Federal Pension Advice and Insights

May 28, 2026

The Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) was a federal workforce buyout offered to certain federal employees in early 2025, sometimes called the "Fork in the Road" offer.

May 27, 2026

TSP catch-up contributions are additional retirement savings amounts that federal employees aged 50 and older can contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan beyond the standard elective deferral limit. In 2026.

May 26, 2026

Thrift Savings Plan problems are the gaps, errors, and outdated choices in a federal employee's TSP account that quietly reduce retirement income if left unfixed before separation. These include wrong fund allocations, missed catch-up contributions, outdated beneficiary forms, untracked loans, and uncoordinated withdrawal strategies.

May 25, 2026

As of early 2026, roughly 185,000 to 195,000 TSP accounts held balances of $1 million or more, depending on the reporting date. Public reporting cited approximately 194,722 million-dollar TSP accounts as of January 1, 2026.

May 22, 2026

According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the average FEHB premium increase for 2026 is 10.2% overall. The average enrollee share is increasing by 12.3%, while the average government contribution is increasing by 9.2%.

May 21, 2026

A federal retirement checklist is a structured pre-retirement review covering the seven core areas every FERS employee must verify before separating from service: eligibility, the annuity calculation, TSP strategy,

May 20, 2026

A TSP rollover to Fidelity moves your retirement balance from the Thrift Savings Plan, the federal government's tax-advantaged retirement savings program, into a Fidelity Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

May 19, 2026

OPM proposed RIF rules are amendments to the federal Reduction in Force regulations issued by OPM, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, that would change how agencies select, notify, and place employees during workforce reductions.

May 18, 2026

Yes, federal retirement is generally taxable in 2026. FERS, the Federal Employees Retirement System, pensions are subject to federal income tax on the portion of each annuity payment that represents the government's contributions and accumulated earnings.

May 15, 2026

The federal retirement tax 2026 framework requires FERS retirees to pay ordinary federal income tax on their FERS annuity, traditional TSP withdrawals, and up to 85% of Social Security benefits. A small portion of each annuity payment representing previously taxed contributions is recovered tax-free under the IRS Simplified Method.

May 14, 2026

FERS retirement planning is the process of coordinating your three-part federal retirement income (the FERS basic annuity, the Thrift Savings Plan, and Social Security) so they pay out at the right ages, in the right order, and with the right tax treatment.

May 13, 2026

The choice between Roth TSP vs traditional TSP comes down to one question: do you want to pay taxes now or in retirement? Roth TSP contributions are made with after-tax dollars and grow tax-free.