Chris Kowalik breaks down how Social Security retirement benefits are calculated, what permanently raises or lowers the monthly payment, why continuing to work can trigger a penalty most people don’t see coming, what married couples, divorced spouses, and surviving spouses need to understand before claiming, and what options (if any) exist to change course after filing more…
Latest Articles
Federal Retirement Application Checklist: The Errors OPM Says Cause the Most Delays
Federal employees can’t control how fast OPM works through its retirement backlog, but they can control whether their own application is complete and error-free. From OPM’s official guidance, this guide walks through the documentation, forms, and common mistakes that most often delay processing under OPM’s Online Retirement Application (ORA) system. A companion checklist is available to download and work through before submitting your application. more…
OPM Retirement Backlog Falls Again in August 2026 — And Wait Times Drop
OPM’s retirement backlog posted its steepest one-month decline of the fiscal year in August, extending a downward trend that’s now stretched across six straight months since February’s peak. Just as notably, average processing times improved for the first time since spring, reversing a months-long climb — though one number in the report suggests the improvement isn’t as straightforward as it looks. Federal employees planning to retire soon should still expect a period of interim payments while OPM finalizes their claim, and the full breakdown shows exactly how long that wait might be. more…
Some CSRS Retirees May Still Be Missing Social Security Back Pay
If you have a CSRS pension and never applied for a Social Security spousal or survivor benefit because the Government Pension Offset would have reduced it to zero, that’s worth revisiting now. A new August 2026 Congressional Research Service report confirms that SSA’s six-month retroactivity limit for new applicants isn’t changing anytime soon, despite pushback from senators. The message: don’t wait for the policy to shift — every month you delay a claim is a month of back pay you can’t recover. more…
What FEHB Enrollees Should Know if They Get a Letter from Medicare This Month
Every September, people enrolled in Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans receive an annual notice spelling out changes to their coverage and costs for the year ahead. But if you’re a federal retiree with Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), whether that letter applies to you — and how much it matters — depends on exactly how your FEHB and Medicare coverage fit together. This guide provides a scenario-by-scenario breakdown of the common combinations of FEHB and Medicare coverage so you know what to do more…
Your TSP Didn’t Know You Left: What Federal Employees Need to Review After a Separation
More than 322,000 federal employees separated from service in 2025 — many well before they’d planned to — early retirements and RIFs. That kind of shift can quietly throw your TSP out of sync, because your TSP is built around one number: the year you expected to start withdrawals. It doesn’t know about your pension, your spouse’s income, or the years of runway you may actually have. Learn what “separated” really means for your TSP, why loss aversion can push people toward decisions that don’t fit their actual timeline, and the specific things worth reviewing now — your L Fund target date, your income bridge, and whether a Traditional-to-Roth conversion makes sense in a lower-income year. more…
Understanding FEGLI: Basic Coverage, Optional Insurance, and What It Costs You
Most employees haven’t looked at their Federal Employees Group Life Insurance coverage since the day they were hired — it’s automatic, it comes out of every paycheck, and it’s easy to assume it’s “handled.” Ed Zurndorfer discusses how Basic FEGLI coverage is calculated, what Options A, B, and C add, and what each one costs at your current age using 2026 premium rates. Six practical examples are included. more…
How Much Will FEHB Cost You Between Retirement and Medicare?
If you’re retiring before 65, Federal Employees Health Benefits premiums between retirement and Medicare eligibility can add up to six figures — yet that cost rarely shows up as a line item in retirement projections. This guide walks through how to estimate your own FEHB bridge cost using your retirement age, current premium, and a few growth assumptions, plus what changes once Medicare eligibility begins. more…
TSP Week in Review: August 31 – Sept. 4, 2026
It was a winning week for most Thrift Savings Plan funds, with one core fund pulling well ahead of the pack while another finished in the red. Federal Reserve rate speculation and Friday’s jobs report kept investors on edge all week. See the full fund-by-fund breakdown, including every Lifecycle Fund, in this week’s TSP Week in Review. more…
Roth TSP In-Plan Conversions and the Five-Year Rule: Avoiding Tax and Penalty Surprises
After a TSP participant performs a Roth TSP in-plan conversion, two separate five-year rules apply to withdrawals from their Roth TSP balance — and they’re easy to confuse. One determines whether accrued earnings can be withdrawn tax-free; the other determines whether the converted amount is subject to a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty. Participants age 59.5 or older whose Roth TSP account is at least five years old satisfy both rules and can withdraw tax-free and penalty-free. Ed Zurndorfer explains each rule with worked examples so you know where you stand. more…