New Laws Can Cut Into Your Bottom Line
August 4, 2014
We once thought your federal job benefits were relatively set in stone. You knew exactly how much you were obligated to contribute to your pension. You got a raise every year. And you figured if you put in just the right number of years, you could walk away from your career fulfilled, and most importantly, […]
Tap Dancing Your Way into Federal Retirement
July 9, 2014
Don’t you wish retirement planning could be as carefree as Gene Kelly’s iconic performance of “Singin’ in the Rain”? If only we could have that extraordinary feeling of levity, twirling around lampposts after kissing a Hollywood starlet, while hunkered down with our calculator and sharpened No. 2 pencil. Unfortunately, life on the big screen is […]
Combat Uncertain Times with Confidence
July 3, 2014
Budget cuts, sequestration, government shutdowns — no wonder morale in the federal workforce has taken such a huge blow. Gleaned from interviews with human resource leaders at 43 federal agencies, a report released in May revealed what many federal workers already know: Years of pay freezes, furloughs and government shutdowns have cast a cloud of […]
Capitol Hill curveball? Let’s knock it out of the park.
June 27, 2014
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio made many headlines recently when he unveiled a plan that will likely have an impact on federal government workers. The senator from Florida proposed opening up the Thrift Savings Plan – federal workers’ 401(k)-style retirement investment fund – to all Americans whose employers do not offer similar defined-contribution plans. The proposal […]
Congress Revives Tax Law that Could Jeopardize Federal Workers’ Employment
June 16, 2014
U.S. government workers may be placing their jobs in jeopardy if they fall behind on their federal taxes. Following previously failed attempts, legislation is being revived again in Washington that would prevent “seriously delinquent” taxpayers from federal employment. In May, a Senate committee approved a bill – introduced by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) and cosponsored […]
U.S. Government Workers: How to Avoid the Headache of Retirement Planning
June 11, 2014
When many of us start thinking about planning for retirement, we often believe we have ample time to get to it later in life, or the thought alone fills us with dread. Sometimes, we just don’t want to deal with it. If you’re a U.S. government worker, it’s a topic rife with just as many […]
U.S. Postal Service workers may see drastic changes to their benefits
June 6, 2014
U.S. Postal Service workers and retirees are facing an uncertain future when it comes to their health care and pension benefits. In May, the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General released a report that took a look at the agency’s long-term labor expenses. As of the 2013 fiscal year, the Postal Service had approximately $47 […]
Phased Retirement for Federal Employees? Not Yet.
May 23, 2014
Retirement eligible federal workers who don’t want to hang up their hats just yet and still want to work part-time will have to wait longer before they can sign up for the government’s new phased retirement program. It has been nearly two years since Congress approved the law in July 2012, and the U.S. Office […]
Federal health insurance costs rise slowly, outperforming private sector
May 8, 2014
The cost of health insurance premiums for federal employees has remained relatively stable over the past three years and continues to outperform large premium hikes in the private sector. However, federal employees continue to pay more toward their health insurance premiums year after year, without much indication that the cost curve will bend more toward […]
New federal employees face potentially large pension contribution payment
May 3, 2014
Federal government employees hired this year may have to pay a sizable back payment toward their retirement benefits because of a hitch in the government’s payroll processing systems. Due to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, federal government employees hired after Dec. 31, 2013 are required to contribute 4.4 percent of their salaries to the […]
