Retirement
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…
CSRS
Stay informed on the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) with updates on CSRS annuity calculations, eligibility rules, service credit, and annual COLA adjustments that affect federal retirees. Explore clear explanations of CSRS benefits, survivor options, retirement planning considerations, and policy changes that influence long‑term financial security for CSRS employees and annuitants. Find timely analysis and practical guidance to help you understand how CSRS retirement income is determined and how legislative or regulatory updates may impact your benefits.
Retirement
Retiring the FERS Way
What can go wrong with your retirement application under FERS? A retired federal employee shares a frank, personal perspective of her experience, her frustration and offers advice on…
Pay & Benefits
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…
Retirement
How Much Do You Know About Funding of the Federal Retirement System?
The unfunded liability of the older CSRS retirement system will hit a peak of $684.8 billion by 2023. Your future pension benefits should be secure despite the financial…
Retirement
Notes on the Lump Sum, the Survivor Annuity, and Life Insurance
The author offers some details and example calculations on the lump sum, survivor annuity, and life insurance benefits.
Retirement
How is Your Federal Employee Annuity Calculated?
How is your federal employee annuity calculated? It is based on two numbers. Here is how it works.
Retirement
The Best Annuity: FERS or CSRS?
The author says that evaluating retirement systems to determine which one is "better" is difficult, but he says that the annuity is the key element.
Retirement
Full Annuity Payments – How Fast?
FedSmith.com recently polled our users to see how long it took recent retirees to receive their full annuity payments. Here are the results.
Retirement
Is the Long-Term Gain Worth the Short-Term Loss?
The author tells a true story of a federal employee and friend who suffered some serious health problems and had to contend with leave without pay and retirement…
Retirement
10 Potential Mistakes To Avoid When Considering Retirement
The author outlines ten common mistakes federal retirees should strive to avoid to get the most out of their retirement benefits.