Retired Pay World

Catch 62 and Valuation and Division of Assets

I’ve written about “Catch 62″ several time here already, but judging by the search engine traffic it seems to still be a very popular subject.  (See here and here for some previous information)
Based on some recent conversations with military/civil service retirees the subject still seems to be widely misunderstood, so perhaps it’s time for a [...]

CSRS and FERS Retiree On Line Services

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 [...]

Coke and Pepsi Have Nothing On These COLAs

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 [...]

TSP — Thrift Savings Plan — Division and Conservation

The TPS (TSP) is a retirement investment vehicle similar … but certainly very different from .. a non-Federal employee’s 401K Plan.  A majority of Federal Workers have invested in the TSP already.  For those under the FERS (Federal Employee Retirement System) it is a prime component of their retirement assets.  Military personnel have had the [...]

FERS, the Background and Nitty Gritty

Here’s a very well put together site, courtesy of your and my tax dollar that helps explain the intricacies of FERS. It’s not an easy program to fully comprehend or to evaluate, but little by little we’ll cut it down to size:
The Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) became effective in 1987, and almost all [...]

CSRS – FERS — What’s The Difference

I promised I’d post more articles here to try to “de-geek” some of these subjects. I already have pages of arcane detail about CSRS and FERS, but darn little that compares the two in a manner an non-geek might understand. Here’s a neat article from an expert that gives a good start:
According to [...]

When The 62nd Birthday Blows Up In Your Face

By Brian Friel
bfriel@govexec.com
Some military veterans who went on to civilian careers in government are getting a nasty surprise when they turn 62. Their pensions are being cut.
The Catch-62, as veterans call it, affects people who served in the military after 1956 and then were hired as civilian employees under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) [...]

Me and Bill, Where It All Began

I’ve been neglecting this blog for too long.  My June Resolution is, make something happen here.
One thing that might help is if I told you all a little about myself.  I’m a retiree from the Federal Civil Service (CSRS) and also a retiree from the USAF Reserve Forces.  I had a 31 year marriage, that [...]

Values Often Neglected – Part 1, Annual Leave

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 [...]

Proper valuation of pension plans

This is the first in our ten (or so) part series on mistakes made in divorce of Federal employee’s.  To set a ground rule, I’m going to always refer to the employee and the non-employee.  It’s up to the reader to translate these terms into the husband or wife and/or the petitioner or respondent.  In [...]

Federal Employee Divorces — Top 10 Mistakes

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 they [...]

FERS Retirement Ballpark

Many queries I’ve received over the past years of this blogs existence revolve around making a ballpark estimate of how much a Federal Annuitant “retiree”) will get at some point in the future when s/he retires.  Some federal income streams are relatively easy to estimate, but the FERS (Federal Employee Retirement System) can be particularly [...]

A Decent On Line FERS Calculator

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 “what ifs”.
http://www.fedcalc.com/servlet/com.quantos.fc2006.fers
RP’s [...]

Divorce Can Cost A Lot — Some Tips To Reduce The "Bite"

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 any [...]

Taxes During a Divorce

In Divorce, potential tax liability can frequently become the tool for one spouse to use against the other spouse. If improperly used, this tool can destroy all of the marital assets. In the worst case, tax liability can seriously impact the future financial security of either spouse and subject them to criminal sanctions. Just another [...]

Will You Have Enough After The IRS Takes Their "Bite"?

photo credit: numberstumper
I just realized how far we are into the tax season and how little I’ve written about this all important subject. Whether you’re a regular retiree, a going to retire soon worker or, most especially, a CSRS or FERS retiree or prospective retiree going through divorce, let me give you a [...]