Check out these recent articles written by ProFeds Founder and federal retirement expert, Chris Kowalik.
3 Financial Pitfalls to Avoid in Retirement
March 12, 2021
A financially stable retirement depends on knowing what to do – and what not to do – with your benefits, money and assets. Federal retirement expert, Chris Kowalik, provides some common pitfalls to watch out for (and what to do about them) more…
3 Crucial Federal Retirement Choices
February 23, 2021
There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to your retirement. Many of us become overwhelmed when faced with all of the options and decisions we need to make. Your retirement planning is a series of choices. Some are minor while others can have major consequences on your future and financial security more…
4 Tips for Dealing with Financial Stress During Uncertain Times
April 30, 2020
In these unprecedented times, your financial stress is most likely at an all-time high. To help you navigate, federal retirement expert, Chris Kowalik has four tips on how to deal with monetary worries and protect your financial health more…
Top 5 Things to Know About Your TSP During a Market Downturn
March 13, 2020
Many Thrift Savings Plan investors have seen their accounts dwindle in value in just a few days. Whether you’re close to retirement or have a ways to go, federal retirement expert, Chris Kowalik, provides some candid insights on this topic before making any knee-jerk reactions more…
4 Myths About Taxes in Retirement
January 23, 2020
This article explains why taxes can derail an otherwise great retirement plan more…
3 Retirement Resolutions You Should Make for the New Year
January 15, 2020
This article discusses three retirement resolutions you should be making in the new year — specifically how making smaller, realistic goals (and sticking to them) can lead to big results over time more…
New Long Term Care Insurance Plan FLTCIP 3.0
January 9, 2020
This article discusses who is eligible for the FLTIP 3.0 version, what options 1.0 and 2.0 participants have, changes in the benefit periods and inflation protection options, and the premium stabilization feature more…
Financial Planning Pep Talk for Federal Employees
October 16, 2019
This article discusses how procrastination can derail your financial planning — and provides tips on reaching your goals more…
Retiring Under the FERS MRA+10 Provision
July 29, 2019
This article discusses the way to avoid one of the penalties associated with MRA+10 rules — plus how MRA+10 affects the FERS Special Retirement Supplement more…
3 Financial Planning Commands Federal Employees Need to Know
July 22, 2019
This article describes how not taking action can negatively affect your retirement more…
Federal Employee Pay Raises vs. Retiree COLAs
June 28, 2019
This article discusses the differences between pay raises and COLAs — including who gets them, how they are determined, and when they are applied more…
How FEHB and Medicare Work Together in Retirement
June 5, 2019
This article examines the two parts of Medicare that retiring federal employees should be most concerned about, the pros and cons of having both FEHB and Medicare in retirement, plus three different FEHB and Medicare combinations — and their advantages and disadvantages more…
3 Myths About FEHB in Retirement
May 5, 2019
This article dispels several misconceptions about how the Federal Employee Health Benefits program works in retirement more…
10 Must-Do Action Items to Prepare to Retire from Federal Service
April 18, 2019
As you begin planning for retirement, you may be concerned that you’ll miss some critical steps. This article provides the action items to ensure you’re on track more…
How Federal Employees Can Prepare for Taxes in Retirement (Part 2)
April 4, 2019
The tax consequences in retirement can be overwhelming when you consider all of the benefits you have available to you. This article discusses the the tax consequences under
Social Security, FEHB, and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) more…
How Federal Employees Can Prepare for Taxes in Retirement (Part 1)
March 26, 2019
This article discusses the the tax consequences of the CSRS/FERS pension, survivor benefits, and the FERS Special Retirement Supplement more…
Tips on Updating Beneficiaries to Your Federal Benefits
March 11, 2019
This article helps federal employees to understand how beneficiaries work, and what happens if no one is assigned to receive the benefit upon the death of an employee or retiree more…
Why 62 Is the Magic Age for FERS Employees to Retire
February 6, 2019
This article outlines three potentially significant incentives for FERS employees to wait until the age of 62 to retire — plus some natural by-products of waiting longer to retire. more…
Lessons From the Shutdown: Why Having Emergency Savings is Vital for Feds
January 31, 2019
This article outlines why legislation to guarantee back pay is inadequate to solve the real problem — plus how you can build an emergency fund with no out-of-pocket costs
more…
10 Tips to Get Your Financial Plan on Track in the New Year
January 14, 2019
How confident are you that you will have the money you need — when you need it? This article provides some tips to make the most of your 2019 financial resolutions more…
