Friday, December 10, 2021

Goldman Sachs Says Young U.S. Workers Are Plotting Early Retirements

Title: Goldman Sachs Says Young U.S. Workers Are Plotting Early Retirements

Article Snip: "...A survey signals that younger employees may also need more realistic expectations about how much money they’ll need in later life. ..."

Reference: www.bloomberg.com


Thursday, December 9, 2021

Interested in retiring early? 3 lessons from people who retired in their 30s

Title: Interested in retiring early? 3 lessons from people who retired in their 30s

Article Snip: "...For many, the prospect of working a 9 to 5 job for the next 30+ years seems monotonous and disheartening. FIRE or ‘financial independence, retire early’ is a solution to that issue. People who follow FIRE save and invest more than 50% of their annual income in the hopes that their investments will yield enough money to retire in their 30s or 40s. ..."

Reference: www.cnbc.com
retiring early


Monday, December 6, 2021

Don’t Get Surprised by Taxes in Retirement Published: December 6, 2021

Title: Don’t Get Surprised by Taxes in Retirement Published: December 6, 2021

Article Snip: "...The taxation of retirement income is somewhat different than the taxation of income derived from working. These changes are primarily due to how taxes are withheld on retirement income. Not only will we look at the taxation of TSP income, we’ll also take a look at how your federal annuity and Social Security are taxed. ..."

Reference: www.fedweek.com


Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Unusual PostalEase Activity Triggers Precautionary Measures

Title: Unusual PostalEase Activity Triggers Precautionary Measures

Article Snip: "...The NPMHU was advised that CISO and Postal Service management investigated and took precautionary measures to prevent further activity as soon as it became aware of the unusual log-in issue. CISO monitors daily for suspicious activity to protect employee accounts and information. The USPS will contact affected employees directly. Impacted employees will receive the following message from the USPS: Your PostalEase account has been placed in a hold status, pending a password reset. To initiate a password reset, you will need contact 1-877-477-3273, Option 5. ..."

Reference: www.npmhu.org


Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Should I Take Medicare or Just Keep FEHB?

Title: Should I Take Medicare or Just Keep FEHB?

Article Snip: "Are federal employees better off with Medicare or FEHB in retirement? These are some considerations..."

Reference: www.fedsmith.com


Friday, October 15, 2021

Social Security Announces 5.9 Percent Benefit Increase for 2022

Title: Social Security Announces 5.9 Percent Benefit Increase for 2022

Article Snip: "...The 5.9 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 64 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2022..."

Reference: www.ssa.gov

Friday, September 24, 2021

When Do I Begin Receiving the FERS Annuity Supplement?

Title: When Do I Begin Receiving the FERS Annuity Supplement?

I just received my first interim FERS payment. When can I expect to begin receiving the supplement?

Article Snip: "...so when will I see the supplement? You will only begin receiving the Annuity Supplement when your..."

Reference: www.fedsmith.com
FERS Annuity Supplement

Four Rules for Picking a Retirement Date

Title: Four Rules for Picking a Retirement Date

Article Snip: "...there are some rules for picking a date that are handy to know. Rule No. 1: Look at the..."

Reference: www.govexec.com
Picking a Retirement Date

Saturday, September 11, 2021

How COVID-19 Has Impacted Retirement Savings

Title: How COVID-19 Has Impacted Retirement Savings

Article Snip: "...About one-third of Americans who planned to retire say it will now happen later because of the pandemic, CNBC reported last week, citing a study from Age Wave and Edward Jones. Roughly 14 million stopped contributing to their monthly retirement accounts, with many struggling Americans needing to use that money for essentials instead. The situation has gotten even murkier in recent months..."

Reference: yahoo.com

Life Insurance Premiums Are Changing

Title: Life Insurance Premiums Are Changing

Article Snip: "...Rates are going up for Basic, and in some cases for the optional forms of insurance too. In other cases, they’re staying the same or being reduced. These changes reflect updated mortality and claims rates in each FEGLI category. The legislative structure of FEGLI assumes that premium rates are set for each age band independently of the other bands so that each band is financially self-supporting. The government pays one third of the premium cost for Basic and the employee pays two thirds. The employee or retiree pays the full cost of optional insurance..."

Reference: www.govexec.com

Thursday, August 26, 2021

The Benefits of Serving Your Country Working for Uncle Sam

Title: The Benefits of Serving Your Country Working for Uncle Sam

Article Snip: "...Want to make sure retirement treats you well? Work for Uncle Sam, and those golden years could have a little added shine. Not only are federal retirement benefits portable, but being the largest employer provides the government excellent leverage in securing benefits for its employees. Take the example of..."

