What You Don't Know (But Should) About Your Thrift Savings Plan

Title: What You Don't Know (But Should) About Your Thrift Savings Plan

Article Snip: "...You can have both a traditional and Roth TSP at the same time, and there’s an interesting caveat: the government’s matching contributions can only be made into a traditional TSP, so even if you only contribute to a Roth TSP, you will still have both types of accounts (and the added benefit of some tax diversification)..."

Reference: www.forbes.com

Gotcha, Sorry, We Need Your Social Security to Pay for Medicare

Title: January surprise of vanishing Social Security COLA

Article Snip: "...most Medicare beneficiaries will pay $134 per month for Part B, which pays for doctors' fees and outpatient services. That's a $25-per-month increase over the 2017, nearly wiping out the Social Security COLA for many retirees..."

Reference: www.investmentnews.com
Medicare, Medicare Part B premiums, Social Security COLA 2018, What does Medicare Part B cover?, Destruction of Retirees, Medicare Advantage Plan,

More Reading: (From Medicare.gov) If you're in a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare plan, you may have different rules, but your plan must give you at least the same coverage as Original Medicare. Some services may only be covered in certain settings or for patients with certain conditions.

After Huge Corporate Tax Cuts, GOP to Attack Medicare, Social Security

Title: After Tax Cuts, GOP Leaders Turn Buzz Saw to Medicare, Social Security

Article Snip: "...Top officials in the Republican Party have suggested in recent days that they will pursue major entitlement reform following the likely passage of massive tax cuts in the near future. Those officials, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)..."

Reference: www.thedailybeast.com
Destruction of Retirees, destruction of the American working class, Corporate Greed, Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan,

USPS Announces Voluntary Early Out Retirement (VERA)

Title: USPS Announces Voluntary Early Out Retirement (VERA)

Article Snip: "...This letter was received with no advance notification to the union or negotiations with the APWU over who the VERA applied to and under what conditions. The APWU immediately initiated information requests to USPS management regarding this VERA and demands for bargaining over its scope and impact..."

Reference: www.apwu.org
Voluntary Early Retirement (2018),

The Social Security cost-of-living increase is a cruel fraud

Title: The Social Security cost-of-living increase is a cruel fraud

Article Snip: "...Today, it’s not so great. The tiny Social Security increase that will be bestowed on retirees and the elderly in January is a cruel fraud perpetrated by the government. That's because increases in Medicare Part B and Part D insurance premiums will negate all of the Social Security 2% cost of living increase for many recipients. Instead of staying even, we’ll fall behind..."

Reference: www.latimes.com

The 4 Least Tax-Friendly States for Social Security Recipients

Title: The 4 Least Tax-Friendly States for Social Security Recipients

Article Snip: "...A second tier was added in 1993 under the Clinton administration that exposed 85% of Social Security benefits to federal taxation for individual earnings above $34,000, and couples filing jointly in excess of $44,000. When first introduced, this tax affected around one out of 10 households. As of 2015, it affected 56%, according to The Senior Citizens League..."

Reference: www.fool.com

Navigating federal retirement paperwork

Title: Tammy Flanagan: Navigating federal retirement paperwork

Article Snip: "...In the federal government, nothing happens until you fill out a form. That's certainly true of retirement, a topic on quite a few federal minds these days. With a rundown on the paperwork you need to keep in mind, federal retirement expert Tammy Flanagan..."

Reference: www.podcastone.com

50-something feds dodge TSP tax bullet

Title: 50-something feds dodge TSP tax bullet

Article Snip: "...Federal workers who are 50 and older (and those who aspire to someday reach that it’s-not-as-bad-as-it-sounds age bracket), dodged a big bullet last week in the pending tax bill worked up by the Senate. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) proposed, then withdrew language that would have eliminated the..."

Reference: federalnewsradio.com

2018 Medicare changes will erase Social Security COLAs for many

Title: 2018 Medicare changes will erase Social Security COLAs for many

Article Snip: "...Average Social Security benefits for retired workers will increase $27 per month to $1,404 per month in 2018, up from $1,377 this year. As a result, higher Medicare premiums will virtually wipe out any increase in Social Security benefits for many retirees next year..."

Reference: www.investmentnews.com
Medicare, Social Security COLA 2018,

Open Season Changes and the Five Year Rule

Title: Open Season Changes and the Five Year Rule

Article Snip: "...If you have not been covered under FEHB for most of your career, but want to be able to carry it into retirement, you might be planning on enrolling in FEHB five years before the year in which you plan to retire. The coverage must be for a full five years, so you need to be aware of when your FEHB enrollment becomes effective. Many people choose to retire on December 31st, but FEHB coverage is rarely effective on that date..."

