Your Federal Life

Regular, actionable information on the management of the careers and financial lives of federal employees. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin and Workforce Reporter Drew Friedman speak with investment advisors, health plan experts and other experts on the federal workforce, their pay and their benefits.


  • December seems like a long way off, but next year’s Federal Employee Health Benefits Plans are already coming into view. That’s from the Office of Personnel Management’s recent annual call letter to health insurance carriers. Federal…
    March 7, 2024
  • Few things can sink an individual investor than buying or selling on emotion. That can lead to tries at market timing, which rarely works out, especially when things are high or low. My first guest cautions time…
    February 28, 2024
  • Fresh off a five percent pay raise, federal employees can look forward to some other enhancements coming their way. Like the possibility of another hefty pay raise next year. For more on this and a…
    February 22, 2024
  • People entering the workforce, say, joining the government at young age, hear the advice. Start saving now for retirement. Make sure you max out your Thrift Savings Plan contributions and get the full government match.…
    February 15, 2024
  • Retirement, every federal employee is going to get there some day. For most, the goal is you don’t work any more. Or work only because you want to. Your main question is how much income is enough for you…
    February 7, 2024
  • For the Thrift Savings Plan, you might say things are up. Enrollments, fund performance, even the number of people with at least a million dollars in their accounts. Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman and I…
    February 1, 2024
  • If the 2023 stock market showed anything, it’s that you can’t predict the stock market. Instead, you need a strategy you can stick with. Nearly every federal employee has a Thrift Savings Plan account. For…
    January 24, 2024
  • Federal employees are mostly sideline observers of the Congressional budget deliberations. And yet, you have the greatest interest in what’s going on because it affects your professional life rather profoundly. Although there’s sort of a topline…
    January 10, 2024
  • Other than your salary, the most important element of your financial life is probably your Thrift Savings Plan account. Just before 2023 expired, for an update, we caught up with Kim Weaver, director of external…
    January 3, 2024
  • The Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision have for decades limited Social Security payments available to certain federal employees. Mainly those under the old Civil Service Retirement System, and anyone else who receives a…
    January 3, 2024
  • Even in today’s inflationary times, the word millionaire has a certain meaning. With a little self discipline and the power of compound interest, millionaire status is available to federal employees who make wise use of…
    January 3, 2024
  • Golly, the year went by. Now we find ourselves in the middle of the holiday season, lots of distractions. One thing you should not be distracted from doing: End of year financial planning. To help you get…
    December 6, 2023
  • There’s less than two weeks left in this year’s Open Season. Now’s the time to make health care enrollment changes in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program for 2024. Federal News Network’s Tom Temin…
    December 6, 2023
  • Drew Friedman fills in for Tom this week. As of Monday, Open Season for the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program is officially underway. Tom Temin and she recently spoke with Kevin Moss, a director at Consumers’ Checkbook,…
    November 15, 2023