Policy, Politics, Religion and Death: Could There Be Any Controversy Here?
Sometimes agency policy decisions can create a strong emotional reaction from the public.
Author: Ralph R. Smith
“Not Meant for Public Distribution”
The Dept. of Veterans Affairs has a new policy that bans employees and volunteers from being involved in a flag folding ceremony with religious overtones. The new policy has overturned a long-standing tradition, infuriated veterans, and reduced the role of religion in burial ceremonies at national cemeteries. The new policy memo is not available and was “not meant for public distribution.”
Why Are the 2008 Salary Adjustments So Unfair?
FedSmith recently posted the 2008 pay rates. Here is more information on the 2008 locality pay areas.
3% or 3.5% in 2008? Check Out the Actual Dollars and Cents in Your Locality
Will federal employees get a raise of 3% or 3.5% in 2008 (or some other figure)? No one knows but one of these two is likely. Here is how to quickly calculate what the raise will mean to the actual dollars in your paycheck for next year.
TSP Participants Learning, Changing During Period of Market Volatility
TSP participants are learning and changing their investing habits. In part, that may be because of market volatility and, in part, because the lifecycle fund option has been successful for many TSP participants.
Why Did You Do That?
Readers often ask why the FedSmith site does (or does not) publish some news items, reader comments or why we filter some terms from the daily newsletter. Here is an explanation.
Lessons for TSP Investors from a Volatile Market
The stock market has been volatile in 2007. Billions of dollars have been traded in the TSP during the year as some investors have decided to buy and sell different funds as the market ebbed and flowed. What lessons can this volatile market provide for investors?
We Hire the Old Fashioned Way: We Wait for the Applicants to Come to Us
The Merit Systems Protection Board says in its most recent newsletter that agencies often prefer to hire new employees by waiting for the applicants to come to them. The result is that Uncle Sam’s civilian army brings in older and more experienced workers–even if that is not what the agency really needs.
Bad News Leads to Higher Stock Prices and TSP Gains
There was plenty of bad news in the past month and the fluctuations in the stock market frequently reflected the uncertainty. But, despite the storm clouds, TSP investors did very well for the month of September–as well as for the recent quarter and for the last year as well. You can sleep better tonight–your TSP investments are still moving higher.
$2.9 Billion Traded from Thrift Savings Plan Stock Funds in August
TSP investors often bail out of stock funds when the stock market becomes volatile–often to their financial detriment. The market was volatile in August. Did investors react differently this time? And what are the trading costs for the funds when the market is volatile? Here is a quick summary.
