Job losses, early retirements hurt Social Security

Title: Job losses, early retirements hurt Social Security
Article Snip: "...Applications for retirement benefits are 23 percent higher than last year, while disability claims have risen by about 20 percent. Social Security officials had expected applications to increase from the growing number of baby boomers reaching retirement, but they didn't expect the increase to be so large...."
Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com

Tax-Friendly Places for Retirement

Title: Tax-Friendly Places for Retirement
Article Snip: "...ten states -- Alabama, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New York and Pennsylvania -- exclude all federal, military and in-state government pensions from taxation. But Kansas taxes public pensions from all other states...."
Reference: www.washingtonpost.com

Social Security benefit checks could go down in 2010

Title: Social Security benefit checks could go down in 2010
Article Snip: "...the Congressional Budget Office estimates that there will be no COLA increase for 2010 -- the first time without an increa..."
Reference: www.walletpop.com

Federal Employee Retirement Information and Services

Title: Federal Employee Retirement Information and Services
Article Snip: Get all the information you need on your Federal Retirement from OPM to include planning, pre-retirement, online tools, FERS, CSRS, disability, insurance, and annuity information.
Reference: www.opm.gov

Eye Opener: Obama Caps Pay Raises at 2 Percent

Title: Eye Opener: Obama Caps Pay Raises at 2 Percent
Article Snip: "...President Obama has decided to reduce pay increases for civilian federal workers from 2.4 percent to 2 percent..."
Reference: washingtonpost.com

FERS flu strikes; workers burn leave

Title: FERS flu strikes; workers burn leave
Article Snip: "...Giving FERS employees an incentive to save sick leave would, backers say, be both fair and smart. They say Congress did it years ago for CSRS employees to keep them from burning up sick leave and that it would mean immediate savings in productivity. ..."
Reference: washingtontimes.com/

The FERS Special Retirement Supplement (and Special Category Employees)

Title: The FERS Special Retirement Supplement (and Special Category Employees)
Article Snip: "...Here is how the SRS is computed for a retiree whose MRA is age 56 and who retires under FERS with 30 years of civilian service and an estimated age 62 Social Security benefit of $1200 a month. ..."
Reference: www.fedsmith.com

Best Dates to Retire: Follow-Up

Title: Best Dates to Retire: Follow-Up
Article Snip: "...the best date would be Dec. 31, 2009, for those under the Federal Employees Retirement System and Jan. 1, 2010, for those under the Civil Service Retirement System...."
Reference: www.govexec.com

Windfall Elimination Provision

Title: Windfall Elimination Provision
Article Snip: "...The Windfall Elimination Provision affects how the amount of your retirement or disability benefit is calculated if you receive a pension from work where Social Security taxes were not taken out of your pay. A modified formula is used to calculate your benefit amount, resulting in a lower Social Security ­benefit than you otherwise would receive...."
Reference: www.ssa.gov

2010 Federal Employee Pay Raise

Title: TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Article Snip: "...'I am transmitting an alternative plan for pay increases for civilian Federal employees covered by the General Schedule (GS) and certain other pay systems in January 2010.' - BARACK OBAMA..."
Reference: www.whitehouse.gov

Oil prices bury retiree allowance

Title: Oil prices bury retiree allowance
Article Snip: "...Lowered oil prices since then are almost certain to block any COLA this year for military retirees, federal civilian retirees, Social Security recipients, survivor benefit annuitants or disabled veterans...."
Reference: www.cnjonline.com