Federal employees over 50 overpay $400-800/yr on FEGLI  ·  Book your free review

What We Cover

Federal Benefits
Education Services

Every service is education-focused. Heather explains your options clearly so you can make informed decisions—free from sales pressure.

Service 01

FEGLI Education — Understand Your Federal Life Insurance

Reading time: 5 min Applies to: All federal employees with FEGLI

What Is FEGLI and Why Does It Matter?

The Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) program is the largest group life insurance program in the world, covering over 4 million federal employees and retirees. While enrollment is automatic for most new hires, the default coverage is rarely the most cost-effective option for employees approaching retirement.

Key Insight: The majority of federal employees over age 50 are overpaying for FEGLI by $400–$800 per year because they never reviewed their Basic + Option A + Option B + Option C elections after their initial enrollment.

How FEGLI Coverage Works

FEGLI consists of four components:

  • Basic Insurance — Equal to your annual salary plus $2,000, rounded up to the next $1,000. Premiums are shared between you and your agency.
  • Option A (Standard) — $10,000 of additional coverage. Premiums increase significantly as you age.
  • Option B (Multiple of Salary) — 1 to 5 times your annual salary. Premiums are age-based and can become very expensive after age 45, with steep increases every 5 years.
  • Option C (Family) — Coverage for your spouse and dependent children, available in multiples of $5,000. Premiums rise with age.

The FEGLI “Overpayment Trap”

Most federal employees never revisit their FEGLI elections after initial enrollment. By the time you reach your 50s, Option B and Option C premiums have increased dramatically. Meanwhile, your need for life insurance has likely changed—children are grown, mortgages are smaller, and a pension and TSP balance provide built-in survivor protection.

Heather helps you run the numbers on each option and compare the cost of maintaining FEGLI coverage against private market alternatives that may offer better value for your specific needs.

What Happens at Retirement?

FEGLI coverage can continue into retirement, but the rules change. Basic insurance coverage reduces by 1% per month starting at age 65 (unless you elect “75% Reduction” or “No Reduction” at a higher premium). Option A reduces by 1% per month at age 65. Option B and Option C coverage can continue if you elect to carry the full premium cost, but the age-based increases continue.

Understanding these reductions and their financial impact before retirement is critical. Once you retire, some elections cannot be changed.

Not Sure If You’re Overpaying for FEGLI?

Heather will review your current FEGLI election at no cost and explain every option in plain language.

Book Your Free 30-Minute Review
Service 02

FERS Retirement Planning — Know Your Pension

Reading time: 5 min Applies to: FERS-covered federal employees

Understanding the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)

FERS is a three-part retirement system consisting of your Basic Benefit Pension, Social Security, and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). While each component is straightforward on its own, the way they interact creates a complex picture that many federal employees do not fully understand until it’s time to file.

Your FERS Pension — How It’s Calculated

Your FERS basic pension is calculated using this formula: 1% × High-3 Average Salary × Years of Creditable Service. If you retire at age 62 or later with at least 20 years of service, the multiplier increases to 1.1%. While the math is simple, the nuance is in the details:

  • High-3 Average Salary — Your highest average basic pay over any 3 consecutive years. Strategic timing of promotions and locality pay changes can affect this.
  • Creditable Service — Includes sick leave credit (which can add months or even years to your service computation date), military service deposits, and unused annual leave.
  • FERS Supplement — A bridge payment available to employees who retire before age 62, designed to approximate Social Security benefits until you become eligible for Social Security at 62.

Common Gap: Most federal employees underestimate how much income they will need to replace at retirement. The FERS pension typically replaces only 30–40% of pre-retirement income. Social Security and TSP must cover the rest.

Retirement Eligibility & Timing

FERS retirement eligibility depends on your age and years of service. Understanding your specific eligibility date and how it interacts with your TSP and Social Security claiming strategy can significantly impact your lifetime income. Heather helps you model different retirement scenarios so you can choose the timing that maximizes your financial security.

Ready to See Your Full FERS Picture?

Heather will break down your projected pension, the supplement, and your retirement income gap in one free session.

Book Your Free FERS Review
Service 03

TSP Education and Planning — Optimize Your Thrift Savings Plan

Reading time: 6 min Applies to: All TSP participants

Your TSP Is More Powerful Than You Think

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is one of the most valuable benefits available to federal employees. With over $800 billion in assets under management, it is the largest defined contribution plan in the world. Yet most federal employees do not fully understand their withdrawal options, and the decisions made at retirement can cost tens of thousands of dollars in unnecessary taxes and penalties.

TSP Withdrawal Options at Retirement

When you leave federal service, you have several options for your TSP balance:

  • Monthly Payments — Fixed dollar amount or life expectancy-based payments. Predictable but may not keep pace with inflation.
  • Partial Withdrawal — Take a lump sum while leaving the rest in TSP. Taxable as ordinary income in the year withdrawn.
  • Annuity Purchase — Use part of your TSP balance to buy a lifetime annuity. Provides guaranteed income but lacks flexibility and may not offer inflation protection.
  • Rollover to an IRA — Transfer your TSP balance to a Traditional or Roth IRA for more investment options and flexible withdrawal strategies.

Tax Trap Warning: Taking a large lump-sum TSP withdrawal without careful planning can push you into a higher tax bracket, resulting in a significant portion of your retirement savings going to taxes. Strategic Roth conversions and partial withdrawals can mitigate this.

Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)

Once you reach age 73 (or 75 if born after 1960), the IRS requires you to begin taking minimum distributions from your TSP. Failing to take your RMD results in a 25% penalty on the amount not withdrawn. Heather explains how RMDs interact with your pension, Social Security, and other income sources to help you plan a tax-efficient withdrawal strategy.

