Micah Shilanski
Micah Shilanski is a Certified Financial Plannerâ„¢ professional who specializes in helping federal employees get the most out of their retirement benefits. Micah helps his clients with tax planning, retirement planning, federal retirement planning, estate planning, and investment advice.
Plan Your Federal Retirement is a dba of Shilanski & Associates, Inc., an Alaska Registered Investment Advisor, with securities offered through Summit Brokerage Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC.
The Biggest Problem with Benefits Estimates
Many federal employees receive Benefits Estimates when they’re planning their retirement. Getting a Benefits Estimate from your HR can be a helpful place to start, but there is a big problem that most federal employees miss.
At the Brink of an Irreversible Mistake
One federal employee ended up pulling his retirement paperwork before the big day because he almost made an irreversible mistake. He was relying on all the previous benefits estimates he had received from his human resources department, but at the last minute found out he wouldn’t be getting the pension he had expected. Learn from his story and make sure it doesn’t happen to you.
Your Three ‘Buckets of Money’
Most Federal Employees make investment decisions on an account-by-account basis. But before you can make good choices for specific investments, it’s important to look at the big picture for retirement investing.
Unique ‘Gaps’ in Your FERS Retirement Income
Did you know that your FERS retirement income will have some unique twists and turns? Your retirement income will start, stop and change in ways that simply won’t compute in most financial planning calculators. Find out how your income will change, and what it means for your ‘Gap’.
What if Your Income Dropped by 40%?
Imagine you’re retired and living on a fixed income of $5,200/month. But suddenly your income dropped to $3,000/month. What changes would you have to make? Would you be able to stay retired? Who is faced with this situation?
Before You Take the CSRS VCP Annuity…
Many times when people consider the VCP annuity, it looks like a viable option. However, there are critical problems with the CSRS VCP annuity that you should know about before you sign on the dotted line.
Using an HSA: Tax Deduction Now, Tax-Free Money Later for Medical Expenses
HSAs (Health Savings Accounts) are special accounts designed to give you a tax deduction for qualified medical expenses. When you use this benefit correctly, you get a tax deduction now and get to use the money tax-free for qualified medical expenses, but it’s not right for everyone.
Your Best Benefit? Ability to Keep FEHB in Retirement
As a federal employee, you have a number of great benefits. There is one that is often taken for granted but the author says it is actually your greatest benefit as a federal employee.