Some federal employees have historically relied on remote work as a reasonable accommodation to help them make meaningful contributions in their jobs. But the Trump administration's blanket return-to-office directive has upended those remote work arrangements — and caused uncertainty for feds who depended on that flexibility. Federal News Network’s Terry Gerton got insights on the reasonable accommodation process, as well as some recourse options for feds, from Aaron Szot, a partner at Kalijarvi...
Jun 25, 2025•24 min
May 28, 2025•24 min
Federal employee benefits could be on the chopping block. That’s as GOP lawmakers move forward with their budget reconciliation bill. Republicans are considering everything from cutting annuity supplements, to charging a fee to file a case with the Merit Systems Protection Board. It’s all to save about $50 billion out of the trillions needed to balance the budget and making the choice harder for federal employees who are weighing their options for taking an early retirement, or a deferred resign...
May 14, 2025•24 min
How to manage the government, it's the national topic at the moment. Right now the government is managed by Elon Musk and Doge. Or by cabinet secretaries who seem hell-bent on cutting away at their departments. Or at least it looks that way. Should we have a Department of Management? My next guest thinks so. I spoke with an outspoken retired federal chief human capital officer, and former political appointee, Jeff Neal. Plus, the shock waves reverberate. Health and Human Services Secretary Rober...
Apr 02, 2025•22 min
Some 40,000 federal employees did decide to resigned per the Trump administration's early fork-in-the-road offer. They've been promised full pay for the rest of the fiscal year. What about pension benefits? Or access to the Federal Employee Health Benefits plans? We get some answers from long-time federal employment attorney Alan Lescht. Plus, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is just one Congressional group considering ways to cut federal spending including employee benefits, ...
Mar 19, 2025•22 min
Just what do you get if you're caught up in a reduction in force? Like those Education Department employees RIF'd just this week. And what about if you decide to retire early? Federal retirement expert Tammy Flanagan has been getting lots of these questions lately. She joins me now with a few answers. Plus, is the goal of reducing the federal workforce by 10% wrong? Or just the way the Trump administration is going about it? And what about the persistent five-bullet email? Some perspective now f...
Mar 12, 2025•24 min
Federal employees worried about their jobs are also worried about their family finances and health care coverage. In fact, cash flow and health care *should* be at the top of your concerns now. More now from RMG Financial Advisors certified financial planner Thiago Glieger. Plus, whether the Trump administration will be great for the economy, as promised, is yet to be seen. Tariff-induced trade wars don't have a good record. But what about the new administration's effect on your Thrift Savings P...
Mar 05, 2025•22 min
Events of the last few weeks have caused federal managers' heads to spin. The resignation offer, the closure of agencies, the new policy schedule. All these developments have sparked lawsuits. One of the litigants is the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. For some of the what's and wherefores, I spoke to NARFE staff vice president John Hatton. Plus, with a little planning followed by consistency, you can save a million dollars in your TSP. And what better time to revise y...
Feb 19, 2025•24 min
With the Fork-in-the-Road memo asking every federal employee to consider resigning, lots of feds are suddenly thinking of retiring. Don't let the weirdness of the situation push you into a hasty decision, though. I went over this in detail with federal retirement expert Tammy Flanagan of Retire Federal. Plus, the government barely avoided a shutdown last month. Anything could happen in March though, when the latest continuing resolution expires. Federal employees will get paid. But they could fa...
Jan 29, 2025•25 min
Federal employees, and to some extent all public servants, are wondering precisely what the next few days an months will bring. Lots of questions of a practical nature, like when will new Social Security benefits flow under repeal of old limitations. And, what happens Monday when Donald Trump re-enters the oval office. I got some informed speculation from the staff vice president of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, John Hatton. Federal retirees are pouring hundreds ...
Jan 17, 2025•22 min
Far be it from us to spoil the optimism of the fresh, new year. But senior career managers in government might want to consider preparing for the worst. Suppose the coming Trump administration does get Schedule F in place. Are ready for a forced retirement or change in career? I got some advice, from retirement expert Tammy Flanagan. Plus, 2025 has finally arrived, and you'll be a year older. Or something like that. The new year brings the idea of optimizing your TSP investment profile for the s...
