Columbus Day, Veterans Day and Memorial Day are among the national holidays that aren’t celebrated by (or given to) many American workers. That’s because their bosses, companies, won’t give them paid time off because holidays are when they make more money.

Some folks – think people who work retail, in food services or resorts – don’t get any holidays. Or if they get it, they must take it as a vacation day (if they get vacation time at all).

Banks, some parts of the financial community (that track the stock markets) and the federal government are the largest employers that give workers time off on federal holidays.

Congress may decide to give federal workers 10 extra days off, without pay, next year. So how would that work? And would you have options? What about use-it-or-lose it annual leave?

If you are lucky enough to be off today – and thousands of federal and postal workers are on the job – enjoy. It is too nice a day to sweat 2011 furloughs. But check tomorrow’s column and be prepared to sweat.

Roth IRAs, Voluntary Contributions

With Roth’s IRAs (or a Roth option) no longer subject to income limits, many feds are thinking should-I-or-shouldn’t I? And what link does a Roth have with the Voluntary Contributions program. The VC lets feds (under CSRS and CSRS Offset) put after tax money into a guaranteed-interest account that is totally tax free when they withdraw it.

Today at 10 a.m. on their For Your Benefit program, tax specialist Bob Leins and federal benefits expert Tammy Flanagan talk about the Roth and CSRS options, and about how they can be linked. You can listen on your computer at www.federalnewsradio.com or in the DC area on regular radio at WFED 1500 AM.

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com

Nearly Useless Factoid
by Suzanne Kubota

October, the tenth month of the year, sounds like it should be the eighth. It used to be. The Old Farmers Almanac explains that “when the Romans converted to a 12-month calendar, the name October stuck.”

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