Reference: www.fedsmith.com
Five Year Rule

Get A Bigger Monthly Social Security Check

Title: Get A Bigger Monthly Social Security Check

Article Snip: "...Should you take benefits early at 62? At normal retirement age? Or delay until 70? Here’s how to decide..."

Reference: www.forbes.com

The Advantages of Advance Funeral Planning

Title: The Advantages of Advance Funeral Planning

Article Snip: "...What you can do to help your heirs? Specify what final arrangements you’d like and make sure your family knows your wishes. Pre-paying for a burial plot may save money in the long run, as you’ll avoid future price increases..."

Reference: www.fedweek.com
Funeral Expenses,

2% COLA for Federal Retirees in 2018

Title: 2% COLA for Federal Retirees in 2018

Article Snip: "...COLA for federal annuities is determined in reference to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which is calculated by economists and statisticians with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The CPI-W is the current index used for measuring increases in the prices of consumer goods such as food and beverages, housing, clothing, and gasoline..."

Reference: www.fedsmith.com
2018 Federal Retiree COLA, COLA,

Worried about possible retirement changes? 3 pieces of advice from a federal financial planner

Title: Worried about possible retirement changes? 3 pieces of advice from a federal financial planner

Article Snip: "...Yet with roughly 45 percent of current TSP investments in the low-return, low-risk G fund, many federal employees are missing an opportunity to invest more heavily in higher-risk funds that may offer a higher return, Klingler said. “In most cases, investing 100 percent of your money in the G fund is not the best choice,” he said. “When you hear the word ‘risk,’ a lot of people think zero risk is the best. That’s not the case. In most cases, you want to have risk, because with risk, comes reward. You want to have the appropriate level of risk that matches your risk tolerance and your investment time horizon..."

Reference: federalnewsradio.com
TSP, Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), G Fund, Risk and retirement,

80 Percent Rule for Retirement

Title: 80 Percent Rule for Retirement

Article Snip: "...The “80% Rule” is a good guideline for those a long way from retiring who want to, at a minimum, retain the standard of living they had before retirement. Many financial planners suggest that 80% of your pre-retirement income will give you a retirement standard of living that is substantially similar to your pre-retirement standard of living. This is based on three assumptions: First, you will not be paying payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare) or making pension contributions (CSRS or FERS). For most federal employees, these mandatory taxes and contributions take 8.45% ..."

Reference: www.fedweek.com
TSP, Retirement, CSRS vs FERS, Social Security,

A website for retired or retiring USPS employees

Title: A website for retired or retiring USPS employees

A site for retired USPS employees or those about to retire.

Reference: www.keepingposted.org

One Of The Longest-Serving Postal Workers Retires After 60 Years

Title: One Of The Longest-Serving Postal Workers Retires After 60 Years

Article Snip: "... after 60 years on the job – one of the longest-serving postal workers in history. 83-year-old Garland Gralow remembers the day he was hired. “Could you start tomorrow? – just like that – yeah okay,” Gralow remembered..."

Reference: chicago.cbslocal.com
CSRS,

Republicans offer a big slap in the face to future and present federal retirees, FERS to take biggest hit

Title: Trump’s budget calls for hits on federal employee retirement programs

Article Snip: "...Increase Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) contributions from workers by 1 percentage point each year until they equal the government’s contribution. This would take five to six years and would result in increased out-of-pocket payments of about 6 percent over that period...Eliminate supplement payments for FERS employees who retire beginning in 2018. The supplement approximates the value of Social Security benefits for those who retire before age 62..."

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com

Presidential Pensions and Other Income: Obama’s Speaking Fees Call Presidential Pension into Question

Title: Obama’s Speaking Fees Call Presidential Pension into Question

Article Snip: "...The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman says he will re-introduce legislation to limit how much former presidents receive from the federal government..."

Reference: www.snopes.com
Presidential Pension

How to Cut Your Tax Bill on Your Federal Retirement Income

Title: How to Cut Your Tax Bill on Your Federal Retirement Income

Article Snip: "...This article will be of more interest to retirees than it will to current federal employees, however, if you’re close to retirement, you will pick up some helpful information if you read it..."

Reference:www.fedsmith.com

Almost 33% of American Workers Have Saved Nothing for Retirement

Title: The Top 7 Reasons Almost 33% of American Workers Have Saved Nothing for Retirement

Article Snip: "...There are many reasons people do (or don’t do) the things they should. According to GoBankingRates.com, almost 33% of American workers have saved nothing for retirement. That is an astounding statistic and spells trouble for the entire economy down the road..."

