Federal employees under the FERS system enjoy a benefit that is rare and relatively unknown. Even the CSRS system doesn’t have anything comparable. It is called the FERS supplement, the Social Security Supplement, or even the Special Retirement Supplement. Let’s dig into how it works. Because the earliest age you’d Read more…
Taking social security early is an attractive option especially for feds. Many federal employees retire in their early sixties and it just seems to make sense starting social security at 62. And for some people this truly is the best option. But in my opinion, many people that start benefits Read more…
This is the sort of topic that I hope stays theoretical for my readers. That being said, it is important to know how FERS disability works in the unfortunate circumstance that you or someone you know might need it. Because federal employees are not covered by workers comp as most Read more…
Do I have enough in my TSP? Or do I have enough to retire? I get these questions all the time and understandably so. Everyone wants to know where they stand but interestingly enough, I hear the same concern from those with 100k in there TSP as well as from Read more…
It is very common for federal employees to have served at least a portion of their career in the military. If someone is not receiving military retirement pay, they are most likely eligible to buy back their military time to be included in their federal service. This is how it Read more…
In my day job as a financial planner, I speak with a ton of feds within a couple years of retirement who are cramming money into their TSP as fast as they can. They are all trying to make up for lost time and do some last minute prep. I Read more…
Phased retirement is a relatively new concept as it was authorized starting in November of 2014. Because of its novelty, few Feds understand how it works and how it affects their retirement benefits. Let’s dig in. How it works Phased retirement is a completely voluntary thing that must be chosen Read more…
TSP Calculator / TSP Balance Estimator at Retirement No calculator will get your future TSP balance exactly right. This is because there are many variables that we simply can’t predict. Some of these include: -Future Investment Returns -Inflation -Tax Rates That being said, this TSP calculator can give you an Read more…
But Wait!!! A Simple calculator does not tell the whole story. Here is a guide to understanding your pension to make sure you can maximize it. For most federal employees, your pension is a big part of your retirement. It is fixed income for the rest of your life. And that Read more…
Back in March, I spoke to a federal employee who was pretty proud of himself. He had decided to move his entire TSP balance into the G fund a couple months earlier when the coronavirus was barely making headlines. Since then, the market had seen ups and downs of more Read more…
