“Where does my retirement income come from?”
“I am 65, born in (November) 1955. I’ve only been a Federal Civilian Employee for 5yrs this November. I’ve also withdrawn $7,000.00 last year for
Understanding Social Security Benefits is essential for integrating them with your FERS pension. Find out how your Social Security benefits are calculated, what is the best age to start claiming, and how they interact with your federal retirement.
Optimizing your Social Security benefits can provide additional financial security. If you want to learn more, check out our podcasts and articles.
“I am 65, born in (November) 1955. I’ve only been a Federal Civilian Employee for 5yrs this November. I’ve also withdrawn $7,000.00 last year for
“Micah, love your videos. I’m retired (58 years old) from USPS. Very aggressive in TSP. 40% C, 40% S, and 20% I- I’m down close
Mary Beth Franklin is our go-to professional for all things Social Security benefits. With over 40 years as a financial journalist and a CFP® designation,
“Next May I can retire with 35 years at the age of 62. I was considering working 10 more months to retire at 63 and
“… I recently went over the max earnings on my supplement and when I filled the form out in early June it is expected
Today Micah and Tammy are opening up the mailbag to answer your most burning questions about federal retirement. A few people wrote in asking about
We hear a lot of people say they want to turn on their social security as soon as possible in order to capitalize on the
Answering Retirement Questions If you have questions about your retirement from Federal Service, we can help! Our FERS Federal Fact Check for Federal Employees who
“I was looking at my LES I noticed the FERS Retirement on deductions section is a different “year to date” amount from the FERS Retirement
“I am retiring on 12/31 at the age of 56 – will my FERS Supplement calculation include 2019 earnings – after they get reported to
When you retire, it’s not just about having the time to do everything that you want to do—it’s also about having the money to make
“I will retire in 2021 at 59 1/2 with 31 years of service. My pension will be over $4,000 a month and I have no
“Hi, I am approaching retirement age am starting to gather data. I worked for the VAMC from 1982-1996. I think I have both FERS and
“Hello. Thank you for providing such informative information. I am a widow benefit; at age 60 if I retire and can later switch to my
“Your TSP is an asset that can be given to future generations and your social security income is not. As the condition of social security
Question “I retired from Federal Service under a VERA / VISP in 2017 with over 32 years of Federal Service and my MRA is 56
We have had a tremendous amount of questions from Federal Employees about participating in ROTHs, whether it be in the TSP or the private sector
We receive a lot of questions from Federal Employees about when they should enroll in Medicare. Medicare is a nationally run health insurance program for
One of the most frequent questions that we receive from FERS Employees is how do they apply for the FERS Supplement. If you searched
If you were eligible to retire from the Federal Government as a FERS Employee and receive a FERS Supplement, then you are probably aware that

“I watched the very helpful video on ROTH IRA conversions. I will be retiring by the end of 2022 and I do not have any

Micah is flying solo in today’s podcast to answer this indirect question that he gets when meeting with clients. He discusses how to decide what

“Hello Micah, I am so glad that I happened onto your website. I have read a lot of material and have watched a lot of

“I love your podcast and YouTube channel. Thanks. My question relates to Required Minimum Distributions. Looking far ahead I will turn 72 in June of

“I am a widow of a retired service member and receive military survivor annuity and VA pension based on my husband’s service connected death. I

Answering additional questions about Social Security, COLA, and TSP benefits. Listen to the Full Episode: Enjoy the show? Use the Links Below to Subscribe:

Today, Micah and Tammy are picking up where they left off in the last episode and discussing Social Security COLA and your TSP COLA. They’ll

“Mr. Shilanski, Social Security Survivors Benefit question. I am under the FERS program and I plan to retire late this calendar year. I am 65

Tips for figuring out the best plan for your retirement. Listen to the Full Episode: Enjoy the show? Use the Links Below to Subscribe:

Will a form for retirement be sent to you, or do you have to request that form? Can you transfer money from a traditional TSP

Questions to ask yourself to ensure you’re properly balancing your social security and TSP so you get the most benefit. Listen to the Full Episode:

Are you wondering what to do about your social security or how to go about taking money from your TSP? If so, this episode is

Hello Tammy and Micah, Great podcast! Learning a lot. About 5 years away for earliest retirement date. Question: let’s pretend money is NOT an issue

