For Your Benefit

April 11, 2022 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes John Jilek, CFP®.

If you are planning to retire in the near future, it is time to take a serious inventory of your ability to handle risk associated with your investments, health, inflation, family, longevity, and liabilities. It is also time to meet with your ‘team’ of professionals well ahead of your retirement date.

If you think you are ready to retire, but want to know for certain that you will be okay, tune in to hear planning tips from a Certified Financial Planner® Professional.

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

April 4, 2022 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes Karen Schaeffer, CFP® and Jon Dauphine, CEO of the Foundation for Financial Planning.

Karen Schaeffer, CFP®, often says so much about financial planning is common sense. Then why do so many people struggle to make good financial decisions? In honor of Financial Literacy Month, please join Karen and Jon to learn more about the need for financial literacy and the work of the Foundation to bring financial planning to people on a pro bono basis.

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

March 28, 2022 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® and co-host Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director at NITP, Inc., welcome Kim Weaver, Director, External Affairs, and Jim Courtney, Director of the Office of Communications and Education.

Today’s discussion will focus on answering the following questions:

The TSP is adding new features this summer – what are they and how will they help participants?

The TSP simplified the way catch-up contributions are made.  Did it help?

The country has been dealing with the pandemic for two years now – did that impact the TSP or its participants?

Stats!  How many participants receive the 5% match?  How many millionaires?  Average account balances?

What were the administrative expenses for 2021?

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

March 21, 2022 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes Tammy Flanagan, Senior Benefits Director, NITP.

“I believe legends and myths are largely made of truth.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

Today’s show will tackle some of the current urban myths that frequently circulate in pre-retirement seminars and among Federal employees who have heard these stories from a friend of a friend or they may have even read about them somewhere. Here are some that you may have heard:

Retirees need 70% to 80% of their current income in retirement.

Maxing out your Thrift Savings Plan is all you need to do to save for retirement.

At retirement, your investments should become very conservative.

If you have coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, there’s no need to enroll in Medicare when you turn 65.

Only those people in good health should consider a high deductible health plan.

You can’t count on Social Security for your retirement years.

Those who retire in 2022 will receive the 2022 COLA in their January 2023 retirement benefit payment.

For those who retire after the January 2022 annual General Schedule pay adjustment takes effect, their high-three average salary used to compute their CSRS or FERS retirement benefit will reflect this new rate as one of the three years.

If an employee dies before retirement, the benefits available to his or her survivors come only in the form of lump-sum payments.

Federal retirees cannot receive Social Security spousal or widow’s benefits.

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

March 14, 2022 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes David Santana, Health Insurance Specialist from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Understand your Medicare coverage choices to maximize your benefits

Evaluate the cost of enrolling in Medicare and premium payments

Summarize the choices to make an informed Medicare enrollment decision

Social Security offices remain closed for in-person appointments—Find out the different ways to enroll in Medicare

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

March 7, 2022 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes WAEPA CEO M. Shane Canfield and Stacy Outlaw, WAEPA’s Senior Vice President of Marketing.

March is Women’s History Month.  During this program we will be discussing the coverage gap between men and women, the changing make-up of the Federal workforce, and the impact COVID continues to have on the life insurance industry.

Eliminating the coverage gap between men and women

COVID-19 and its impact on life insurance benefits

Listening to and aligning with the needs of the Federal workforce

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

February 28, 2022 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes Josh Huder, Ph.D., to discuss the 117th Congress. Josh is a Senior Fellow at The Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Federal employees about Congress and its operation.

How has the 117th Congress fared so far?

What should we expect in the coming months regarding agency funding?

How will the 2022 midterms affect Congress’s work?

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

February 14, 2022 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes David Melton, Public Affairs Specialist with Social Security Administration, to answer common questions about Social Security.

How can one get help from SSA?

When should you apply to start retirement benefits?

What documents will you need to provide?

Which factors may affect your retirement benefits?

What to remember to do after applying for retirement benefits?

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

February 7, 2022 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes Patti Hudson, Lifetime Health and Fitness Expert.

Aside from the physical symptoms, Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on our lives with long term effects on our mental and emotional well-being. We are struggling with striking that balance between what used to be a normal routine lifestyle and the new normal. This unpredictable stressor has ushered in states of depression and anxiety. The impact is felt across demographics. The loss of social connections is just one of the ancillary effects of Covid-19 especially for young adults and adolescents.

According to Dr. Robert Waldinger, leaning into relationships with friends and family helps us to strike a balance with work and family life. Dr. Waldinger’s study is conclusive: healthy relationships are necessary to achieve life satisfaction and maintain good health. Social support networks contribute to brain health and total well-being. Isolation has devastating effects on society. Combine that loss with the fear surrounding the pandemic and it is no wonder chaos ensues.

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]

January 31, 2022 on ForYourBenefit, host Bob Leins, CPA® welcomes Marc Levine, Esquire, to talk about how we deal with the two certainties in life: death and taxes, and in this case, death taxes. Among the topics we will discuss are:

2021 Proposed Tax Legislation – What didn’t happen.

Will I pay an Estate Tax? (It may depend on where you live)

Capital Gains, Gifting and the Step Up in Basis: Why it is often better to inherit a house than to get it as a gift?

For questions or comments, email us in advance at [email protected]