Both agencies have stopped approving advanced annual and sick leave — a benefit that’s functioned as informal short-term disability coverage for employees facing a medical emergency before they’ve banked enough leave to cover it. The bigger question for anyone eyeing a retirement date: if you’ve ever used advanced leave, you could owe it back out of your final paycheck. This guide breaks down what OPM’s rules actually require, what alternatives remain, and what it means to check your own leave balance now — before you’re the one who needs it. more…
Federal Retiree COLA History: CSRS COLA and FERS COLA
See every CSRS and FERS COLA since 1999, and how the two are calculated differently. more…
2026 Federal Holidays – Official OPM Schedule
2026 Federal Holidays: See the full OPM schedule, plus what’s ahead for 2027 and how holiday pay works if you’re scheduled to work. more…
2027 CSRS / FERS COLA Watch for Federal Retirees
New inflation data just moved the needle on next year’s estimate. See where CSRS and FERS currently stand — and what it could mean for your retirement income. Includes new information on the Medicare Part B premium offset more…
The TSP G Fund Is Safe From Market Losses — But Not From Inflation
The TSP’s G Fund protects your savings from market losses — its balance won’t decline when stocks fall or bond prices drop. But that protection doesn’t guarantee your savings will keep pace with inflation. When prices rise faster than the G Fund’s return, your account can hold more dollars while buying less than it used to. This guide’s analysis compares official G Fund returns with federal inflation data and examines the trade-off between market safety and long-term growth. It also considers how your retirement timeline, withdrawal plans and ability to tolerate market declines can affect the role the G Fund plays in your TSP. more…
TSP Week in Review: July 20–24, 2026
A tech-driven sell-off mid-week pulled most TSP stock funds lower, though a Friday rebound softened the losses. The S Fund led declines at -0.92%, while the G Fund was the only fund in the green, up 0.09%. See the full fund-by-fund breakdown and what drove the week. more…
FEHB Privacy: What OPM’s New Data Rule Means for You
OPM finalized a rule last month expanding the health claims data it collects from FEHB and PSHB insurance carriers — including more detailed prescription, provider, and billing codes. The agency states it needs to do this to catch healthcare fraud, waste, and billing abuse. While OPM states enrollees’ privacy is protected, the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) has pushed back, saying the safeguard falls short of HIPAA’s standard. Here’s what’s actually collected, how it’s protected, and what critics still want changed. more…
Why Your Financial Planner and CPA Should Be Talking to Each Other About Your Federal Taxes Right Now
People rarely think about their finances in the summer months. Tax season is over and Open Season is months away. But for federal employees and retirees, summer sits in the middle of a tax year that still has time left to course correct. There are decisions that hurt people in April, such as underpaid estimated taxes, a TSP withdrawal that pushed them into a higher bracket, or a Roth conversion that happened at the wrong amount. These decisions were usually made months earlier, like now, without anyone connecting the dots. more…
Would a Flat-Dollar COLA Help or Hurt Federal Retirees?
A new proposal would replace Social Security’s traditional percentage-based cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) with a flat-dollar increase for all beneficiaries. While the idea is not legislation, it has sparked debate over how future COLAs should be calculated. Here’s what the proposal would do, who could be affected, and what federal retirees should know. more…
Federal Retiree COLAs Could Be Higher Under Different Inflation Index, Report Says
A new Congressional Research Service report is renewing debate over whether retirement cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) should be based on how retirees actually spend their money instead of the inflation experienced by working households. While the report finds that a retiree-focused inflation index would have generally produced slightly higher COLAs over the past four decades, no changes to federal law are currently under consideration. Here’s what federal employees and retirees need to know about the proposal, why it matters, and whether it could affect future COLAs. more…