Lifecycle Funds & Asset Allocation

The TSP’s Lifecycle (L) Funds provide a professionally managed, age-appropriate asset allocation. However, many employees remain in the wrong L Fund or avoid the G Fund altogether, leaving significant downside risk unmanaged as retirement approaches. Heather helps you understand your allocation so you can make informed choices aligned with your risk tolerance and timeline.

Maximize Your TSP — Avoid Costly Mistakes

Heather will explain every TSP withdrawal option and help you build a tax-efficient distribution strategy.

Book Your Free TSP Session
Service 04

Survivor Benefit Education — Protect Your Family the Right Way

Reading time: 5 min Applies to: FERS-covered employees with a spouse or dependents

Why Survivor Benefit Elections Are Permanent

When you retire, you will be asked to make a survivor benefit election for your spouse. This decision is irrevocable. Once made, it cannot be changed, reversed, or modified—even if your circumstances change due to divorce, death of a spouse, or financial hardship. Despite the gravity of this decision, many federal employees make it without fully understanding the trade-offs.

How the FERS Survivor Benefit Works

By default, married FERS retirees receive a reduced pension in exchange for providing a survivor annuity to their spouse. The reduction is approximately 10–12% of your pension, and in return, your surviving spouse receives 50% of your unreduced pension for life. You can elect:

  • Full Survivor Benefit (50%) — Maximum protection for your spouse, maximum pension reduction for you.
  • Partial Survivor Benefit — Elect between $1 and $25,000 of survivor coverage. Lower reduction, lower protection.
  • Spousal Waiver (0%) — No survivor benefit, no pension reduction. Requires spousal consent and carries significant risk for your family.

Critical Consideration: If you are divorced or widowed after retirement, the survivor benefit you elected for your former spouse cannot be redirected to a new spouse or other beneficiary. This is why getting the election right the first time is so important.

Coordinating Survivor Benefits with TSP and FEGLI

Your survivor benefit election does not exist in isolation. It should be coordinated with your TSP beneficiary designations, FEGLI Option C (Family) coverage, and any private life insurance you carry. Heather helps you look at the full picture so your family is protected comprehensively—not just through a single election.

Facing a Permanent Survivor Benefit Election?

Heather will walk you through every option before you make a decision you cannot undo.

Book Your Free Survivor Benefit Review
Service 05

Pension Election Guidance — Choose Your Retirement Income Path

Reading time: 4 min Applies to: FERS-covered employees nearing retirement

The Most Consequential Decision of Your Retirement

When you retire from federal service, you must choose how to receive your FERS pension. Your election determines your monthly income for the rest of your life—and potentially your spouse’s. This decision is irrevocable. Unlike TSP, where you can adjust withdrawal strategies, your pension election is permanent.

Your Pension Election Options

  • Full Pension with Maximum Survivor Benefit — Lower monthly payment, maximum ongoing protection for your spouse after your death.
  • Full Pension with Partial Survivor Benefit — Moderate reduction, moderate survivor protection. Allows you to tailor coverage to your family’s actual needs.
  • Full Pension with No Survivor Benefit — Highest monthly payment, no ongoing protection for survivors. Requires spousal consent if married.

Heather’s Approach: Rather than telling you which option to choose, Heather runs the numbers for each scenario and helps you understand the real-dollar trade-offs over your expected lifetime. You make the decision with full clarity.

How to Prepare for Your Pension Election

Before making your election, you should have a clear picture of your full retirement income: FERS pension (under each election scenario), TSP distributions, Social Security, any outside investments or annuities, and expected healthcare costs. Heather helps you bring all of these pieces together so your pension election fits within your complete financial plan.

Making a Permanent Pension Election?

Heather will run the numbers side by side so you can see exactly what each option means for your lifetime income.

Book Your Free Pension Review
Service 06

Full Retirement Session — Your Complete Benefits Picture

Reading time: 4 min Applies to: Federal employees in any stage of retirement planning

A Comprehensive View of Your Federal Benefits

Your FEGLI, FERS, TSP, FEHB, and survivor benefits are interconnected. Changing one election can have ripple effects across the others. Heather’s Full Retirement Session provides a complete, personalized review of your entire federal benefits picture so you can make coordinated decisions with total confidence.

What the Full Session Covers

  • FEGLI Review — Analysis of your current election vs. alternatives, including cost comparisons and retirement coverage reduction impacts.
  • FERS Pension Projection — Detailed estimate of your pension income, supplement eligibility, and the retirement income gap.
  • TSP Strategy — Review of your allocation, withdrawal options, tax implications, and RMD planning.
  • Survivor Benefit Analysis — Scenario modeling for full, partial, and waived survivor elections.
  • FEHB Continuation — Explanation of how your health insurance carries into retirement and the 5-year rule.

Why a Full Session Matters: Most federal employees receive benefits advice piecemeal—one agent for insurance, another for investments, another for retirement planning. Heather provides a unified view so nothing is overlooked and every decision supports your overall financial well-being.

Who Should Book a Full Session

This session is ideal for federal employees who are within 5 years of retirement and want a comprehensive, education-first review of their entire benefits picture. You leave with clear answers, not more questions.

Ready for a Complete Benefits Review?

Heather will review your entire federal benefits picture in one comprehensive session.

Book Your Full Retirement Session

Not Sure Where to Start?

Book a free 30-minute session and Heather will help you identify which service fits your needs.

Book Your Free 30-Minute Session