COLA’s and pay raises are of interest to virtually all of our readers. There is also confusion about who gets what increase. Here is a brief explanation of the 2009 COLA and the 2009 federal employee pay raise–and why you do not get both a pay raise and a COLA.
October was the worst month in 21 years for the index on which the TSP’s C fund is based. The good news: The last week of October was one of the best weeks for the C fund index. Here is a summary of the TSP results for October.
The average federal pay raise under the GS schedule in 2009 will be 3.9%. Some federal employees will get a much smaller increase–or none at all.
We have occasionally asked readers for their opinions on the presidential election. Our reader preference generally follows national trends. Readers expressed a preference as the nominee for each party earlier this year. As the campaign progressed, each candidate has come out on top at different times. Here are the results of our last survey before the presidential election of 2008.
An employee of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs signed a “last chance” agreement and waived his appeal rights in order to be reinstated as a federal employee with the agency after having been charged with using government computers for sending “obscene material.” The agency invoked the agreement several months later and fired him and another federal employee case headed to the courts.
MSPB’s Chairman McPhie says “Alternative discipline is a great tool for supervisors to consider if they have an employee who is engaging in misconduct”.
An argument that risk can and should be avoided with retirement funds by removing money from the private sector and investing in government bonds (similar to the G fund) may gain popularity in the next Congress.
The ideal time to transfer money from the G fund and back into the TSP stock funds is when the market reaches a bottom and is about to start heading back up. Have we reached that point with the current stock market?
A couple of readers pointed out that in the initial posting of a column last week, we made an incorrect statement about the content of an article in the Washington Post. They were right.
How will you vote in this year’s presidential election (or how did you vote if you have already voted)? Take this survey and send in your opinion. We will publish the results later this week.