Jan 08, 2025•24 min
A new feature arrives soon for participants in the Thrift Savings Plan. Starting in January 2026, a year from now, participants will be able to make Roth conversions within the TSP. That’s not the only changing at the TSP. Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman recently caught up with the TSP’s director of external affairs, Kim Weaver. Also, it's so close, those in favor can practically taste it. The statutory ending of the windfall elimination provision and the government pension offset. WEP and ...
Dec 18, 2024•24 min
The government might be operating on a continuing resolution. Individuals should take better charge of their own financial lives before the end of the year. Including optimizing your Thrift Savings Plan. We got some tips from RMG Advisors financial planner Thiago Glieger. Plus, thousands of federal employees will retire come the end of the month. Good retirement planning covers your finances, your healthcare, but what about your life and what you'll do day-to-day. The dream can turn to boredom r...
Dec 05, 2024•23 min
It's the season of seasons. Thanksgiving season. Christmas season. And for federal employees, it's the middle of open season, which runs until December 5. It has a lot of moving parts. For more, we turn to long time expert in all things having to do with federal employment and post-employment, Tammy Flanagan. Plus, just about six weeks left in 2024. Come January, you'll be a year older. Or something like that. The new year brings the idea of optimizing your TSP investment profile for the stage o...
Nov 20, 2024•26 min
Open season means federal employees have homework. Time spent now planning for your health care coverage can pay off later … both in money and health. For some things to think about, I spoke with principal Thiago Glieger of RMG Advisors. Plus, the stock market continues to defy logic, something it seems to do best. Just look at what's been happening this week. Now some 117 thousand federal employees and retirees have Thrift Savings Plan accounts worth more than a million dollars. There ought to ...
Nov 14, 2024•20 min
Open season means federal employees have homework. Time spent now planning for your health care coverage can pay off later, both in money and health. For some things to think about, I spoke with principal Thiago Glieger of RMG Advisors. Plus, the stock market continues to defy logic, something it seems to do best. Just look at what's been happening this week. Now some 117,000 federal employees and retirees have Thrift Savings Plan accounts worth more than a million dollars. There ought to be man...
Nov 06, 2024•21 min
Just eleven days until this year's federal open season. When federal employees choose their health benefits insurance provider for the coming year. More people skip the homework, looking at plans to see if its worth switching. But you should take the time, especially since so many plans are more costly next year. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman and I went over a list of considerations with Kevin Moss, editor of the Checkbook Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees. Starting with the sta...
Oct 31, 2024•25 min
Lots of federal employees like to pin their retirements to the end of the year. It makes for nice closure on a career. But if you mean this year, there's no time to lose. Retirement is all about the planning you do ahead of time. I got the lowdown from one of the top retirement planning experts, Tammy Flanagan. Plus, people concerned with the federal workforce and government operations generally are wondering. If he returns to office, would former President Donald Trump bring back Schedule F. Th...
Oct 23, 2024•23 min
After a long road of trying to improve workforce morale, the Social Security Administration finally appears to be turning a corner. For the first time in years, SSA employees’ views on employee engagement, satisfaction and agency leadership are all trending positively, according to SSA’s results of the 2024 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). The agency also got a 70% response rate on the survey this year. I got more from Dustin Brown, SSA’s chief operating officer and acting chief of staf...
Oct 17, 2024•24 min
No doubt you've heard. Price hikes for health insurance for federal employees coming next year. Big ones. Open season is coming soon, so it all brings lots of questions. For retirees, a smaller cost of living increase is likely. I got more from the vice president of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, John Hatton. Plus, federal employees looking to retire at the end of December have just a few months to get all their paperwork in order. But with a 14-page application f...
