Federal retirees, from both Civil Service and the Military are entitled to COLA’s — Cost Of Living Adjustments — in their pensions and annuities. Hmmm, reminds me, I had better do a post soon on the difference between retirement pay and annuities. These retirements are special in comparison to many in the run-of-the mill commercial [...]
Why You Don’t Need A Pension Valuation
April 18, 2013 by 3 Comments
Pension Valuation for Divorce may be unnecessary. Do you meet the criteria? Worried about having a pension valuation of your CSRS, FERS, Military or public service (PERA) pension and annuity assets professionally valued due to a pending divorce? Well, maybe you don’t have to worry! Wouldn’t that be nice for a change? Pension valuation for [...]
Values Often Neglected – Part 1, Annual Leave
April 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
As with all the information I provide here on this site, as a public service, remember that I am neither a lawyer nor an accountant or actuary. The purpose of this information is to bring things to your attention that may require attention when considering actions during a divorce. If you are reading this, it’s [...]
CSRS and FERS Retiree On Line Services
April 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
One big issue that always seems to cause delay and dissension in Federal retiree divorce cases is the simple retrieval of information. One an employee is retired, his or her personnel-type issues are handled from the Office Of Personnel Management (OPM, formerly called the Civil Service Commission) in Boyers, Pennsylvania. Their mailing address is: Office [...]
CSRS — The Background and Nitty-gritty
March 4, 2013 by 2 Comments
I’m continuing today with an excellent summary of the CSRS (Civil Service Retirement System) that was put together by the OPM (Office of Personnel Management, the successor to the old Civil Service Commission). Some might ask, perhaps, why are you just republishing large blocks of information here … it’s already on line? Well, you’re right, [...]
More Good Catch 62 News
June 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Lately I see more and more evidence that the Merit System Protection Board (MSPB) is softening it’s stance on the important matter of otherwise “perfect citizen” retirees losing a huge portion of their retirement annuity on their 62nd birthday … the much maligned, often misunderstood “Catch 62) law. I have a case “simmering” here in [...]
Federal Employee Divorces — Top 10 Mistakes
June 28, 2012 by 6 Comments
Things have been a little busy the past week and inputs here haven’t been what they should be. Here’s a good “starter” for the week to get things going again. I titled this the Top 10 mistakes. photo credit: massless I have no statistics to prove these are anyone else’s “Top 10″, I just know [...]
CSRS — How Much, When and to Whom
February 4, 2012 by 4 Comments
Many folks with questions for me on the CSRS (Civil Service Retirement System) just need the basics … at least they need to know the rules of the system before they even know if they have a specialized question to ask. Here’s one of the best links available on line for the Civil Service Retirement [...]
A Decent CSRS On Line Calculator
February 3, 2012 by 2 Comments
In one respect calculating your retirement benefit is relatively simple. You can, in theory, find everything you need on the Office of Personnel Management site: www.opm.gov But some other calculators are better organized, especially to take into account special circumstances such as law enforcement, firemen, etc. I recommend this one for quick checks and retirement [...]
Divorce Can Cost A Lot — Some Tips To Reduce The “Bite”
February 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
1. Have an Clear Written Fee Agreement Most experienced and effective divorce attorneys charge by the hour and require an advance retainer (or deposit) that is paid at the beginning of the case. Fees and expenses will be charged against the retainer until it is exhausted, at which point the client will be responsible for [...]
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