Most federal employees spend decades building their retirement, then rush the last 12 months. The result is missed deadlines, wrong elections, and costly surprises that are hard to undo. In this episode, Tom Poltersdorf, CFP® walks you through a plain-English, step-by-step checklist for retiring from federal service the right way.

Tom covers your Service Computation Date, how to estimate your FERS pension and TSP income, how to pick the right retirement date, what happens to your FEHB health insurance, and how to coordinate Social Security and Medicare, all without guessing. Whether you're 3 years out or 10 years out, this episode gives you a clear picture of what needs to happen and when.

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If you want a personalized look at your own retirement timeline, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint.

We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing.

If you're a federal employee and 80–95% of your retirement savings are sitting in the traditional TSP, you might feel great about how much you've saved. But what most people don't see coming is how those pre‑tax balances can turn into very large required minimum distributions (RMDs) in their 70s, and a tax bill that keeps going up, even when their lifestyle doesn't.

In this episode of Confident Federal Retirement, Tom walks through a real‑world style scenario of a federal couple with strong pensions and substantial TSP balances who were shocked to see six‑figure RMDs and $50,000+ per year in federal and state taxes later in retirement. You'll learn why having almost everything in traditional TSP can create a "tax surprise," how RMD rules work for federal employees, and the planning window many FERS employees have in their 50s and 60s to start fixing the problem.

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When you're ready for one‑on‑one help, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint.

We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing.

If you're a federal employee in your late 50s or early 60s and you actually still like your job, this might be the hardest retirement decision you ever make. Because now the question isn't "Can I survive a few more years?" It's "Am I crazy to retire… or am I crazy to keep working?" In this episode of Confident Federal Retirement, I walk you through three simple tests I use with federal couples to separate "just one more year" fear from a clear, confident decision.

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When you're ready for one‑on‑one help, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint.

We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing.

You can do everything "right" on paper as a federal employee. Hit your service time, lock in the FERS pension, build a solid TSP balance, and still end up in a retirement that feels stressful, lonely, or disappointing. One spouse is loving the new freedom, the other is quietly resentful, and both are wondering, "Did we make a mistake?" In this episode of Confident Federal Retirement, Tom Poltersdorf, CFP®, breaks down seven key conversations federal couples need to have before they retire, so their money and their life are actually working toward the same goal.

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When you're ready for one‑on‑one help, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint.

We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing.

A lot of federal employees assume, "I've got my FERS pension, Social Security later, and some money in my TSP… we should be okay." On paper, that can look fine. But in real life, mortgages, car payments, FEHB premiums, and everyday expenses can make that pension feel smaller every year, especially as inflation slowly pushes costs higher. In this episode of Confident Federal Retirement, Tom walks through how to tell if you have a real retirement income gap and what to do about it.

You'll learn the three main levers you can pull when your federal pension doesn't feel like enough: cleaning up the wrong types of debt before you retire, building a clear "income stack" using your FERS pension, Social Security, and TSP in the right order, and making sure your plan has enough growth to keep up with inflation over a 20‑ to 30‑year retirement. Tom shares a simple, real‑world style example of a married federal couple where a scary‑looking shortfall turns into a workable plan once the numbers are mapped out.

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When you're ready for one‑on‑one help, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint.

We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing.

Can you retire under FERS right now… or is waiting a little longer the smarter move? In this episode of Confident Federal Retirement, we walk through what an "immediate retirement" under FERS actually means, the four main paths to qualify, and why one of those paths (MRA+10) can quietly lock in a smaller pension for the rest of your life. You'll hear how immediate retirement affects your pension, FEHB, FEGLI, the FERS supplement, and how much pressure ends up on your TSP later.

We'll also talk about the tradeoff between short‑term relief and long‑term consequences. I'll show you when immediate retirement usually makes sense, when I'd slow someone down before they file the paperwork, and the five questions I'd want you to answer before you decide. So you can see exactly whether retiring now strengthens your plan or weakens it.

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When you're ready for one‑on‑one help, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint.

We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing.

If you're a FERS employee, one of the most confusing parts of retirement planning is "creditable service." Most people assume every year they've worked for the government counts the same way toward their pension and retirement date. The reality under OPM's rules is very different. Misunderstanding what actually counts can move your retirement date by years and shrink your pension in ways that are hard to fix later.

In this episode, you'll learn the simple test for what usually counts, why unused sick leave helps your pension but not your eligibility, and the biggest traps around temporary time, nondeduction service, refunds, military time, and leave without pay. We'll keep it focused on the most common misunderstandings so you can spot red flags in your own work history without needing to become an OPM expert.

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When you're ready for one‑on‑one help, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint.

We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing.

When the market suddenly tanks, most federal employees do the exact wrong thing: they panic and start changing their TSP. If you're within about 10 years of retirement, that fear is totally understandable… but reacting emotionally can quietly cost you years of retirement income.

In this episode of Confident Federal Retirement, I walk you through a step‑by‑step way to think during a market crash so you're not guessing. We'll talk about why zooming out matters more than checking your TSP balance every hour, how to line up your investments with when you'll actually need the money, and why the real danger is bad markets plus withdrawals in the first few years of retirement. I'll also cover practical moves like rebalancing instead of reacting, what to do if you're still contributing to TSP, and how downturns can create tax opportunities with Roth conversions and smart loss harvesting in taxable accounts.

If you're a FERS or CSRS employee who's worried about running out of money, making big tax mistakes, or guessing wrong with your TSP, this episode will help you see exactly what to focus on in a crash.

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When you're ready for one‑on‑one help, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint.

We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing.