Pay & Benefits

  • Did you ever wonder how you got sequestered? Why you are maybe on furlough ? The reasons behind the government shutdown have suddenly become clear, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. It all makes sense ... up to a point.

    October 17, 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
  • Whatever you did yesterday, good, bad or indifferent, it doesn't matter. Thanks to the shutdown mode of government and various agency interpretations on it, Columbus Day was a nonevent for a lot of people, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

    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
  • When Columbus "discovered" America (which was actually teeming with people) he was part government worker, part-contractor and his mission, at first, was a failure. So how come the holiday today?

    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
  • For furloughed feds who have lost track of time, today is Friday. That's official. And Monday is Columbus Day, one of the the first government holidays to hit during a shutdown, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey. So what happens to people who don't work, and what about those who must work? Do people get paid? And if so, how much and when?

    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
  • Monday is supposed to be a federal holiday, but how do you shut down the government when it's already shutdown? Do you open it briefly, then bar the doors? Suppose Columbus' trip to America had been run by modern day politicians. Things might be very different, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.

    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
  • The average Thrift Savings Plan account balance is fast approaching $100,000. And that's great, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. But what should investors do during this time of stock market jitters over the shutdown and the debt ceiling limit?

    October 09, 2013