Title: The Benefits of Serving Your Country Working for Uncle Sam
Reference: www.military.com

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

How COLA affects Social Security benefits

SSA increases your benefit beginning with the year you reach 62

Title: How COLA affects Social Security benefits

Article Snip: "...“You are eligible for annual cost-of-living benefits increases starting with the year you turn 62,” according to the Social Security Administration publication Your Retirement Benefit: How It’s Figured. “This is true even if you don’t file for benefits until your full retirement age or even age 70.” SSA increases your benefit beginning with the year you reach 62, and benefits are increased yearly to reflect the increase..."

Reference: www.investmentnews.com

Saturday, August 7, 2021

The SSA Has an Online Portal for Social Security — Here’s Why You Should Use It

Title: The SSA Has an Online Portal for Social Security — Here’s Why You Should Use It

Article Snip: "...The Social Security Administration”my Social Security” portal allows you to apply for and manage all of your Social Security benefits online..."

Reference: yahoo.com

Government to pilot online retirement application

Title: Government to pilot online retirement application

Article Snip: "...Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja told reporters on an Aug. 4 call that the agency will pilot an online retirement application system to address some short-term problems with the federal retirement system, namely slow processing times..."

Reference: www.armytimes.com

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Veterns can get special extra earnings for Social Security: Are you getting yours?

NOTE: Most veterans claim the amount only adds about six dollars per month. But you need to make sure you are getting this added benefit

Title: Veterns can get special extra earnings for Social Security: Are you getting yours?

Article Snip: "...Social Security doesn't add these extra earnings to your record until you file for benefits. Here's How It Works The information that follows applies only to active duty military service earnings from 1940 through 2001. This program adds to your overall income factor and may have little effect on your actual monthly Social Security benefit, because the increased earnings do not automatically mean an equal increase in monthly benefits. Here's how the special extra earnings are credited..."

Reference: www.military.com
Veterans and Social Security, Veterans Special EXTRA earnings for Social Security,

Veterans Who Join the Civil Service Are Eligible for Valuable Service Credits

Title: Veterans Who Join the Civil Service Are Eligible for Valuable Service Credits

Article Snip: "...Let's take a look at how you can apply your military service toward FERS, see how the military service credit buyback program works, and discuss why this makes sense for many veterans..."

Reference: www.military.com
Veterans and FERS, CSRS and Veterans,

Thursday, May 20, 2021

How much does Social Security increase each year after 62?

Title: How much does Social Security increase each year after 62?

Article Snip: "...If you claim Social Security at age 62, rather than wait until your full retirement age (FRA), you can expect up to a 30% reduction in monthly benefits. For every year you delay claiming Social Security past your FRA up to age 70, you get an 8% increase in your benefit..."

Reference: www.fidelity.com
How much does Social Security increase each year after 62?

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

What taxes can federal employees expect to pay after they retire from federal service?

Title: What taxes can federal employees expect to pay after they retire from federal service?

Article Snip: "...The only taxes that do not follow federal employees into retirement are payroll taxes. Payroll taxes are taxes you pay out of earnings in order to fund future benefits. Social Security tax (6.2%) and Medicare tax (1.45%) are only taken out of gross wages and net self-employment income (with a few exceptions, most notably for farmers). In addition, a retiree will not be making contributions for their pension. FERS pension contributions are 0.8%..."

Reference: www.fedsmith.com
What taxes can federal employees expect to pay after they retire from federal service?

Avoiding A Tax Bite When Receiving A Pension Distribution

Title: Avoiding A Tax Bite When Receiving A Pension Distribution

Article Snip: "...Employers of most pension plans are required to withhold a mandatory 20% of your lump sum retirement distribution when you leave their company. However, you can avoid this tax hit if you make a direct rollover of those funds to an IRA rollover account or another similar qualified plan. Failure to rollover the entire amount of your lump sum distribution may result in your paying unnecessary taxes on all or a portion of your retirement payout. The 20% withheld from your lump sum retirement distribution is a federal income tax prepayment similar to the federal income taxes withheld from your pay check..."

Reference: benefitslink.com

Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract (QLAC)

Title: Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract (QLAC)

Article Snip: "... What Is a Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract (QLAC)? A qualified longevity annuity contract (QLAC) is a type of deferred annuity funded with an investment from a qualified retirement plan or an individual retirement account (IRA)..."

Reference: www.investopedia.com
Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract (QLAC)