2010 was a bumpy ride for investors in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). The gains for the year were solid but most of the advances occurred during the last half of the year–rewarding those investors who had the fortitude to withstand the ups and downs along the way.
The overtime and associated costs paid by multiple Federal agencies in arbitration decisions or in settlements reached by the parties on Fair Labor Standards Act cases is staggering. In the second of these articles, the author provides an analysis from a Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) case and why agencies are losing these cases.
The Author discusses the Federal pay freeze statute, the Obama Executive Order and implementing memo as well as OPM’s guidance. He asks whether the apparent exclusion from a pay freeze for those who are going to bargain pay is intentional or otherwise. Nowhere in the law is there a limit or in any of the paper, instructions to Agency management to hold the pay line with the unions. Read it for yourself and decide whether the President’s union friends got a pass.
Communication skills aren’t magic. They aren’t inherited by a lucky few, either. You can learn them. And you’ll find many of them in this free little ebook as a gift from the author and FedSmith.com: Become a Master Communicator: 59 Quick and Easy Tips You Can Use Today to Become a Standout Writer, Speaker, Presenter, and Listener.
The deficit commission has proposed changing federal retirement to use the highest five years of earnings to calculate civil service pension benefits for new retirees (CSRS and FERS) rather than the highest three years. How much of a difference would this make in a retirement annuity? It depends. Here are several scenarios.
This article looks at your retirement annuity when you left federal service, withdrew your contributions and did not re-deposit the money when you returned to work for Uncle Sam. What should you do?
An executive order sets up a new federal Internship Program, Recent Graduates Program and Presidential Management Fellows Program which are to be called the Pathways Programs.
Are you interested in a new program that may enhance your future retirement? Back in June 2009, legislation was passed authorizing creation of a Roth plan using after-tax salary into an account that will grow without any additional tax liability on future earnings. That option is now being implemented.
The readers’ comments on articles and headlines are one of the most popular features on the FedSmith.com site. We have made changes to this feature to make the commenting process more interactive and encourage communication among our users.
The President has issued an executive order implementing the 2011 federal pay rates.
