A Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) participant who has separated from federal service (either left federal service or retired from federal service) must begin to take TSP required minimum distributions (RMDs) upon reaching a specific age. The specific age is gradually ... Read More

Life happens – marriages, divorces, births, deaths. And while federal employees are good at planning ahead, one thing often gets overlooked: beneficiary designations. These documents determine who receives your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), life insurance, and survivor benefits upon your passing, and ... Read More

One of the provisions coming out of the recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” of 2025 (OBBBA) has resulted in enhanced tax savings for some charitable donors, lowered tax savings for some charitable donors, and by all accounts has ... Read More

In this episode, Dan and Katelyn discuss retirement strategies for federal employees, with a focus on age-gap couples. They cover Medicare, Social Security, Roth conversions, and withdrawal planning, as well as early 2026 COLA projections and their impact on CSRS ... Read More

Over the past five years, many federal employees and retirees have inherited IRAs from relatives and friends. But as a result of the passage of the original SECURE Act in December 2019, the IRS rules regarding required minimum distributions (RMDs) ... Read More

By law, a Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) participant’s spouse has certain rights to the participant’s TSP account. These rules apply to withdrawals even if the TSP participant is separated from but still legally married to the participant’s spouse. The Federal ... Read More

In this episode, Katelyn and Dan explore key considerations for federal employees and veterans planning-covering the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program, eligibility requirements, pros and cons of coverage, and alternative options like private plans or self-insuring. They also dive ... Read More

This is the third of four FEDZONE columns discussing the withdrawal options that are available to separated Thrift Savings Plan TSP) participants. In these columns, a “separated” participant means a civilian employee or a member of the uniformed services who ... Read More

When there’s an age gap between spouses, retirement planning often gets more complex. Different timelines can lead to gaps in health insurance, uneven income years, and tax issues that catch many couples off guard. Lifestyle mismatches, such as one spouse ... Read More

This is the second of four FEDZONE columns discussing TSP withdrawal options that are available to all separated Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) participants. In these columns, a separated TSP participant means a civilian federal employee or a member of the ... Read More