Reference: forextv.com

A federal employee retirement plan is a good model for better retirement saving

Title: A federal employee retirement plan is a good model for better retirement saving

Article Snip: "...The TSP offers a “target date” investing approach in which the plan automatically shifts federal employees’ savings from stock to bond funds as they approach retirement. And at retirement, the TSP offers annuities that let workers convert their lump sum savings into a monthly benefit that last for life. What’s not to like? A lot, according to Joanne Butler, a former House Ways and Means Committee staff ..."

Reference: www.aei.org

Social Security: Get your special extra earnings for periods of military active duty from 1957 through 2001

Title: Military Service and Social Security

Article Snip: "...Under certain circumstances, special extra earnings for periods of active duty from 1957 through 2001 can also be credited to your Social Security earnings record.
• From 1957 through 1967, we will add the extra credits to your record when you apply for Social Security benefits.
• From 1968 through 2001, you don’t need to do anything to receive these extra credits. The credits were automatically added to your record.
• After 2001, there are no special extra earnings credits for military service.
The information that follows explains how you can get credit for special extra earnings and applies only to active duty military service earnings from 1957 through 2001..."

Reference: www.ssa.gov
extra earnings for periods of military active duty (Social Security),

Warren Buffett says investors should stick with index funds

Title: Warren Buffett says investors should stick with index funds

Article Snip: "...Buffett, widely considered one of the world's best investors, said in his annual letter to shareholders. 'Both large and small investors should stick with low-cost index funds.'..."

Reference: www.reuters.com
Warren Buffett

More Reading: Warren Buffett says The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing, is “By far the best book on investing ever written.”. Get your copy from Amazon by clicking the link.

15 Social Security Stats That Will Blow You Away

Title: 15 Social Security Stats That Will Blow You Away

Article Snip: "...Social Security pays close to 61 million Americans about $918 billion in benefits annually. If that sounds like a heck of a lot, it is. But it's only about $15,000, on average, per person. 10: In order to qualify for Social Security benefits based on your earnings, you need to collect 40 credits, where a credit is represented by your earning of at least $1,260 (as of 2016) within a year, with up to four credits that can be earned per year. Thus, most of us can qualify simply by working for a decade. Even if you only worked half of each year, 20 years of working could qualify you..."

Reference: www.fool.com
social security,

Planning for a Delayed Retirement

Title: Planning for a Delayed Retirement

Article Snip: "...According to the Office of Personnel Management, the average retirement age for a federal employee between 2005 and 2014 was 60.2 years and average length of service was 27.8 years; 54 percent of those were age 60 or older; and half of retirees had 30 or more years of service..."

Reference: www.govexec.com
Data Sources, Retirement Data, Retirement, Average Retirement Age, Delayed Retirement,

White House Throws Weight Behind Cutting Feds’ Retirement, Health Benefits

Title: White House Throws Weight Behind Cutting Feds’ Retirement, Health Benefits

Article Snip: "...Chaffetz said he would protect employees already vested in their pensions, saying he did not want to “unduly scare” an employee already on the job for seven years and it would be “difficult” to go after existing workers’ retirements. Chaffetz also said his committee is considering ways to shrink the size of the federal workforce..."

Reference: www.govexec.com

When can I expect my 1099-R?

Title: Know when to expect your 1099R

Article Snip: "...You need a Form W-2 to file with your return. Not so with Forms 1099. In contrast to Forms W-2, you don’t file Forms 1099 with your return. Forms 1099 remind you that you earned interest, received a consulting fee, or were paid some other kind of income. There are many varieties, including 1099-INT for interest, 1099-DIV for dividends, 1099-G for tax refunds, 1099-R for pensions and 1099-MISC for miscellaneous income. These forms are sent by payors to you and the IRS..."

Reference: www.forbes.com
1099-R, 1099, 1099-MISC,

2017 Social Security COLA to be nearly wiped out by out-of-control Medicare Part B premiums

Title: Social Security Recipients Will Get Less than a $4 Increase next Year

Article Snip: "...The average monthly Social Security payment is $1,238. That translates into a monthly increase of less than $4 a month. More bad news for seniors: Medicare Part B premiums, which are usually deducted from Social Security payments, are expected to increase next year to the point in which they will probably wipe out the entire COLA..."

Reference: fortune.com
COLA (2017), Social Security, average monthly Social Security payment is $1,238 (as reported in 2016 article), Obama Legacy, Medicare Part B premiums, destruction of the American working class,

Best day to retire, when’s your magic moment?

Title: Best day to retire, when’s your magic moment?

