The Widow’s Penalty for Federal Retirees: How to Prepare

When one spouse dies, the survivor files single: tighter brackets, half the IRMAA thresholds, similar income. Here's the math and the Roth fix.

Death Benefits for a FERS Employee: What Survivors Receive

What a FERS employee's spouse and children receive at death: FEGLI, the survivor annuity, the current BEDB, TSP and Social Security.

A fed told me the survivor annuity costs too much and he'd invest the $550 instead. Here's the math on why that's harder than it sounds.

A surviving spouse can keep a TSP in a BPA, roll it to their own IRA or use an inherited IRA. Here's how RMD rules work under SECURE 2.0.

A fee-only planner who doesn't sell insurance compares the FERS survivor annuity with life insurance: FEHB, guarantees, taxes, COLAs and cost.

Full, partial or no FERS survivor annuity: what each costs, what your spouse gets, and how FEHB, COLAs and life insurance fit in.