Expert’s View

Congratulations to those of you who have decided to retire. Now it’s time to focus on the final steps, including …More

There tends to be a lot of confusion between Flexible SPENDING Accounts (FSA) and Health SAVINGS Accounts (HSA). While both …More

I often get questions from employees who are facing divorce. They want to know what the rules are and how …More

Let’s get back to basics on an important feature of federal pay. Most federal employees are under a grade-and-step salary …More

I recently read a question that a reader posted that got me thinking, and I’ve rewritten it to clear away …More

It’s that time again. Autumn is arriving and tens of thousands of employees are starting to wrestle with the question, …More

Last week I wrote about employees who spend a full career in federal service and retire when they meet the …More

It’s time to get back to basics. Many of you have asked me how your retirement will be calculated when …More

There’s a lot of confusion about how a federal employee’s annuity is treated when it comes to federal taxes. Years …More

Time spent on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States can be added to your federal employment …More

A deferred annuity is one where you have the age and service needed to retire but want to defer the …More

It’s a given that children who are covered under a parent’s FEHB self and family or self plus one options …More

Well, I’ve really been giving leave a workout over the last weeks, writing about Court Leave, Military Leave, LWOP, Sick …More

It’s question and answer time. I ask the question. You provide the answer. First, have you ever been required to …More

If you are a federal employee whose appointment isn’t limited to one year, under 5 U.S.C. 6323(a) you are entitled …More

Leave in its many forms is one of the greatest benefits provided to federal employees. In part one of this …More

I recently got the following email from a military retiree: “I retired from the military after 20 years as an …More

Last week I pointed out the circumstances under which an employee who wasn’t covered by Basic insurance under the Federal …More

Over the last few weeks, I described the kinds of insurance coverage offered under the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance …More

Three weeks ago, I began this Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance program series with an explanation of the cost and …More

Over the last two weeks, I’ve provided a refresher course on Basic Insurance and Option A coverage available under the …More

Last week, I wrote about the Basic Insurance coverage you automatically get under the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance program, …More

It’s time for a refresher course on the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance program. I say that because it’s a …More

Over the last three weeks ago I’ve written about the annuity benefits available to surviving children of deceased federal employees …More

Over the last two weeks, I’ve written about survivor annuities provided to eligible children. Now I want to zero in …More

Last week I wrote about the annuity benefits of children for federal employees and retirees where one or both parents …More

Over the past few weeks I touched on children’s benefits and the impact of certain life events on those benefits. …More

In the last three articles on life events, I wrote about marriage, children, and divorce. I’ll conclude this series by …More