Article Snip: "...Benefits expert Tammy Flanagan says that although many tend to concentrate on the December-January magic dates, there are other best dates too. She is with the National Institute of Transition Planning , and a regular columnist for Government Executive. She points out that there are different “best dates” depending on which retirement system you are under. ..."

Reference: federalnewsradio.com
best day to retire, Best Date to Retire,

Another Excuse To Take Away Your Social Security

Title: Another Excuse To Take Away Your Social Security

Article Snip: "...Bad enough that various left-wingers want to make Social Security “means-tested,” meaning that frugal workers who have saved for retirement get their government pensions clipped. Now we’ve got the Wall Street Journal offering up a case for short-changing retirees. At issue: The 8% boost you get..."

Reference: www.forbes.com
Social Security means testing,

How do i apply for Social Security?

Title: How to apply for Social Security Retirement Benefits

Article Snip: "...What is the easiest way to apply for my Social Security retirement benefits, and how far in advance do I need to apply before I start collecting? ..."

Reference: www.thespectrum.com
How do i apply for Social Security?

Social Security rolls back two-factor mandate

Title: Social Security rolls back two-factor mandate

Article Snip: "...Merkley cited Pew data that indicated that just 35 percent of Americans over the age of 65 use text messaging. "With the majority of individuals at or above Social Security retirement benefit age not equipped to text, developing alternative multi-factor authentication methods is crucial to ensuring that all recipients have equal access to their My Social Security accounts," Merkley wrote. SSA has not come up with a new two-factor verification method..."

Reference: fcw.com
multi-factor authentication,

FERS Application for Immediate Retirement and Information

Title: FERS Application for Immediate Retirement

Article Snip: "...This application is for you if you are a Federal employee covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and you wish to apply for retirement with an immediate annuity. You should use this application if you want to apply for an annuity which will begin within 30 days of your separation from Federal service ..."

Reference: OPM
"pamphlet SF 3113, Applying for Immediate Retirement Under the Federal Employees Retirement System"

Why You Should Try to Tape Conversations With Social Security

Title: Why You Should Try to Tape Conversations With Social Security

Article Snip: "...First, Social Security may be the most complex government policy yet designed by man. It has 12 different benefits, but is chock full of hidden secrets and gotchas that make collecting what you’re owed a user’s nightmare. Second, most people don’t do their homework before approaching Social Security’s 40,000 poorly trained and totally overwhelmed staff, over the phone or in the local office. Third, in my opinion, Social Security staff bats only 50%. Half of their answers are misleading, incomplete or dead wrong..."

Reference: www.forbes.com

Benefits of owning a Medicare supplement insurance policy

Title: Benefits of owning a Medicare supplement insurance policy

Article Snip: "...Medicare pays a portion of your health care costs for hospitalization, skilled nursing facility care and physician’s services and supplies. However, it does not pay all of your expenses and requires you to pay deductibles and coinsurance for many services. A Medicare supplement insurance policy can help pay some of the charges Medicare doesn’t cover..."

Reference: www.myeasternshoremd.com

CSRS and FERS Retirement Application Process

Title: CSRS and FERS Retirement Application Process

FERS Retirement Application

Article Snip: "...It’s never too early to start planning for retirement in order to ensure it goes smoothly. Here you will find information to help ensure your retirement starts well..."
Reference: www.opm.gov
SF-3107 (FERS), SF-2801 (CSRS),

OPM retirement processing: Another Glitch. Will you starve before benefits begin?

Title: Another Glitch in Processing Federal Retirement Applications?

Article Snip: "...As a consequence, you may experience an increase in contact from the Retirement Services for documents that we may need to complete a retirement case. EHRI has informed us that they are in the process of contracting for the resumption of this scanning service, and we will notify you when it restarts.”..."

Reference: blogs.fedsmith.com

Obama Claims Power to Make Illegal Immigrants Eligible for Social Security, Disability

Title: Obama Claims Power to Make Illegal Immigrants Eligible for Social Security, Disability

Article Snip: "...millions of individuals who are violating federal law that he will not enforce that law against them now, that they may continue to violate that law in the future and that he will take action that makes them eligible for federal benefit programs for which they are not currently eligible due to their unlawful status..."

Reference: cnsnews.com
DAPA

Donald Trump on Social Security

Title: Donald Trump on Social Security

Article Snip: "...Cannot change Medicare or Soc.Sec. and still win elections, Social Security isn't an "entitlement"; it's honoring a deal, Pay off debt; put $3T interest savings into Trust Fund, Let people invest their own retirement funds, ..."

Reference: www.ontheissues.org