ProFeds Founder, Chris Kowalik, discusses why goal setting can leave federal employees feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.  She gives real-world examples of how to break down goals into manageable steps.

Key takeaways:

• Why most people hate new year’s resolutions
• How to intentionally create steps into your goals to build momentum
• How (and from where) to measure progress

Federal retirement expert, Chris Kowalik, discusses the new guidance just released by the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with respect to the withdrawals and the loan options for participants affected by COVID-19.  Is taking money out of your TSP account under these rules advantageous for you?  Or, are there some hang-ups that you haven't considered?

Federal retirement expert Chris Kowalik discusses the financial impact of the coronavirus is having on federal employees who are investors in the Thrift Savings Plan. Specifically, she addresses: Is there a reason to panic?  Should you rebalance your TSP because of this market downturn? Are there any weaknesses exposed in TSP when we have a volatile market?

Federal benefits expert Chris Kowalik discusses the financial impact recent proposed changes to federal pay, benefits and retirement will have on both federal employees and retirees.   Chris provides insight on the likelihood of whether each of the proposed changes may (or may not) happen -- plus some practical examples of how costly they could be if implemented.

Federal retirement expert, Chris Kowalik, shares the advantages and disadvantages of the Lifecycle Funds (L Funds) within the Thrift Savings Plan .  

Key take-ways:

• What are the Lifecycle Funds -- and how are they different than the other funds in the Thrift Savings Plan?
• Some important challenges of the L Funds
• How the mixture of investments in the L Funds changes over time
• What rate of return investors in the L Funds can expect
• How L Funds work in the Traditional TSP and Roth TSP

Listen to Chris' other podcast episodes or read the transcript on My Federal Retirement

Federal retirement expert, Chris Kowalik, provides some practical insight on how federal employees can prepare for income taxes in retirement.  

Federal retirement expert, Chris Kowalik, brings some clarity on an often-confusing special type of federal retirement -- deferred retirement -- and some potential significant drawbacks to it.

Federal retirement expert, Chris Kowalik, provides insight on how federal employees married to one another likely have different choices on some key benefits decisions than employees married to a non-federal spouse. 

Federal retirement expert, Chris Kowalik, provides some clarity on how some FERS employees who retire prior to age 62 may receive the Special Retirement Supplement

Federal retirement expert, Chris Kowalik, shares important details on the differences between federal employee pay raises and federal retiree cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to pensions.