Most federal employees and retirees receive various types of income that are not subject to mandatory federal income tax withholding. Among these income-types are interest, dividend and capital gain income, pension income and IRA income, CSRS and FERS annuities, rental ... Read More

Many of our Feds build retirement portfolios heavily around U.S. stocks, often through the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) C Fund. That approach has worked well, but it creates concentration risk. One country. One currency. One set of economic outcomes. We talk ... Read More

Your pension is steady. Your tax picture can shift from year to year. Withholding too little may lead to a tax bill in the spring and possibly penalties. Withholding too much can quietly reduce your monthly flexibility. The goal is ... Read More

Effective January 1,2018 following the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), individual federal marginal tax rates were reduced to the lowest rates in the 100-year history of the federal individual income tax. While the TCJA ... Read More

Return-to-office changed more than your calendar. It changed the numbers. A house that made sense when you commuted twice a week can look very different when you drive in five days. The difference shows up in obvious places like gas ... Read More

As a federal government employee, you could take advantage of your minimum retirement age (MRA). If you’re fortunate, the FERS annuity supplement bridges potential income gaps between your MRA and age 62 (when you apply for Social Security). What if ... Read More

This column discusses the mortgage interest income tax deduction changes resulting from the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (OBBBA). Before discussing these changes which could affect individual tax returns starting the 2026 tax year, it ... Read More

April 1,2026 is the deadline for federal employees and retirees born between January 1 and December 31,1952 and who own traditional IRAs to take their first traditional IRA required minimum distribution (RMD). This column discusses the traditional IRA RMD rules ... Read More

High-earning federal employees eventually hit income limits that restrict direct Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) contributions. For 2026, single filers must have a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of less than $153,000, and joint filers less than $242,000, to make a full ... Read More

Many federal retirees move to rural areas after they retire. The appeal is clear: housing costs less, you get more space, and life slows down. But healthcare access deserves just as much attention in your planning. Can you get the ... Read More