16 Things Seniors Born Between 1941-1969 Could Take Advantage Of
If passed, the Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act would increase benefits by $200 per month for six months more…
CSRS (Civil Service Retirement System)
The Strategy of the Survivor Benefit Plan
Chris Kowalik explains the the difference between active employee pay raises and retiree cost-of-living adjustments — and why, when and how they are applied — as well as current projections for 2026’s anticipated pay raises and how newly announced COLAs will be implemented in retirement more…
Your Survivor Benefit Plan vs. Life Insurance
Your federal Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) is an excellent way to protect a portion of your income for your spouse when you die. But that is all it protects, just a portion. You may want to seek out other solutions to fill in the gaps to meet your retirement goals. Chris Kowalik gives understanding on how the SBP and life insurance work so you can develop a comprehensive strategy for utilizing both, providing you and your spouse with the ultimate income protection. more…
What Happens to Unused Sick Leave When a Federal Employee Retires?
Ed Zurndorfer discusses the treatment of unused sick leave hours at the time of an federal employee’s departure or retirement from federal service. A practical example is included 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…
Update on Social Security Fairness Act
Ed Zurndorfer provides a summary of the updates including when Social Security beneficiaries can expect an increase in monthly payments, how to manage Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D monthly premiums deducted doubly from SSA benefits and federal pensions (such as a CSRS annuity), information about retroactive back payments, and tips to avoid scams more…
Update on Implementation of Repeal of Social Security’s WEP, GPO
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has issued updates on the progress of the implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act which repealed the Windfall Government Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). The updates answer questions of when beneficiaries will see their benefits increase, how many months of benefits they will receive, and issues regarding Medicare premiums more…
Update to Proposed Federal Retirement Benefits Cuts
The changes affect several provisions in legislation approved by the House Budget Committee, including an increase in FERS employee pension contributions, elimination of the FERS annuity supplement, and changing the method of calculating federal retirement annuities for new retirees more…
OPM to Launch Digital Retirement Application Processing System in June 2025
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced Wednesday that a new digital retirement processing system… more…
Children Survivor Benefits Are Available to Federal Employees Who Retire Under Early Retirement or Discontinued Service Retirement
Ed Zurndorfer discusses the child monthly survivor annuity benefit including qualifications for a child monthly survivor annuity and when it starts, the amount of the child monthly survivor annuity benefit, and when the child monthly survivor annuity ceases more…