Every fall, federal employees and retirees across the country receive the same reminder: FEHB Open Season is approaching. For many, the annual ritual is familiar. They glance at the new premiums, skim ...

The compensation figures shaping the financial future of federal civil servants and retirees are virtually finalized. While ongoing legislative debates could still alter these projections, current ...

Every month the OPM retirement backlog ended below 13,000, January 2012 to September 2026. Source: OPM data compiled by FedSmith September’s total is the first figure below 10,000 in the data and sits ...

As federal employees approach age 65, the same question comes up all the time. They see their retiring colleagues entering the Medicare system and wonder why they should make a change. Having strong ...

Anyone who grew up with Bob Dylan’s music will recognize “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” He recorded it more than 60 years ago. He was not singing about artificial intelligence (AI), but the song’s ...

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has released the 2027 premiums for the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, along with the 2027 premiums for the Postal Service Health Benefits ...

For years, many federal retirees viewed Medicare Part B as an expensive “extra” layered on top of their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage. After all, retirees already paid into FEHB ...

What does a metaphor by The Eagles have to do with a new proposal to reduce the age of the federal workforce? In Hotel California, the singer says, “You can check out any time you like, but you can ...

An important feature for FedSmith readers every year is the annual announcement of the COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) for the coming year. While we keep readers up to date throughout the year on how ...

Now that the Thrift Savings Plan allows Roth in-plan conversions, federal employees and retirees have another way to manage the taxes on their retirement savings. The usual explanation is simple: move ...

The vast majority of federal civil servants perform their duties each day unaware of the robust safety net backing their careers. While private sector workers often navigate precarious third-party ...

For several years, one argument dominated many Roth conversion discussions: Convert now because individual income tax rates were scheduled to increase after 2025. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or ...