Clear answers for your federal & military retirement.
Sourced guides and calculators for federal employees, military retirees, and disabled veterans.
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Pick a topic to dive in.
FERS & CSRS
The federal pension. Computation, MRA, supplement, COLA, survivor benefits.
Money Basics
The fundamentals: compound interest, budgeting, index funds, debt, credit, and your first savings.
TSP
Allocation, contributions, Roth conversions, withdrawals, RMDs.
Social Security
Claiming strategy, spousal and survivor benefits, taxation.
Retirement Savings
How much you need, how much Americans have, and the safe withdrawal math.
Life Situations
Divorce, caregiving, low income, disability, renting, starting late — real-life retirement.
FEHB & Medicare
FEHB continuation, Medicare timing, PSHB, TRICARE for Life.
Tax Strategy
Drawdown sequencing, Roth conversions, IRMAA, state exemptions.
Military Retirement
Legacy vs BRS, SBP, concurrent receipt, Reserve and Guard at 60.
VA & Retirement
Where VA disability meets retirement income.
Start with these.
Deep, sourced explainers across every pillar — the kind of reference you’d want before filing.
FERS & CSRS COLAs Explained
Why two identical retirees drift apart: the diet-COLA cap, the age-62 wall, and what your annuity is really worth over time.
FERS & CSRSThe FERS Annuity Supplement
The bridge from MRA to age 62 — and the OPM-vs-SSA estimate gap that quietly costs retirees money they don’t know is missing.
TSPTSP Withdrawal Options
Installments, a life annuity, lump sums, or a mix — how to turn your TSP balance into durable retirement income.
Social SecurityWhen to Claim Social Security: Federal Edition
62, full retirement age, or 70 — the claiming math for federal couples, including life after WEP/GPO repeal.
Tax StrategyThe Roth Conversion Ladder
Filling the low brackets before RMDs and IRMAA arrive — the multi-year sequencing that can save six figures in tax.
FEHB & MedicareMedicare Part B Givebacks
Several FEHB plans pay back $800–$1,200 of your Part B premium — which ones, how to claim, and the break-even.
Retirement SavingsHow Much Do I Need to Retire?
The number behind the number — replacement rate, the 4% debate, and how a federal pension changes the math.
Latest dispatches.
Short, data-driven briefs on the policy and numbers shaping federal retirement.
The 2027 COLA Estimate Cooled — Here’s What Changed
Spring projections pushed the 2027 COLA toward 3.9%. They’ve since reversed — June CPI-W came in at 3.5%, and one forecaster cut a full point. What each system would actually receive.
June CPI-W Came In at 3.5%. Where the 2027 COLA Count Stands.
June CPI-W rose 3.5% to an index of 327.075 — but it doesn’t count toward the 2027 COLA. Which three readings decide it, and the release dates that matter before October.
OPM Retirement Backlog: Inventory Down, Waits Up
OPM’s claim inventory fell to its lowest level all year in June — while average processing time jumped 30 days to 108. Both are true at once, and here’s why.