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"Where Can I Get Good, Reliable Retirement Information?"

Books to Assist in Retirement Questions

Administrative Assistant
U.S. Navy
Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:42 PM

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My husband is under FERS and I am under CSRS retirement systems. I purchased both books from Fedweek in 2003 and they have been so very helpful. I have used them in conjunction with the "Pre-Retirement" classes. Another very good avenue to find out about your retirement is under the EBIS. I faithfully am on the system weekly and the calculators can assist for a great number of different scenarios you may want to try. Using these calculators and various scenarios, you can estimate when the best time to retire for you would be and approximately what your annuity would be. It also assists with TSP, insurance, leave, etc. It is a great help.

Re: Books to Assist in Retirement Questions

EBIS ?
IRS
Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:16 AM
Thank you for suggesting the EBIS resource. I am unfamilar with this. What does this accronym mean? Is it a web site? If not, how can I access?

Re: Books to Assist in Retirement Questions

Administrative Assistant
U.S. Navy
Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:52 AM
EBIS stands for "Employee Benefits Information System". Each Branch of the Service (Army/Navy/Air Force) has their own version of it but each version does the same type of calculations. I thought it was a "Federal" program, but now that you have stated that you are with the IRS and have not heard of it, it may be available only through Department of Defense. Be sure to check with your personnel office. Your system may be named differently, but I am sure other Federal agencies must have similar programs.

Advocate

Gils Son
Treasury
Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:30 PM

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It is appalling how much incorrect information there is on retirement from even the so called experts. If you have a very simple career path (no military, no breaks in service, one agency, no divorces etc.) you just MAY be able to figure it out on your own. If you have any of these issues, or similar, you should seriously start to investigate and verify a full year prior to your planned retirement date. Verify means that you researched the actual law, NOT rely on what someone said, wrote or published. Verify via law always as even the hallowed federal almanac has been incorrect.

USPS Shared Service Center

retired mgr.
USPS
Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:40 PM

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It was next to impossible to get correct answers from the SSC in Greensboro--I was told I could only retire on the 1, 2, or 3rd of the month, among other errors! I was told I could not have private counseling, so was in a telecon with 5 other people who already had all their papers filled out. Then when I called with questions, was told I should have requested private counseling!
I was never scheduled for a retirement seminar, and was told the meeting was full when I asked to attend..

I have had other postal retirees tell me the same thing.

I got the best info from the links here on Fed Smith, the retirement calculators, FAQ, and reading the discussion boards.

When my retirement was finalized by OPM, the info was exactly the same as the link info, as to days of service, annuity, etc. that the calculator figured. The calculator for annuity increases was a big factor in my decision, I saw I was losing more in COLA than raising my annuity by working.

Where Can I Get Good, Reliable Retirement Informa

Retiree
DOT
Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:34 PM

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I'm interested in knowing just how secure our retirement really is. On one hand, we hear that in a time of disappearing pensions, we're next. On the other hand, we hear that pension law holds that you can't mess with the already earned part of an employees pension (short of going bankrupt), and that our retirement is backed by the full faith and credit of the US treasury. I'm sure they can change the deal on health insurance, and finagle the COLA, but what's the deal on our annuity?

Re: Where Can I Get Good, Reliable Retirement Informa

Analyst
IRS
Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:30 AM
As long as members of Congress and their staff are covered under the same retirement and health insurance systems that other Feds are, we're probably reasonably safe. But then you can never tell what hare-brained scheme will come out of Congress.

Retirement Confusion

IT Specialist
DOJ
Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:14 AM

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I don't understand why everyone hasn't figured out that all you have to do is go to www.opm.gov and download their retirement manuals. It's as easy as that.

Re: Retirement Confusion

Information Management Specialist
EPA
Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:31 AM
As a past Employee Relations/Retirement Counselor it is just NOT that easy. The information in the manuals often need the explanation/interpretation of an expert and are NOT the only place that employee's need to go for information that is detrimental to a very important decision. This is just bad info. that you've shared.

Re: Retirement Confusion

Retired HR Specialist/IT Specialist
DOE
Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:11 PM
I agree that the OPM website is a great resource. Check out their CSRS and FERS Handbook for Personnel and Payroll Offices at http://opm.gov/asd/htm/hod.htm. (Chapter C050 explains how to compute your annuity) Free retirement planning calculators are available at http://fedcalc.com/ .

Locality Pay for Retirement Purposes

EEO Case Manager
Department of Veterans Affairs
Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:23 AM

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I am confused about FERS retirement. HR people tell me that locality pay does not count toward high three for retirement. Yet, in an article I read written in a federal publication recently, it stated that President Bush proposed changes to COLA for non-contiguous U.S. states because their pay can be as much as 25% higher than their mainland counterparts. It continued that President Bush is considering switching to locality pay because; (1) It's taxable income and (2) It's considered basic pay for retirement purposes. Will you please look into this?

Federal law Enforcement retirement

staffer
DHS ICE
Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:13 AM

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What about a good source for Federal Law Enforcement/Firefighter FERS retirement? Most information and seminars out there just cover "regular" FERS retirement, but don't go into the details of 6C retirement.

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