Stay informed on Social Security updates that affect federal employees and retirees, especially those covered under FERS. Explore news and analysis on Social Security COLAs, benefit calculations, earnings limits, claiming strategies, and policy changes that influence retirement income. Find clear explanations of how Social Security integrates with FERS benefits, the FERS supplement, and long‑term financial planning. Keep up with legislative developments, inflation trends, and key rules that shape Social Security benefits for federal retirees.
The author says that one of the most enduring myths of the Social Security debate suggests that the money collected for the system was spent on other government programs. He provides an explanation of why he says this is not true.
The Social Security Administration states that the goal of a cost-of-living adjustment is to ensure that the purchasing power of seniors is not eroded by inflation, but with no COLA planned for 2016, does that mean that seniors do not have to worry about inflation? As the author notes, it depends on how inflation is measured.
What impact does the debt ceiling have on Social Security? Social Security will have money to pay the check. Will the rest of the government will have the money to mail it?
Legislation has been introduced in the House to give federal retirees and Social Security recipients a 2.9% COLA in 2016.
Information on a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for 2016 has been released with little suspense as it was already well-known that there would not be a COLA increase in January for federal retirees and Social Security recipients.
Bernie Sanders has made a number of statements about Social Security during his campaign for president, but are they true? The author provides a fact check analysis of some of Sanders’ statements.
In his second article in the series, FedSmith.com author Randy Silvey addresses some of the questions he received from readers on retirement topics such as investing in the TSP and learning how to know if you are on the right path towards a successful retirement.
If I retire under FERS with 36 years of service prior to age 66 when I could receive the full Social Security amount, how is the supplement calculated or valued?
The author proposes an alternate way of calculating the cost of living allowances for Social Security based on the process of computing cost of living adjustments for federal retirees that he says would result in tremendous long term savings.
I am planning to retire at age 63 and waiting to withdraw my Social Security until I reach age 66. While my husband is still working, can he withdraw his Social Security at age 64? Can I apply for half of his Social Security while I am waiting to withdraw my Social Security?
