General Retirement Planning
- Tips to be proactive and understand the financial impact of the decisions to be made at retirement
- Importance of taking action on what you learn today
- Roughing out a retirement budget
- Role of HR, OPM, TSP, SSA & IRS in your retirement planning
- Effect of inflation & taxes in retirement
- Checking beneficiaries on all federal benefit programs
- Tips for being better prepared for a smooth transition into retirement
- Understanding what you have and what you need to know about decisions to make at retirement
Retirement Systems (CSRS & FERS)
- Basic comparison between CSRS & FERS
- Eligibility requirements for each retirement system
- Special Considerations for Law Enforcement Officers, Air Traffic Controllers and Firefighters
- How the High-3 is calculated
- Calculating the CSRS & FERS annuity (pension)
- How part-time service affects eligibility & pension calculation
- Application of unused sick leave and annual leave at retirement
- Cost of Living Adjustments applied to federal pension benefits
- Taxation of the CSRS & FERS pension
- Choosing the best retirement date
- Timeline for submitting retirement application
- Interim payments received from OPM
Survivor Benefit Plan
- Coverage, cost, and who can benefit from SBP
- Cost of Living Adjustments applied to SBP benefits
- Considerations for electing SBP at retirement
- What happens if you marry or divorce in retirement
- Special considerations for dual federal employee couples
- Important connection with FEHB
- Advantages & disadvantages of SBP
FERS Special Retirement Supplement
- Eligibility requirements and calculating the benefit
- What happens if you work after retiring
- Cost of Living Adjustments applied to SRS benefits
- Federal & state taxes on SRS benefits
Social Security
- Eligibility requirements and calculating the benefit
- What happens if you work after retiring
- Strategies for Social Security benefits
- Cost of Living Adjustments applied to SS benefits
- Federal & state taxes on SS benefits
Federal Employees Group Life Insurance
- Coverage and costs while employed
- Coverage and costs while retired
- Options for customizing your FEGLI coverage
- Role of life insurance in a retirement plan
Federal Employees Health Benefits
- Tax advantage of FEHB while working
- Eligibility to keep FEHB in retirement
- Costs of FEHB in retirement
- Special considerations for dual federal employee couples
- Special considerations for special needs children
- Other health-related programs such as FEDVIP & FSAs
- Coordination between FEHB and Medicare Part B
Federal Long Term Care Insurance
- What services Long Term Care insurance covers
- Various ways to pay for LTC services
- Coverage and costs for services
- Eligibility requirements to obtain coverage
- Options available through FLTCIP (currently suspended by OPM)
Thrift Savings Plan
- Fund choices in core funds, lifecycle funds & mutual fund window
- Tax advantages and options within the TSP while working
- How to maximize government contributions
- Tax diversification between Traditional & Roth options
- Identifying your risk tolerance for investing
- TSP loans while working & in retirement
- Withdrawal options available at retirement
- IRS rules for withdrawing TSP assets before 59 1/2
- Required Minimum Distributions
- Spousal rights in the TSP
- Using TSP to fill the gap of lost income in retirement
Bonus Videos (a deeper dive into each topic)
- Deposits, Redeposits & Military Deposits
- Voluntary Contribution Plan
- Windfall Elimination Provision
- Government Pension Offset
- FEGLI options available at retirement
