The Social Security Administration has announced the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment which affects those retired under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) more…
Recent Articles
Understanding the Three Tax Buckets: Tax Me Now, Later or Never
While you can’t avoid taxes, you can choose when you want to pay them when it comes to certain accounts and savings. Chris Kowalik explains how the growth in your investments is taxed, and which tax bucket is right for you: “tax me now,” “tax me later,” and “tax me never.” more…
2026 COLA Estimate – CSRS | FERS | Social Security
Analysts give a projection of the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment for retirees, which will be announced Oct. 24. It’s estimated to be only slightly higher than last year’s COLA more…
Immediate Pay for Some Federal Employees During Shutdown Proposed
If passed, the Shutdown Fairness Act would provide pay to excepted federal employees who are forced to work without pay during the ongoing partial government shutdown more…
How the Medicare Open Enrollment Period Affects Federal Retirees
Ed Zurndorfer discusses what the Medicare open enrollment period is (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7), how it affects federal retirees, and the opportunities that federal retirees enrolled in Medicare have with respect to their health insurance coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefits program (FEHB) more…
Understanding Medicare Enrollment Periods and the Late Enrollment Penalty
Enrolling in Medicare can be confusing — and if not done by the required deadline, can result in late enrollment penalties. Ed Zurndorfer outlines the various enrollment periods for Medicare — plus when penalties are imposed, and how they are calculated more…
3 Signs You’re Not Ready to Retire
Many people nearing retirement have an idea of how they want to live but aren’t sure they’ll ever be able to afford their vision. Chris Kowalik provides three important reasons why it may be time to make some adjustments to your retirement planning more…
Medicare Open Enrollment is Oct. 15 – Dec. 7
Through Dec. 7, eligible federal employees and retirees can make changes to their coverage that will be effective January 1. Resources to discover options and compare plan are available more…
2026 Federal Retiree COLA Announcement Delayed Due To Government Shutdown
The government shutdown is delaying the announcement for the 2026 federal retiree cost-of-living adjustment which affects those retired under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). more…
How Federal Employees Qualify For Medicare
Once a federal employee or retiree becomes age 65, they can enroll in Medicare. But many have questions about Medicare enrollment and how it works with the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. In the first part of this series of columns on Medicare, Ed Zurndorfer discusses the various parts to the Medicare program and how federal employees qualify for Medicare more…