Your Federal Government Annuity: Your Questions, Answered
March 30, 2015
To Retire, or Not to Retire –That is the Question Retirement is not an easy decision, especially if you work for the federal government. First, you need to evaluate whether your retirement income from your U.S. government benefits will offset the generous salary you made on the job. As a federal employee, you are entitled […]
Boss Man, It’s Time For A Raise
March 25, 2015
American Federation of Government Employees President J. David Cox Sr. delivered a succinct message to President Barack Obama about federal worker pay at an event commemorating a watershed moment in U.S. civil rights history in Selma, Alabama. The AFGE was the only union officially invited to join the president and civil rights leaders for a […]
OPM Revises Hiring and Mentoring Practices
March 23, 2015
The federal government is retooling how it recruits new talent and mentors new employees. This month, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released its recruiting “roadmap” that lays out new standards to give managers additional tools to seek out job candidates. Ultimately, OPM is emphasizing a data-driven strategy to “attract, develop, and retain a talented, […]
Budget Plans Offer Some Insight into 2016 Spending Priorities
March 23, 2015
Congress and the White House are giving some indications about how they want to spend revenues next fiscal year. Albeit, we must note that nowadays budget plans from Congress and the White House are just that: plans. And often these plans are merely a set of idealistic and ideological principles rather than a true accounting […]
Your Retirement is a Chip on Washington’s Roulette Wheel
March 18, 2015
Uncle Sam is gambling with your retirement money again. Here’s the story, which unfortunately serves as yet another reminder why you can’t rely on Washington to guarantee you will have a safe and secure retirement. On March 16, the U.S. government hit its debt limit of $18.1 trillion. In order prevent a major default on […]
Another Debt Ceiling Crisis May Be In The Works
March 18, 2015
Is another government shutdown on the horizon? Whether manufactured or not, at the very least another budget showdown and debt ceiling crisis is in the works as we approach our debt limit yet again. We’ve been here before. And more than likely, we’ll be here again. As always, your pay and benefits will no doubt […]
DoD Proposes Another BRAC Round
March 18, 2015
Here’s another reminder why you must begin managing your money and retirement today if you are in the service or work in the military as a civilian: The Pentagon is calling for another round of base realignments and closures (BRAC) as part of more sweeping efforts to cut back on costs. If you’ve worked for […]
USPS IG: Prefunding Benefit Mandate Must Go
March 3, 2015
The United States Postal Service won’t be able to climb out of the red unless Congress nixes a law that forces the USPS to prefund its projected healthcare and pension liabilities, according to a recent USPS Office of Inspector General report. According to the report, the USPS suffered “staggering” losses from fiscal years 2007 to […]
Federal Agencies Will Be Hit Hard by Sequestration in 2016
March 3, 2015
Federal agencies will be facing some tough decisions if sequestration caps remain in place in fiscal 2016. According to an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) report released this month, federal agencies will have to cut back on nearly $90 billion in discretionary spending unless Congress acts in favor of removing the caps or modifying […]
Maryland Congresswoman Proposes Rolling Back Pension Contribution Increases
February 20, 2015
A Maryland congresswoman recently introduced a bill to roll back pension contribution hikes for new federal workers. Donna Edwards, a Democrat, backed the bill, which is called the Federal Employee Pension Fairness Act. “Federal employees are the backbone of our federal government and agencies,” Rep. Edwards said in a statement released earlier this month. “Whether […]
