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,