There are many events in a federal retiree’s life that might affect their retirement and other benefits. Office of Personnel Management provides guidance for marriage/divorce, death of an employee/annuitant or spouse, reemployment, designation of beneficiaries, and moving to a new address more…
Military Buy-Back Guide: How to Maximize Your Federal Pension
Under current federal retirement policy, your active-duty military service is generally creditable toward your FERS or CSRS civilian retirement if it was terminated under honorable conditions. However, to receive this credit, you must make a deposit covering a small percentage of your military basic pay, plus any applicable interest. The two major benefits of a military buy-back are: 1) your pension will be larger, and 2) you may be eligible to retire earlier than you thought. This quick guide will explain the step-by-process, and provides insight on when this may not be the right decision… more…
How Inflation is Affecting Federal Employees’ & Retirees’ Financial Security
For federal employees and retirees, inflation is changing the math on everything from retirement income to basic savings strategy. Some of the choices that feel conservative — like leaning on the G Fund or sitting on cash — can fall behind over time. Certified Financial Planner Art Stein outlines a couple of common mistakes to avoid more…
New FEHB Rule: Federal Employees & Retirees Must Prove Eligibility of Family Member’s Health Plan Coverage
A final rule from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published to the Federal Register on Tuesday that will require federal employees and retirees to provide documentation verifying the eligibility of any family member added to their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) or Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program coverage more…
Federal Retirees: How Medicare Part D Can Reduce Prescription Drug Costs
Federal retirees and annuitants on Medicare may be able to significantly cut prescription drug costs by adding a Part D plan through their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plan coverage. See how it works, which plans offer it, and whether it’s right for you. more…
Latest Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Returns: Monthly and Annual
View the latest Thrift Savings Plan returns of the G, F, C, S, I and L funds more…
Why Federal Employees Should Sort Out Medicare Myths
The author explains why it is important to take time to consider the pros and cons of adding Medicare to FEHB. Common assumptions about Medicare Part B, IRMAA, whether you need Part D (prescription drugs) and FEHB coordination can obscure how coverage and costs actually play out over time. more…
Insight on How Investors Should Respond to TSP Volatility
Markets have been noisy for months. But many Thrift Savings Plan funds are firmly in positive territory, highlighting the gap between headline volatility and how markets actually price information. Certified Financial Planner Art Stein helps explain the disconnect and how investors should respond. more…
Why Waiting to Retire Could Be Worth Thousands of Dollars
For many federal employees, the retirement question isn’t “Can I retire?” so much as “Should I retire now, or is it smarter to wait?” Your federal retirement income is usually built on three pillars: your CSRS or FERS annuity/pension, Social Security, and the Thrift Savings Plan. A federal retirement counselor outlines how you can optimize the best timing choice from these three pillars more…
Federal Employees & Retirees: Are You Getting Shortchanged on COLA?
Federal employees may hear “COLA increase” and assume their retirement income keeps full pace with inflation, but under FERS, the cost-of-living adjustment can work differently than many expect. Before you retire, it is important to understand how the FERS COLA, CSRS COLA, Social Security COLA, and your overall federal retirement income may interact over time more…