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AUTHOR ARCHIVES
Tammy Flanagan
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 Mondays at 10 a.m. EDT on Federalnewsradio.com, or on WFED AM 1500 in the Washington-metro area.
The Index: 2012 Edition
January 6, 2012 Since 2006, I've been privileged to have my name appear under the Retirement Planning column every Friday. If you would have asked me then if I would still be writing this column in 2012, I would have said, "No way." I would have thought it would either have been too ...
A Few Good Things
December 23, 2011 It is easy to focus on the bad news coming through the pipeline these days, such as proposed cuts to federal employee benefits and pension processing delays at the Office of Personnel Management. Still, 2011 wasn't all bad, was it? And there are some things to look forward to in ...
Great Expectations
December 16, 2011 More than 100,000 employees each year retire from civilian federal careers that have lasted from as little as five years to more than 40. As usual, the end of the leave year -- Dec. 31 -- will be a popular date for many of this year's new group of retirees. ...
Medicare Choices
December 9, 2011 Little is more confusing for employees and retirees than the decisions that must be made when you become eligible for Medicare. Let's look at two scenarios to see how Medicare and Federal Employees Health Benefits Program can fit into one picture. Situation 1: Active federal employees age 65 and older ...
Taking the Plunge
December 2, 2011 Are you ready to try something new and possibly save a lot of money in the process? I'm talking about switching to a consumer-driven or high deductible health plan this open season. I've been writing about these plans for several years. Here are some of the previous columns: (Almost) Free ...
Ten Tips for Open Season
November 18, 2011 Each year, federal employees get the opportunity to review their coverage choices under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program. For those thinking about retiring in the near future, it's especially important to consider your options. With that in mind, GovExec.com Retirement ...
11.11.11 Edition
November 11, 2011 In honor of Veterans Day and 11.11.11 -- a date blackjack players would consider lucky and those who remember the freak weather events that killed more than 300 on Nov. 11, 1911, would consider unlucky -- I have decided to focus this week's column on retirement tips for federal employees ...
So Many Choices
November 4, 2011 With the 2011 Federal Employees Health Benefits Program open season (from Nov. 14 to Dec. 12) fast approaching and information available at the Office of Personnel Management's website, it's time to begin pondering the choices that lay ahead. The good news is there are a lot of choices. But that's ...
Long-Term Open Season
October 28, 2011 As employees and retirees begin to gather information for the upcoming Federal Employees Health Benefits Program open season (which runs from Nov. 14 to Dec. 12), it might be a good time to look back at another open season that occurred earlier this year, involving the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance ...
Targeting Early Retirement
October 21, 2011 Last week, Kellie Lunney wrote a story on GovExec.com about a proposal by Rep. John Duncan, R-Tenn., to curtail early retirement in government. "Working as a waiter or waitress is more physically demanding than most federal government positions for which we now grant early retirement," he said. The article sparked ...
