Expert’s View

Just when I thought there was nothing new under the sun, I got a copy of a letter that OPM …More

Retirees and survivors who have elected to be covered by Medicare Part B have every reason to be confused. In …More

If you work for the federal government, there are some benefits that you may not be aware of. For example, …More

Social Security COLAs, like federal retirement COLAs, are based on annual changes in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage …More

Finally! After two years without cost-of-living adjustments, all Social Security recipients got an increase in their benefits. And so did …More

Okay, during the Federal Employees Health Benefits Open Season you either changed health benefits plans or stood pat with the …More

If you are a federal employee, you may be enrolled by Option B or C coverage under the Federal Employees’ …More

You’ve all heard about the problems OPM has been having processing retirement applications and the hardship it has caused recent …More

While the turn of a new year is a common time to retire, this year presents a special advantage due …More

Over the last three weeks I’ve given you a rundown on Open Season, when it is, why you should care …More

Over the last two weeks I’ve given you the dates of the 2011 Open Season – November 14 through December …More

Last week I gave you the dates of the 2011 Open Season – November 14 through December 12. I also …More

Once again it’s Open Season time. Running from November 14 through December 12, it gives federal employees and retirees a …More

I’ve pitched a lot of “what ifs?’ at you over the past weeks. They were divided between what changes can …More

Last week, I wrote about two “what ifs” that may occur early on in the retirement process. What if I …More

When I finished writing about the retirement roles played by you, your agency and OPM, I bet you thought I …More

Over the last two weeks, I’ve written about your role in planning for retirement and your agency’s role in moving …More

Last week I explained how important it is to plan ahead for retirement. I also pointed out that while a …More

In an ideal world, you should begin planning for retirement at least a year ahead of the day you expect …More

Over the last four weeks I’ve been writing about early retirements and buyouts, largely spurred by employee concerns that cuts …More

Over the last three weeks, I’ve been exploring the pluses and minuses of early retirement and the rules covering the …More

Last time I wrote about the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA), which allows employees who meet the age and service …More

Last time I went over the advantages and disadvantages of early retirement. This time I’ll summarize the early retirement rules. …More

In the midst of all that wrangling over the debt limit, there was a lot of talk about reducing the …More

It’s that time of year again: The time when employees who have the age and service needed to retire begin …More

In my last two articles, I wrote about the benefit that accrues to employees who retire with sick leave to …More

Last week I wrote about how unused sick leave is credited when a CSRS employee retirees. This time I want …More

Here’s one of the less recognized benefits of being a CSRS employee: When you retire you’ll get credit for any …More

Last time I wrote about the unfunded liability of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF). That liability was …More

Lately, there has been a lot of talk in Congress – at least on one side of the aisle – …More