Insights and news on your Federal employee benefits
In this week’s Federal benefits news, we know that Open Season will soon close, a shutdown may soon open up, we discover that the Federal hiring freeze has thawed, and cross our fingers for pay parity. Oh, and where’s the best place to work in the government? The rocket scientists know. Let’s get started.
In this week’s Federal benefits news, we learn about resources that can help you during the still Open Season, get a reminder about what happens to your pay during a shutdown (just in case), give thanks that the TSP will soon be modernized, and summarize what’s happening with the Federal budget and your benefits. Let’s get started.
In this week’s Federal benefits news, we debate whether the FEHB system is killing competition, review some basic health plan terms, and ask ‘are you a good bureaucrat or a bad bureaucrat?’ Since we’re focusing on insurance, let’s also consider insurance for your TSP. Open Season begins next week, so there’s no time to waste. Let’s get started.
In this week’s Federal benefits news, we consider the impact of reorganization on the workforce, get answers to using Medicare and FEHB in retirement, and revisit an important retirement decision that some Feds have trouble making. Due to some extensive travel this week, I’m a bit late with this issue, so let’s get started.
In this week’s Federal benefits news, there are lots of numbers. We hear that retirees will receive a 2% raise next year, locate the 6 agencies where employee happiness has improved the most, learn 5 things to do to prepare for Open Season, and finish with my 9 ways to avoid an early withdrawal penalty on your TSP. Fire up your calculator, and let’s get started.
During my benefits training sessions, we focus on the various options for taking distributions from your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) when you retire. Usually, someone asks about getting access to their money before retiring and mentions that they’ve heard there is a penalty. Someone else in the class will tell us that they’ve been told of a mysterious rule called 72(t) that is supposed to provide exceptions to the penalty. Let’s take the mystery out of the rule by discussing the nine ways to avoid an early retirement penalty.