Oct 10, 2024•26 min
When the stock market moves up and down, analysts always find one reason or another. Presidential elections, though, seem to consistently exert influence over market behavior. In other words, Kamala and Donald are affecting your thrift savings plan. More now from financial advisor Thiago Glieger. Plus, anyone with a career, assets and perhaps a family needs a little estate planning. It might be arcane, but it matters unless you plan to live forever. Military service members sometimes have higher...
Oct 02, 2024•22 min
The shine has dulled for CD's, certificates of deposit, that looked like great investment vehicles when interest rates were higher. Just rolling them over may not be such a great wealth-building strategy. We got some tips for dealing with CD's from wealth advisor Thiago Glieger. Plus, the stock market is nothing if not exciting. Even in the swoons savvy investors find opportunity. If you have a Thrift Savings Plan account, such an opportunity might be the F Fund. For analysis, we turned to certi...
Sep 18, 2024•22 min
It's taken a generation, but now federal benefits have become available for first responders harmed during the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The money was authorized in last year's National Defense Authorization bill. Federal News Network's Drew Friedman joined me when we got details from attorney Michael Barasch of the law firm Barasch and McGarry. Plus, can it be? The repeal of the windfall elimination provision and the government pension offset will actually happen? The WEP and GPO that hold...
Sep 12, 2024•21 min
Our theme today is not only what you earn and save, but what you leave behind. Anyone with a career, assets and perhaps a family needs a little estate planning. It might be arcane, but it matters unless you plan to live forever. That's why shrewd federal employees spend a lot of time ensuring not only that they'll have enough money to retire, but also to benefit heirs or organizations such as favored charities. Too often, though, they don't spend enough effort on the legal documents needed to pr...
Sep 04, 2024•24 min
To young service members, the idea of building wealth might seem like a pipe dream. They don't earn much and often have high borrowing and housing costs. But it's never too early to start. For some pointers, we turn to the president of the Navy Mutual Aid Association, retired Navy admiral. Brian Luther. Plus, it's one thing to apply for your federal retirement. It's something else again to, well, do it right. Retirement brings a lot of elements into play, such as when to apply for Social Securit...
Aug 28, 2024•26 min
When the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board rolled out a new system for managing the TSP back in 2022, it didn't go well. Account holders encountered a web site that barely functioned and long wait times for help. Now the Government Accountability Office has released findings on what went wrong even as most, but not all, of the problems are fixed. The director of information technology and cybersecurity at the GAO, Jennifer Franks, earlier joined me in studio. Plus, its web site provides...
Aug 08, 2024•24 min
The end of July isn't the end of summer. But the leaves are dryer and the cicadas louder. That means autumn, and time to think about end-of-year retirement planning. Tom Temin get some tips from federal retirement expert Tammy Flanagan. Later in the show: national elections often have economic effects. This year's presidential election is proving a bit more volatile than we've seen in recent years. For more on what that might mean for investment returns, Tom spoke with certified financial planne...
Jul 31, 2024•24 min
The Thrift Savings Plan's mutual fund window remains under the microscope of the House Appropriations Committee. A policy rider in fiscal 2025 spending legislation aims to ban any TSP investments based on environmental, social or governance , or ESG, criteria. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board says if the anti-ESG provision is enacted, the TSP would have no choice but to shutter the relatively new mutual fund window. For more, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman sat down with FRTIB...
Jul 17, 2024•23 min
A million dollars isn't what it used to be. Nearly 24 million Americans have at least $1 million of net worth. Still, financial people often say so-called middle class people, like government employees, you need to accumulate a million or two to ensure a comfortable retirement. A new book called Middle Class Millionaire Government Employee discusses this very topic. Plus, TSP investors seem are getting more aggressive, judging by the mix of funds they're investing in. The safe but slow-growing G...
Jun 26, 2024•24 min
It’s been revoked for years, but Schedule F is still on the minds of many federal employees, especially as the nation nears a presidential election with former President Trump on the ballot. The Schedule F executive order tried to address what Trump officials saw as workforce accountability issues, by making certain career employees easier to fire and replace. Critics say Schedule F was the wrong approach to civil service reform. Now a new working group has laid out proposals for what members be...
Jun 14, 2024•28 min
