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…
FERS (Federal Employees Retirement System)
Will You Be Prepared for Retirement? Take This Test Drive and Find Out
What will your retirement look like? And how will you feel about being retired and on a “fixed” income? Are you confident in your current retirement plan? Chris Kowalik takes you on a test drive to help you to adjust your plans based on real-world experience more…
Retiring Early Under the FERS MRA+10 Provision
What happens when a FERS employee wants to retire prior to meeting all of the full eligibility requirements? Chris Kowalik discusses the way to avoid one of the penalties associated with MRA+10 rules — plus how MRA+10 affects the FERS Special Retirement Supplement 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 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…
Electing FERS Spousal Survivor Benefits When Retiring
No matter which type of retirement a federal employee chooses and is eligible for, an employee has the option of offering a survivor annuity to one individual. Ed Zurndorfer discusses FERS spousal survivor benefits and their importance for married employees when retiring under immediate retirement, Voluntary Early Retirement Arrangement (VERA), Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP), Discontinued Service Retirement (DSR) and deferred retirement more…
OPM ‘Retirement Quick Guide’ to Help Federal Employees
The guide is designed to help employees know what to expect as their retirement application is processed and benefits are determined — plus assist in estimating when they can expect to receive their interim and first annuity payments 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…