If you’ve reached income limitations in order to contribute to traditional and Roth IRAs, you can treat (or “recharacterize”) a regular contribution to the other type of IRA. Ed Zurndorfer outlines how federal employees can recharacterize IRA contributions under current tax law, including the deadlines (and making an extension to do so for contributions made in 2024). Practical examples are included. more…
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Individuals Who Did Not File 2021 Federal Tax Return May Be Eligible for Recovery Rebate Credit
The IRS announced plans to issue automatic payments to eligible individuals who did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) on their 2021 federal income tax returns. For individuals who, for one reason or another, did not file a 2021 federal income tax return, they may be eligible for a refund if they file and claim the RRC more…
Latest TSP Share Prices
Get the latest Thrift Savings Plan share prices which determines the value of your TSP account at the end each business day more…
How to Avoid IRS Penalties and Interest Charges for Late Filing
Ed Zurndorfer discusses late filing and late payment penalties and what individuals can do to minimize or avoid these penalties more…
Reduction in Force (RIF) Fact Sheets
As government agencies reduce their budgets through a Reduction in Force (RIF), federal employees are often left confused.. Chris Kowalik provides fact sheets focused on the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA), Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay (VSIP), Discontinued Service Retirement (DSR), and Severance Pay. By removing the ambiguity and answering very common questions on each topic, you can better navigate your decisions and understand the consequences of each program more…
Reconsidering Your Mix of TSP Funds During a Volatile Market
A retired federal employee and long-time Thrift Savings Plan multimillionaire shares it might be a good time for Thrift Savings Plan participants to reconsider their mix of funds and why it’s a “perfect buying opportunity.” more…
Understanding the Volatility of TSP Share Prices and the Benefits of Dollar-Cost Averaging
In a volatile market, many TSP investors become increasingly fearful of how much, when, where and even if they should continue contributing in the TSP. Learn how dollar-cost averaging can potentially work in your benefit over the long haul more…
How FEHB and Medicare Work Together in Retirement
Chris Kowalik examines the two parts of Medicare that retiring federal employees should be most concerned about, the pros and cons of having both FEHB and Medicare in retirement, plus three different FEHB and Medicare combinations — and their advantages and disadvantages more…
Understanding TSP Vesting Requirements and TSP Service Computation Date
There are federal employees who are losing their federal jobs due to reductions-in-force (RIFs) or elimination of job positions. Most of these employees are not eligible to immediately retire from federal service. A question that these employees may be asking: What happens to their Thrift Savings Plan accounts? Ed Zurndorfer discusses vesting the TSP requirements more…
The “F” Word for Federal Employees: ‘You’re Fired!’
Chris Kowalik provides tips for preparing yourself for an unexpected exit from federal service including: getting what you need before you lose access to government systems, knowing what you have earned based on your age and length of service, and accessing money you will need during the transition period more…