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Last year, my index to previous columns was a hit with readers, so I thought I'd provide an update with the best columns of 2008 added and a few outdated columns deleted.

Looking back over the year, I spent a fair amount of time on service credit issues and specific things you need to do to be ready for retirement. If there are issues that you would like to have addressed in the coming year, please let me know, using the comments box below. This is your column, and my goal is to make the complex nature of the federal retirement systems a little simpler.

Best Date to Retire

• Mail Call August 15, 2008
• Best Dates to Retire: Tax Considerations August 8, 2008
• Best Dates to Retire 2009 August 1, 2008

Deciding to Retire

• Federal vs. Private May 9, 2008
• A Little Lower Oct. 12, 2007
• Going Private Oct. 5, 2007
• Public or Private? Sept. 14, 2007
• Laboring Another Day Aug. 31, 2007
• Retiring Women June 15, 2007
• Should I Stay or Should I Go? Feb. 23, 2007
• The Early Way Out May 26, 2006
• Leaving Early May 19, 2006
• Really, You Can Retire! March 17, 2006
• You Can Afford To Retire! March 3, 2006

Things to Do to Get Ready

• What You Need to Know Oct. 10, 2008
• Who's Responsible? Sept. 12, 2008
• Time of Transition June 27, 2008
• To-Do List June 13, 2008
• Countdown to Retirement March 14, 2008
• Help! Feb. 8, 2008
• Educate Yourself Feb. 1, 2008
• Last-Minute Tips Dec. 14, 2007
• The Retirement Process June 22, 2007
• Retirement Checklist June 8, 2007
• Getting Ready Jan. 5, 2007
• Are You Ready? July 14, 2006
• Smoothing the Transition June 23, 2006

Sick Leave/Annual Leave

• Taking Your (Sick) Leave Feb. 9, 2007
• Taking Your Lumps Jan. 19, 2007

Service Credit Issues

• Catch-62 Revisited Sept. 5, 2008
• Maxing Out July 18, 2008
• Deposits and Credits June 20, 2008
• Keep Your Records Feb. 28, 2008
• Catch-62 Sept. 21, 2007
• A Whole Different Kind of Service June 1, 2007
• Crediting Volunteer Service May 25, 2007
• Computing Your Service May 18, 2007
• Service Interruption March 16, 2007
• Part-Time Rules, Part Two March 9, 2007
• Part-Time Rules, Part One March 2, 2007
• Mixing Civilian and Military Retirement June 30, 2006
• Military Service Payback Feb. 24, 2006
• Redepositing CSRS Refunds Feb. 17, 2006
• Buying Retirement Credit Feb. 10, 2006
• Getting Credit Jan. 27, 2006

Survivor Benefits

• Survivor Benefits Q&A April 25, 2008
• Supporting Your Survivors April 18, 2008
• 'Survivor:' Federal Edition Jan. 12, 2007
• Federal Couples July 7, 2006
• Who's Your Beneficiary? May 12, 2006
• Spousal Benefits March 10, 2006

Law Enforcement and Special Groups

• Feeling Special: Q&A Aug. 17, 2007
• Feeling Special Aug. 10, 2007

Eligibility and Computation of CSRS and FERS

• Eligibility: Facts and Myths July 6, 2007
• Deferred vs. Postponed June 29, 2007
• Retirement Estimate: The Details May 11, 2007
• Basic Retirement Computations May 4, 2007
• Estimating Your Benefits April 27, 2007
• Supplementary Information Feb. 2, 2007
• Supplementing FERS Jan. 26, 2007

Other CSRS and FERS Retirement Issues

• FERS Flexibilities Sept. 26, 2008
• CSRS vs. FERS: 2008 Edition Sept. 19, 2008
• Myth Busting May 30, 2008
• Facing Disability Feb. 22, 2008
• Changes for 2008 Jan. 11, 2008
• D-I-V-O-R-C-E Aug. 24, 2007
• Short-Term Benefits Feb. 16, 2007
• Single Concerns July 21, 2006
• A Thoroughly Modern Retirement System June 2, 2006
• Voluntary Benefits May 5, 2006
• Best of Both Worlds April 14, 2006

Post-Retirement

• Words of Wisdom May 15, 2008
• Delayed Gratification April 4, 2008
• Buyer Beware Jan. 25, 2008
• Back to Work, Again March 30, 2007
• Back to Work March 23, 2007

Health Insurance

• Dental Check-Up Nov. 7, 2008
• High Interest Oct. 31, 2008
• Considering HDHPs Oct. 24, 2008
• Continued Coverage, Continued March 27, 2008
• The Five-Year Test March 20, 2008
• Ensuring a Healthy Retirement June 16, 2006

Medicare

• Part B, Part Three Dec. 11, 2008
• Medicare, Part B Dec. 4, 2008
• Medicare Mysteries Nov. 21, 2008
• Part B Or Not Part B? Sept. 28, 2007
• More on Medicare April 28, 2006
• Medicare ABCs April 21, 2006

Life Insurance

• Life Insurance Options, Part Two Sept. 22, 2006
• Life Insurance Options, Part One Sept. 15, 2006

Long-Term Care

• Long-Term Planning July 25, 2008
• The Long Haul: Part Three Aug. 11, 2006
• The Long Haul: Part Two Aug. 4, 2006
• The Long Haul: Part One July 28, 2006

Social Security

• The Benefits of Social Security June 6, 2008
• Social Issues May 2, 2008
• Getting Social March 7, 2008
• Gone With the Windfall Sept. 1, 2006
• Offsetting Penalty June 9, 2006

Thrift Savings Plan

• Deep Breath Oct. 17, 2008
• Take Charge of Your TSP Oct. 3, 2008
• TSP and Taxes May 23, 2008
• The TSP's Future -- and Yours July 13, 2007
• Honey Pot April 20, 2007
• TSP Withdrawal Quiz April 13, 2007
• Life Expectancy vs. Life Annuity April 6, 2007
• Withdrawal Options March 24, 2006

Cost of Living Adjustments

• The COLA Factor Aug. 29, 2008
• Counting COLAs Oct. 20, 2006
• COLA Wars Sept. 8, 2006

Pension Protection Act and Taxes

• Tax Changes: Part Two Aug. 25, 2006
• Tax Changes: Part One Aug. 18, 2006

Tammy Flanagan is the senior benefits director for the National Institute of Transition Planning Inc., which conducts federal retirement planning workshops and seminars. She has spent 25 years helping federal employees take charge of their retirement by understanding their benefits.

For more retirement planning help, tune in to "For Your Benefit," presented by the National Institute of Transition Planning Inc. live on Monday mornings at 10 a.m. ET on federalnewsradio.com or on WFED AM 1500 in the Washington metro area.