This week Federal News Network reporter Drew Friedman joins Tom Temin for a couple of conversations. First, we want to tell you about a significant new benefit coming to Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans in…
August 31, 2023
This week we start with a look at something the Thrift Savings Plan has been struggling with. Namely, mutual funds. In the belief that federal employees and retires might want a wider range of investment options,…
August 23, 2023
Everyone with a Thrift Savings Plan account remembers the launch of the new customer website last year. But a year on, the site operates a lot better. But everything is not perfect. For one expert…
August 16, 2023
In today’s episode of Fed Life, Drew Friedman and Tom Temin get into the details on the latest eligibility changes for the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) with Kevin Moss, editor of Consumers’…
August 9, 2023
On today’s episode, the Office of Personnel Management wants agencies to review their employee assistance plans, programs that offer psychological and substance abuse treatments. For details, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman spoke with OPM research psychologist Jorday Taswell.…
July 26, 2023
A coalition of federal manager advocacy groups has been urging the White House and Congress to fix what they say is a systemic problem with federal pay. It’s called compression. It mainly affects those at the upper ranks…
July 19, 2023
On today’s episode, it’s hard to believe the calendar year more than half over. It’s a good time to review your financial life. For people in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plans, open season isn’t far off.…
July 12, 2023
The Office of Personnel Management announced plans to establish four new locality pay areas. Its proposed rule also included plenty of other pay recommendations from the Federal Salary Council.
July 5, 2023
This week we'll hear about one way, not often used for retirees, especially on the older end of the age spectrum, to keep some guaranteed income. I spoke with certified financial planner Art Stein about the pros and cons of fixed income annuities, not to be confused with your federal pension.
Plus, Federal Executive Boards, known as FEB's, do lots of things to keep the federal machinery working in the big federal cities outside of Washington. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman got an update from the director of FEB's at the Office of Personnel Management, Anita Spinner.
June 28, 2023
For today’s episode, we’ll hear about one group of federal employees who earn a third less than their colleagues at the same GS level. And about half of what their state and local government counterparts…
June 21, 2023
On today’s episode of Fed Life, the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency brought some changes for enrollees in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. And that’s not all. Expect more long-term changes for…
June 15, 2023
It’s been one year since the Thrift Savings Plan underwent a major technology update. The changes offered TSP participants more virtual options, better cybersecurity and an entirely new My Account website. But the changes initially brought confusion…
May 31, 2023
Starting June 27, government and private sector employees will be able to request reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions. That’s thanks to a new law, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. All employers have new requirements, but federal employees…
May 25, 2023
Today we focus on two possibilities, both unlikely, but that would have big effect on federal employees. One, of course, is the prospect of a debt default. We’ll talk about that with financial planner Art Stein.…
May 17, 2023
