Federal Pension Advice and Insights

Jul 14, 2026

Deciding whether to add Medicare Part B to your Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage is one of the biggest choices in federal retirement. This FEHB and Medicare Part B checklist walks you through the main decision points, with the verified 2026 numbers you need to run the math. Federal retirees ask this question often. The checklist below helps you compare premiums, plan benefits, IRMAA exposure, and out-of-pocket risk.

Jul 13, 2026

FERS part-time service usually reduces your federal pension through a proration factor. OPM first calculates your annuity with the standard full-time formula, then multiplies it by the ratio of the actual and credited hours it recognizes to the full-time hours possible during your creditable FERS service.

Jul 10, 2026

The OPM online retirement application is the digital system federal employees now use to file for retirement through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the federal agency that administers civil service retirement benefits. OPM began the government-wide rollout of its Online Retirement Application (ORA) on June 2, 2025, and continued expanding the digital process over the following year

Jul 9, 2026

The proposed NDAs for federal employees are a draft, governmentwide nondisclosure agreement that OPM, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, published on May 27, 2026. Agencies could administer the form to current and new employees if they choose to adopt it. OPM has also asked for comments on what consequences may apply if employees don't sign.

Jul 8, 2026

AI tax advice for federal employees can be risky because chatbots may deliver inaccurate, outdated, or generic answers on complex retirement tax questions, and you, not the AI, are legally responsible for every figure on your return. Your federal retirement income blends a FERS annuity, TSP withdrawals, and Social Security. Each one is taxed differently. A confidently worded but wrong AI answer can trigger real penalties.

Jul 7, 2026

The Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) is the retirement plan covering most civilian federal workers hired since 1984. It pays benefits from three sources: a defined-benefit pension called the Basic Benefit Plan, Social Security, and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

Jul 6, 2026

TSP allocation risk is the danger that the mix of funds inside your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the federal government's tax-advantaged retirement savings program, no longer matches the time you have left before you need the money. As you approach retirement, an allocation that once helped you grow wealth can quietly expose you to losses you no longer have time to recover from.

Jul 3, 2026

OPM, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, has proposed replacing the Douglas Factors framework with a broader "totality of the circumstances" standard. OPM and the MSPB, or Merit Systems Protection Board, published the proposed rule jointly on July 2, 2026.

Jul 2, 2026

TSP funds performance through June 30, 2026 shows all three stock funds finishing the first half in positive territory, led by small-cap gains. According to FedSmith, the S Fund returned 18.41% year-to-date through June 30, the I Fund returned 16.53%, and the C Fund returned 10.20%. The TSP, or Thrift Savings Plan, is the federal government's tax-advantaged retirement savings program.

Jul 1, 2026

The expected 2027 FEHB changes point to a shift in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program toward a "well care" model. This model prioritizes prevention, lifestyle interventions, and whole-person wellness over symptom-based treatment.

Jun 30, 2026

OPM VERA, or the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority granted by OPM (the U.S. Office of Personnel Management), lets agencies temporarily lower the age and service thresholds for an immediate annuity so more employees can retire early during a restructuring.

Jun 29, 2026

A mid-year retirement checklist is a structured June or July review of your federal retirement plan. It confirms your Thrift Savings Plan contributions are on pace, your benefit elections still fit your goals, and the year's rule changes are reflected in your strategy.