” Burton said.

“It just goes to show that you never know what can happen – you never know how your situation can change,” Burton said.

In her first five years at Duke, she was enrolled in the pension plan as an hourly-paid staff member. She transferred to a monthly-salaried position and was no longer covered by the pension plan. Burton was eligible for the Faculty and Staff Retirement Plan, a 403(b) plan and had to contribute at least 3 percent of her monthly salary to receive Duke’s retirement contribution.

Burton gradually increased her contribution, but she said it was not enough.

“I never gave more than 5 percent all my years at Duke – that was a bad mistake,” she said. “I didn’t invest enough in my retirement.”

Her job at the VA provides enough income for her and Brian. She will also receive some retirement benefits from the VA but has to work three years to be vested.

Burton has big hopes for the future – she’s looking forward to frequent visits to Texas to see her youngest daughter and grandson. She also wants to help her oldest daughter to start an arts and crafts business, where Burton said she might work part-time making hats. And if she can afford it, she’d like to retire to the beach.

“Above all, it will be nice to not have to worry about money in retirement,” she said. “I should be OK, as long as I don’t touch my current retirement savings, and I still have Social Security.”