Companion reading to the podcast — Social Security, FEGLI, TSP, FEHB, retirement, and the decisions every carrier has to make sooner or later.
FEGLI premiums explode as you age. Here's a clear-eyed framework for deciding what to keep, what to drop, and what to replace.
FEGLI Option B premiums can quintuple between ages 55 and 70. Most carriers haven't actually looked at the new numbers. Here's how to figure out whether FEGLI still earns its place in your retirement, or whether it's time to make a change.
Read the article →GPO wiped out spousal benefits for hundreds of thousands of federal retirees. The 2025 repeal brings them back — and back pay with them.
For decades, the Government Pension Offset reduced — or completely eliminated — spousal and survivor Social Security benefits for federal retirees with a CSRS pension. The Social Security Fairness Act killed GPO. Here's how to know what you're now owed.
Read the article →How WEP cut Social Security checks for decades — and what the 2025 repeal means for your retirement math.
For 40 years, the Windfall Elimination Provision quietly shaved hundreds of dollars off the Social Security checks of CSRS letter carriers who earned a second pension. In January 2025 the Social Security Fairness Act repealed it. Here's what changed, what you're owed, and how to make sure you're getting it.
Read the article →