“I am 59 and planning to retire a year from now. My wife will retire at the same time (but at age 61, not a
What is the Special Retirement Supplement? FERS consists of 3 different components: the FERS annuity (pension), Social Security, and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). The
Once your FERS Supplement ends, should you take Social Security benefits? This really comes down to a case by case basis. As you probably know
What is MRA? Minimum Retirement Age is a threshold that was created for FERS and CSRS to determine a federal employee’s eligibility for retirement. Depending
What is my FERS contribution? Depending on your start date, your contribution will be either be 0.8%, 3.1%, or 4.4% to FERS. The chart below

What is the FERS Basic Benefit Plan? As a Federal Employee, your retirement consists of three components: your Basic Benefit (also called your annuity or

“I have two questions about social security. I am 61 and my wife is 58. Let’s say my wife files for social security at age
Listen to the Full Episode: Join us for our bonus podcast, where we address the questions we received from federal employees before our latest YouTube
Questions about social Security and COLA (cost of living adjustment) are among the most common. Let’s go through the basics with Floyd Shilanski, RCF, Managing
“In mid 2025, I will turn 62, therefore my FERS supplement will stop. I currently work PT not to exceed 2013 earnings limit. However, in
”If I receive 26k in annual leave payout does that count against the earnings limit of my supplement? Also what about the money I made
Listen to the Full Episode: Listen to this week’s recap episode with Sierra Steele and learn about the importance of retirement planning and the use
Listen to the Full Episode: It’s time to get invaluable insights from cash flow considerations to navigating the intricate rules of the Federal Employees Retirement
“should I delay my social security and let my wife draw it until my FRA? I planned on drawing at 62 anyways. I am retired navy and
“My husband and I both had careers with the National Park Service. He carried the family insurance for us. He retired in 2021 and did
“I am turning 62 and I am drawing disability FERS. Can I draw social security and FERS together? And will my FERS change when I
“I retired from PHMSA/USDOT January 2021 and I just received my first W2 form from the Department of Interior and It says that I paid
Listen to the Full Episode: The importance of knowing the different streams of income and how to use them, covered by Victoria Kellerman. Enjoy the
Listen to the Full Episode: Cashflow is the heartbeat of retirement, so you have to know the details of your income streams, the theory, and
“August 2023 I will turn 62 and stop receiving the OPM Social security . After August for the remainder of 2023 will I still be
Listen to the Full Episode: The benefits in retirement that Federal Employees have are based on three things: Pension Social Security TSP To avoid misconceptions
Listen to the Full Episode: Whether you are 30, 50, or 70, a subject that has a hold on you is how to improve
“Can I withdraw my FERS to use as a down payment for purchase of Real Estate?” – Tracey. When Federal Employees use their retirement benefits
“Planning on retiring at my MRA, is the FERS supplement subject to the social security earnings test? Thank you for your time!” – Craig. Underestimating
“I retired as a FERS employee at age 56 with over 32 years of service. Upon retirement, I chose to withdraw $2000 per month from
“I retired from Federal service on Dec 31, 2020. My annual leave balance was paid out to me in a lump sum at the end
“How to plan which source to withdraw from and when (TSP, Roth, other investments) over the retirement years to supplement pensions and SS. Are tax

When we talk about your FERS Retirement, we’re really talking about several different benefits. FERS (Federal Employees Retirement System) has three main components: Basic FERS

CSRS Voluntary Contributions Transfer to a Roth IRA While the CSRS VCP program was originally designed to allow CSRS to put more money in and

Special Benefit for Some FERS Who Retire Before Age 62 Have you heard about the FERS Supplement? It’s an important benefit for FERS planning to

Understanding the FERS Supplement for Special Provisions The FERS Supplement is an important benefit for FERS planning to retire before age 62. Since so many

When most people think of FERS survivor benefits – they think of the survivor annuity. But you should know that there are actually many different

When we talk about CSRS Survivor benefits – most people think of the survivor annuity. But Civil Service Retirement System employees have several choices when

Planning your federal retirement? You need to know that Federal Employees have unique financial planning needs that most generic financial planning doesn’t address. One of

The amount of retirement savings you need in your ‘Cash Bucket’ will change as your fixed income changes in retirement. If you’re not familiar with

FERS Disability Retirement You may be eligible for a FERS Disability Retirement at any age if you… Have at least 18 months of creditable FERS