Pay & Benefits
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Hardship withdrawals shot up in the first few weeks of October and thousands more employees opted to shift their investments out of higher-risk areas and into the G Fund, TSP officials said at at the board's monthly meeting Monday. During the shutdown, some 8,200 participants requested hardship withdrawals, compared to 5,500 during the same period of time last year.
October 28, 2013 -
When it comes to investing and saving for retirement, federal workers are at the head of the class. TSP average balances are fast-approaching the 6-figure mark.
October 28, 2013 -
You work for Uncle Sam. You are young, healthy and immortal. Who needs health insurance? Well, you may be in for a surprise, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
October 25, 2013 -
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) introduced a bill that would open up the federal health program to all Americans, but one federal employee union has come out to oppose it and benefits experts question how much it would cost.
October 24, 2013 -
Financial planner Arthur Stein will discuss what you can do to protect your assets in the event of another government shutdown, and Sean Reilly will talk about the possibility of another shutdown, and what's ahead for feds. October 23, 2013
October 23, 2013 -
NARFE's Jessica Klement and Federal Times senior writer Sean Reilly will talk about the government shutdown and its impact. October 16, 2013
October 16, 2013 -
When it comes to cost-of-living adjustments for retirees, bigger is always better, right? Or is it? Either way, some changes may be coming in the way the government tracks inflation, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
October 16, 2013 -
The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board kicked off this week a multimillion-dollar plan to revamp the Thrift Savings Plan. The $2.3 million initiative, which was approved by board members last month, calls for TSP officials to broadly survey participants on the services and offerings they desire as well as how the TSP stacks up against other plans, including those in the private sector.
October 15, 2013 -
Preliminary figures suggest next year's benefit increase will be roughly 1.5 percent, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. The increase will be small because consumer prices, as measured by the government, haven't gone up much in the past year.
October 14, 2013 -
Millions of federal retirees will have to wait to find out the size of next year's cost-of-living adjustment. The Labor Department says it won't report inflation statistics on time this month, which will delay the Social Security Administration's COLA calculation.
October 11, 2013 -
Nearly all of the Defense Department's civilians are now working, despite the government shutdown. Many members of Congress believe none of those civilians should have been furloughed to begin with. DoD remains unsure how to address contractors under the Pay Our Military Act.
October 11, 2013 -
The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, the Military Officers Association of America, the American Foreign Service Association and others rally against any potential or real proposals to change how the government calculates cost of living adjustments. The groups propose using the CPI-E formula to measure the impact of inflation on retirees, veterans and others.
October 10, 2013 -
Certified financial planner Arthur Stein will provide tips on how to protect your retirement nest egg, and Federal Times Senior Writer Sean Reilly will give us the latest on the government shutdown. October 9, 2013
October 09, 2013 -
Many feds are also confused and concerned about how the shutdown -- especially if it's prolonged -- will affect their benefits. Federal News Radio dug through guidance provided by the Office of Personnel Management and other agencies and consulted with the experts to bring you some of the answers to the most-asked questions.
October 03, 2013 -
The Office of Personnel Management has made it official: Lawmakers and their staff members are required to purchase health insurance from one of the Affordable Care Act's health-insurance exchanges --but the government will still contribute toward their premiums. OPM issued the final rule, which goes into effect immediately, Wednesday.
October 02, 2013