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Federal Employee News and Commentary

A collection of news, articles and commentary dealing with federal employee benefits and financial issues from other publications and social media sites.

The outgoing links below do not necessarily express the views of My Federal Retirement.

Federal Worker Pay and Benefits Roundup
February 8, 2012
There's been a flurry of legislative proposals recently aimed at reducing federal pay and benefits. Here's a roundup of some of the measures on the table . . . more

House Votes to Freeze Congressional, Federal Pay
February 1, 2012
The bill would extend the current two-year freeze on cost-of-living raises for federal employees an additional year starting next January . . . more

OPM Hopes to Solve Retirement Claims Backlog With More Staff
February 1, 2012
The government's human resources chief acknowledged Wednesday his agency does not yet have an information technology plan to successfully tackle the major backlog of federal retirement claims . . . more

DoD Plans for Five Years of Reduced Pay Raises for Civilian Employees
January 26, 2012
The Defense Department is planning for smaller pay raises for its civilian employees through fiscal 2017 -- and that doesn't bode well for the rest of the federal workforce . . . more

Bill Introduced Would Reduce Pensions for Federal Employees
January 25, 2012
Rep. Dennis Ross, (R-FL), introduced a bill that would increase how much federal employees pay toward their retirement and steeply reduce pensions for new employees . . . more

List of Federal Agency Early Retirement Offers and Incentives
The roster of federal agencies offering retirement buyouts or early outs continues to grow, and here's a place to track them . . . more

OPM Outlines Planned Fixes to Pension Delays
January 18, 2012
The Office of Personnel Management says it plans to clear a backlog of more than 48,000 federal retirement claims within 18 months by hiring 76 more staff, paying staff more overtime and taking other steps . . . more

White House Proposes 0.5 Percent Pay Raise for Feds in 2013
January 6, 2012
As part of its 2013 budget proposal, the White House will include a 0.5 percent pay increase for civilian federal employees, according to an administration official . . . more

Are Federal Retirement Buyout Incentives Worth Taking?
"The reality is, for most people, $25,000 just doesn't stretch as far as it once did. That's the maximum amount of cash -- before taxes -- available to eligible federal employees in buyouts, or voluntary separation incentive payments..." . . . more

Seven Ways to Tweak Your Retirement Plan Next Year
Even the best-built retirement plan needs a periodic check-up, so here's a list of seven tips, tweaks and reminders for the year ahead . . . more

How Much Do FERS Employees Contribute to Overall Retirement Benefits?
The author discusses how most FERS employees contribute at least 7 percent of their income -- and likely more when the TSP contribution is factored in . . . more

2012 Medicare Monthly Premiums Announced
October 27, 2011
Medicare has released the 2012 premium rates . . . more

Medicare Enrollment Checklist
Widely divergent price moves underscore just how important it is for seniors to reshop their coverage every year during the annual Medicare enrollment season -- especially this year . . . more

Second Thoughts About Paying Off the Mortgage Before Retirement
Conventional wisdom says it's best to pay off your mortgage before retirement, but given the low-interest rate environment, and the need to preserve cash in an unstable economy, that strategy is no longer absolute . . . more

Requesting Your CSRS/FERS Annuity Estimate for Retirement Date
One of the important things all employees should do before retirement is request an annuity estimate. This is a calculation of your Civil Service Retirement System or Federal Employees Retirement System benefit prepared by your human resources office for a specific retirement date . . . more

10 Tax-Friendly States For Retirees
Where's the best state for you to retire? A lot will depend on your sources of income. For retirees, while relocating to an income-tax-free state such as Florida or Texas may sound appealing, sometimes the best retirement destination is a state that imposes an income tax, but offers generous exemptions for Social Security benefits, pensions and other types of typical retirement income . . . more

OPM Director Pledges to Speed Up Annuity Payments for Federal Retirees
Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry pledged Wednesday that his office will work harder to get retiring feds their full annuity checks more quickly . . . more

Federal Retirees Recommend Their Best Places to Retire
Nearly 600 members of the National Association for Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) recommended their communities as good places for federal employees to choose for retirement . . . more

How to Maximize Your Social Security Benefits
Maximizing your Social Security benefits will require some good planning and decision making. The most important decision you'll make is when to enroll . . . more

How to Cut Your Debt Before You Retire
When it comes to planning for retirement, you should also focus on cutting debt, not just savings. . . . more

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