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.
TSP
Allocation, contributions, Roth conversions, withdrawals, RMDs.
Social Security
Claiming strategy, spousal and survivor benefits, taxation.
Tax Strategy
Drawdown sequencing, Roth conversions, IRMAA, state exemptions.
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.
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.
OPM Retirement Backlog: April 2026 Update
The backlog dropped below 50,000 for the first time since November — while average processing time rose to 78 days. Both are accurate.
The 2026 Election and Federal Retirement
The November midterms shape FERS, FEHB, and TSP in 2027 and after. What's on the table, what already happened, how to plan around it.
The 2027 Medicare Part B Premium Projection
The Trustees Report projects $218.60/month — a 7.7% jump over 2026 and 18.2% over the 2025 baseline. The math, the IRMAA picture, the budget impact.