By Tammy Flanagan
September 28, 2012
After presenting information about retirement to federal employees for 25 years, I can tell you that some questions seem to come up over and over again.
This week, I thought I’d address some of those common questions by providing links to previous columns I’ve written on key subjects. I’ve divided them into three categories, based on stages of planning: early career, midcareer and preretirement.
Early Career
If you’re at this stage right now, you need to get familiar with the three elements of the Federal Employees Retirement System: the basic retirement benefit, Social Security and Thrift Savings Plan investments.
Here are some past columns that will help you understand the value of your federal retirement benefits:
Midcareer
These employees need a checkup. Their typical questions include: What happens if I leave federal service before I retire? Will I be eligible for early retirement? What if I become disabled before I’m eligible to retire? Should I pay a deposit to receive credit toward retirement for some of my previous service?
Here are some columns for this group:
Pre-Retirement
These employees are almost ready to set the date. They need to know how to cross the t’s and dot the i’s. This is the group that postpones appointments to attend preretirement seminars, then shows up early for the sessions. Often, people in this category are worried they might not have planned properly or have misinterpreted information they’ve received over the years. Here are some of the columns to help them get ready:
Deciding to Retire
Picking a Date
Getting Ready
The Index
If you’re looking for more information on other specific topics, be sure to check out my annual index to previous columns, categorized by subject.
By Tammy Flanagan
September 28, 2012
http://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/retirement-planning/2012/09/back-basics/58415/