Monday, October 31, 2011

Best day to retire in 2012 and beyond

The Best Day to Retire From Now Until 2020

Article Excerpt: "...No one ever said that understanding the federal retirement systems was easy. If you’re approaching retirement, attend a pre-retirement seminar. If your agency is not offering such seminars, ask them to...."



Resource: www.fedsmith.com

federal retirement

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Medicare premiums face large increase

Rise in Medicare Premium Is Lower Than Predicted

Article Excerpt: "...Monthly Medicare premiums for most beneficiaries will rise next year by $3.50, to $99.90, a much smaller increase than had been expected, the Obama administration said Thursday. ..."



Resource: www.nytimes.com

Medicare increase

The battle over Postal retirement funding continues

Postal Workers Fire Back on Pensions

Article Excerpt: "...The Issa bill is a bureaucratic, top-down approach that will reduce services to taxpayers, begin the destruction of the Postal Service, and more broadly do serious damage to the $1.3 trillion mailing industry that is built around the USPS—thereby threatening the industry's 8 million private-sector jobs...."



Resource: www.cnbc.com

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Federal Retirement Benefit Fraud

Oregon woman sentenced for taking $848,000 in missing dad's retirement benefits

Article Excerpt: "...After her father disappeared, a Cottage Grove woman collected his Social Security and federal retirement benefits for a quarter of a century..."



Resource: www.therepublic.com

Federal Employee Retirement Benefit Fraud

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Health care costs can eat up retirement savings

Financial Literacy: Health care's big bite

Article Excerpt: "...regular premiums for Medicare -- and things that Medicare does not pay for -- as well as co-payments for medicine and doctors' visits can be enough to undermine an otherwise sturdy retirement plan...."



Resource: www.delawareonline.com

Health Care Costs, Retirement and health care,

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Rich get richer, middle class disappears

New report shows more workers falling behind average wage level

Article Excerpt: "...demonstrations rage on Wall Street and in cities across the nation protesting a widening income gulf between average wage earners and the nation’s wealthiest..."



Resource: www.washingtonpost.com disappears

Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) Basic Benefit Plan

Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) Basic Benefit Plan

FERS Basic Benefit Plan eligibility is determined by age and number of years of creditable service. In some cases, you must have reached the Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) to receive retirement benefits. The chart below indicates MRA:



Resource: Federal Retirement

FERS MRA

Thrift Savings Plan investment limit to rise

Investment limit for Thrift Savings Plan to rise, IRS says

Article Excerpt: "...The investment limit in the Thrift Savings Plan, the retirement savings program for federal employees, will increase in 2012 for the first time since 2009, the IRS announced Thursday. ..."



Resource: www.washingtonpost.com

Thrift Savings Plan, Federal employee retirement,

Thursday, October 20, 2011

2012 Federal Retiree COLA will be 3.6 percent

Federal retirees to get COLA increase

Article Excerpt: "...those who retired under the Federal Employees Retirement System and who are eligible for COLAs will receive 1 percentage point less. The FERS system generally doesn’t pay inflation adjustments until age 62..."



Resource: www.washingtonpost.com

Federal Retiree COLA, 2012 Federal COLA, Federal Employee COLA, Federal Retirement COLA, Federal Pension, COLA,