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Ed Zurndorfer Articles
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Federal Retirement Benefits Articles
by Edward A. Zurndorfer
Edward A. Zurndorfer is a contributing author to My Federal
Retirement.
Ed is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). an instructor of
many federal employee retirement seminars across the country and is an
author of numerous books on federal retirement. Ed is also a retired
federal employee with 32 years of service at the Department of Commerce, and a
former columnist for the Federal Times.
You can receive Ed's columns free by
email (which are included in the My Federal Retirement email
alerts) by simply entering your email address
below:
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Federal Employees Should Be On Guard Against "Self-Directed" IRAs
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
Certified Financial Planner, Ed Zurndorfer, discusses what federal employees should be on the lookout for with respect to self-directed IRAs -- offering individuals the opportunity to invest in riskier assets including real estate, promissory notes and tax lien certificates . . . more
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Increasing Number of Agencies May Offer Early Retirements and Buyout Incentives in 2012
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
With pressure to reduce their payrolls given the current federal budget-cutting environment in Congress, during 2012 an increasing number of federal agencies may have Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) and offer Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VSIP) to eligible employees. Federal benefits expert, Ed Zurndorfer, discusses VERA and VSIP, including which employees are eligible for them, the effect on CSRS and FERS annuities and health and life insurance benefits, and post-retirement employment issues -- including non-federal and federal employment . . . more
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What Federal Employees Need to Consider for 2011 Year-End Tax Planning
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
As a result of the Congressional deficit-cutting committee's recent failure to reach a debt agreement, individuals will be facing major unaddressed tax code issues over the next few years. Federal benefits and tax expert, Ed Zurndorfer, provides insightful examination of the tax credits and deductions that will be expiring at the end of 2011 and 2012, and which tax increases take effect in 2013 unless Congress makes changes . . . more
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Health Care FSA or Health Savings Account: Which is Better for Federal Employees?
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
Federal benefits expert, Ed Zurndorfer, warns federal employees not to focus solely on their insurance premium cost as a means of selecting -- or keeping -- an FEHB health insurance plan during this open season (which ends Dec. 12). The question is: What is the most tax-advantaged way to pay for rising out-of-pocket expenses (such as deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance)? In this article, Zurndorfer discusses the pros and cons of two tax-advantaged approaches . . . more
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FERS Annuity Supplement: Understanding the "Earnings" Test
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
A FERS annuitant who retires before age 62 and who is employed after retiring from federal service may lose part, or all, of the FERS annuity supplement if the amount the annuitant earns exceeds the "exempt amount." In this column, federal benefits expert, Ed Zurndorfer, discusses the "earnings" test that applies to the FERS annuity supplement . . . more
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Early FERS Retirement (Voluntary): Considerations and Issues
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
With many federal agencies facing tight budgets for fiscal year 2012, early voluntary retirement is becoming more of a possibility for many eligible federal employees. In two columns on My Federal Retirement, considerations and issues associated with early retirement will be presented. This column discusses issues associated with early retirement facing employees covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) . . . more
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Early CSRS Retirement (Voluntary): Considerations and Issues
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
With many federal agencies facing tight budgets for fiscal year 2012, early voluntary retirement is becoming more of a possibility for many eligible federal employees. Federal benefits expert, Ed Zurndorfer, discusses issues associated with early retirement facing employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and CSRS Offset. . . . more
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Federal Law Allows for "Recharacterization" of Roth IRA Contributions and Conversions
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
In recent My Federal Retirement columns, federal benefits expert, Ed Zurndorfer, discussed how federal employees are eligible to contribute to Roth IRAs and are also eligible to convert traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs. In the case of a Roth IRA conversion, the Roth IRA owner may find that the conversion was a mistake. Federal income tax law provides for "undoing" the conversion, a process known as "recharacterization." In this column, Zurndorfer discusses the recharacterization process. . . . more
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All Federal Employees Are Eligible to Perform a Roth IRA Conversion
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
For federal employees -- many of whom are ineligible to contribute to a Roth IRA because their modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is too large -- the ability to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA represents a significant tax planning opportunity. Federal benefits expert, Ed Zurndorfer, discusses the issues facing federal employees in deciding whether or not to convert their existing traditional IRA(s) to Roth IRA(s) . . . more
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Understanding Federal Employee Roth IRA Options for 2011: Contributing to a Roth IRA
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
Every federal employee -- no matter his or her age, federal income tax filing status or income level -- is eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA or to establish a Roth IRA for the year 2011. The method by which this Roth IRA is established -- either through a contribution or through a conversion of a traditional IRA -- will be discussed in a series of My Federal Retirement columns by federal benefits expert, Ed Zurndorfer. This column discusses what a Roth IRA is and eligibility requirements for contributing to a Roth IRA . . . more
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Death Benefit Payment Rules for Non-Spousal TSP Beneficiaries
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
The Internal Revenue Code requires that a Thrift Savings Plan beneficiary begin receiving death benefit payments from a deceased TSP participant's account within certain time deadlines. Federal benefits expert, Ed Zurndorfer, discusses the withdrawal options for non-spousal TSP beneficiaries . . . more
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Required Minimum Distribution Rules for Spousal TSP Beneficiaries
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Certified Financial Planner
The Internal Revenue Code requires that a Thrift Savings Plan beneficiary begin receiving annual distributions from an inherited TSP account within certain time deadlines. The rules for spousal beneficiaries versus non-spousal beneficiaries are different. Federal benefits expert, Ed Zurndorfer, discusses the rules for a spousal TSP beneficiary . . . more
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Understanding TSP Withdrawal Options -- Part V: Required Minimum Distributions
Edward A. Zurndorfer, Cerfified Financial Planner
An employee who retires from or leaves federal service is not required to withdraw anything from his or her TSP account until he or she becomes age 70.5. But during the year the TSP participant becomes age 70.5 and every year thereafter, the TSP participant is required to make a required minimum distribution (RMD). Federal benefits expert, Ed Zurndorfer, discusses the RMD rules with respect to the TSP and how the RMD is computed . . . more
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Recent Articles &
Resources
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Overview - CSRS
