New Medicare Cards Being Issued: Legitimate CMS Policy or a Scam?
Over the years, senior citizens in the US have been the victim of many scams and fraudulent activities. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid service (CMS) recently found an issue…
A Retiring Employee’s Planning for Survivor Benefits
An important part of a retiring federal employee’s retirement plan is understanding and planning for survivor benefits when the federal retiree dies. This column discusses and explains the choices that…
OPM’s “Retirement Quick Guide”
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has provided an online “retirement quick guide.” The “retirement quick guide” is designed to help recently retired federal employees as to what to expect…
Dealing With the Financial Burden of a Spouse’s Death
A spouse’s death can have devastating financial consequences on the surviving spouse, particularly if the death was sudden and unexpected. This column reviews some of the steps that married federal…
Why Disclaimers Are Being Increasingly Built into Estate Plans
The number of Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) participants with TSP accounts valued $1 million or more has grown significantly over the last five years. The number of TSP millionaires hit…
How a Married Individual’s Spouse Can Impact the Individual’s IRA
Many individuals own IRAs. IRA means one of three things, namely: (1) Individual Retirement Arrangement; (2) Individual Retirement Account; or (3) Individual Retirement Annuity. When most individuals hear IRA, they…
IRS Issues Proposed Regulations on Who Can Establish a Trump Account
A recent FEDZONE column (Getting Ready for the Start of Trump Accounts in July 2026) discussed Trump Accounts which are expected to start on July 4,2026. Trump Accounts were created…
Understanding SECURE Act 2.0’s Penalty-Free LTC Insurance Retirement Plan Distribution Provision
A provision coming out of SECURE 2.0 (2022) may allow for penalty-free distributions from certain qualified retirement plans to pay long-term care (LTC) insurance premiums without the 10 percent early…
Getting Ready for the Start of Trump Accounts in July 2026
Trump accounts are a new type of custodial-style traditional IRA for minor children. The accounts are owned by a child but administered by an adult. They are set to launch…
How Does the “Still-Working” TSP RMD Exception Strategy Work?
Over the past 20 years, many Americans including federal employees have been staying on the job longer. Workers aged 75 and over are expected to have the largest growth in…