Retirement

  • Good news is on the horizon for federal employees that plan to retire in 2015. The Office of Personnel Management's processing times for retirement claims are accelerating, and the agency will try for the fifth time to digitize the process. Tammy Flanagan is Senior Benefits Director for the National Institute for Transition Planning. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she shared her Top 3 for 2015. She told Federal News Radio's Sean McCalley the faster processing times will most help people retiring early in the year.

    January 02, 2015
  • Senior Correspondent Mike Causey continues his vacation. Today's guest columnist is an IRS employee who's retiring after 32 years.

    January 02, 2015
  • Even without all the fireworks caused by furloughs and the government shutdown that occurred in 2013, Federal News Radio readers found plenty to intrigue them in 2014. Read our 10 most-read stories for 2014.

    December 31, 2014
  • A budget resolution early in 2015 is a top priority for the incoming 114th Congress. Republican leaders have already said they're interested in passing some federal workforce reforms. Jessica Klement is legislative director for the National Active and Retired Federal Employees association. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she said she's worried about the possibility of a budget reconciliation, and what that could mean for federal employee benefits in the future. In her Top 3 for 15, she says she's keeping a closer eye on federal workforce policy reforms coming from the new Congress.

    December 30, 2014
  • Senior Correspondent Mike Causey is on vacation. Today's guest columnist is a recent retiree who says if you can get out, you should consider it. He's hoping that gridlock in the next Congress will (as it did this year) keep feds out of harm's way.

    December 24, 2014
  • Debra Roth hosts a roundtable discussion of the "hot" federal workforce topics in 2014, and what will be the big issues in 2015. December 19, 2014

    December 19, 2014
  • President Obama signs a bill that changes how new Federal employees will save for retirement. Instead of having 3% of their pay go into the G Fund if they don't choose for themselves, the money will go into one of the TSP's lifecycle funds. Kim Weaver is director of external affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she said the TSP has been behind this idea for a long time.

    December 17, 2014
  • Lockheed Martin faces a class-action lawsuit against 120,000 employees for how it handles their 401(k) retirement plans. The case focuses on whether the company's provider made the employees pay higher fees than they needed to and made bad investment decisions. Federal News Radio Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says there isn't a direct connection between the Lockheed Martin case and federal employees. But he told Federal News Radio's Sean McCalley they should pay attention to what happens afterward.

    December 16, 2014
  • Federal and postal investors are entitled to feel a little bit smug as they follow what could be a landmark pension management case involving one of the nation's biggest firms. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says so can the people who set up and run the federal Thrift Savings Plan.

    December 16, 2014
  • Now that Congress has passed the Smart Savings Act, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board is programming a new savings default option for those who join the federal government late next year.

    December 15, 2014
  • Congress is capping the pensions of top military officials in 2015. As part of National Defense Authorization Act, pensions for generals and admirals will be trimmed to ensure they make no more in retirement than they did on active duty. That reverses a 2007 law designed to help retain officers during wartime. What effects, if any, will this have on the military's ability to retain its senior officers? Larry Korb is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and former assistant secretary of Defense for manpower and reserve affairs. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with a look at this measure.

    December 15, 2014
  • Congress has passed a bill that will automatically enroll new federal employees in the Thrift Savings Plan's Lifecycle Funds (L Funds), rather than the Government Securities Investment Fund (G Fund).

    December 12, 2014
  • Office of Personnel Management officials told the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Census about its plan to buy a case management system. The case management system will serve as the foundation for yet another attempt at modernizing the retirement system.

    December 11, 2014
  • The primary federal pensions plans -- CSRS and FERS --are the gold-standard compared to virtually any private-sector pension plan. But how safe are they? asks Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.

    December 11, 2014