Haws Federal Advisors Podcast

Federal employee within 12 months of retirement, or already retired, with $1 million+ invested? Book a free 15-minute Fit Call: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/whatservicemakessense

Is covering two people costing you more than covering a whole family? In 39 of 118 FEHB plan options for 2027, Self Plus One costs more than Self and Family. Here's the list, why it happens, and what to check before Open Season.

Educational only, not tax, investment, or legal advice. Haws Federal Advisors | HawsFederalAdvisors.com

👇 Free Copy of My Book: Building Wealth In the TSP: Your Road Map To Financial Freedom as A Federal Employee: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/free-tsp-e-book

Download a copy of our Free Federal Retirement Roadmap: http://bit.ly/4vlqoGY

Join our NEW LinkedIn or Facebook groups to answer/ask any federal questions: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13175084/

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Gq3H4Vm5F/ 

Federal employee within 12 months of retirement, or already retired, with $1 million+ invested? Book a free 15-minute Fit Call: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/whatservicemakessense

Where you live in retirement can be worth thousands of dollars a year. Some states don't touch your FERS pension, and others tax every dollar. Here's how the states break down, and why the income tax alone doesn't tell the whole story.

Educational only, not tax, investment, or legal advice. Haws Federal Advisors | HawsFederalAdvisors.com

👇 Free Copy of My Book: Building Wealth In the TSP: Your Road Map To Financial Freedom as A Federal Employee: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/free-tsp-e-book

Download a copy of our Free Federal Retirement Roadmap: http://bit.ly/4vlqoGY

Join our NEW LinkedIn or Facebook groups to answer/ask any federal questions: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13175084/

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Gq3H4Vm5F/ 

Federal employee within 12 months of retirement, or already retired, with $1 million+ invested? Book a free 15-minute Fit Call: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/whatservicemakessense

You retire, your paycheck stops, and your full pension can take months. Here's how long OPM is actually taking right now, and how to avoid going broke while you wait.

Educational only, not tax, investment, or legal advice. Haws Federal Advisors | HawsFederalAdvisors.com

👇 Free Copy of My Book: Building Wealth In the TSP: Your Road Map To Financial Freedom as A Federal Employee: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/free-tsp-e-book

Download a copy of our Free Federal Retirement Roadmap: http://bit.ly/4vlqoGY

Join our NEW LinkedIn or Facebook groups to answer/ask any federal questions: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13175084/

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Gq3H4Vm5F/ 

Federal employee within 12 months of retirement, or already retired, with $1 million+ invested? Book a free 15-minute Fit Call: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/whatservicemakessense

There's a new federal tax deduction for overtime pay, but a lot of feds who work overtime won't qualify. Here's who does, and how to check before tax season.

Educational only, not tax, investment, or legal advice. Haws Federal Advisors | HawsFederalAdvisors.com

👇 Free Copy of My Book: Building Wealth In the TSP: Your Road Map To Financial Freedom as A Federal Employee: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/free-tsp-e-book

Download a copy of our Free Federal Retirement Roadmap: http://bit.ly/4vlqoGY

Join our NEW LinkedIn or Facebook groups to answer/ask any federal questions: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13175084/

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Gq3H4Vm5F/ 

Federal employee within 12 months of retirement, or already retired, with $1 million+ invested? Book a free 15-minute Fit Call: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/whatservicemakessense

Federal Benefits Open Season starts in less than three weeks. Here are the dates that matter, and the one mistake that lets OPM pick your plan for you.

Quick facts: Open Season runs Nov 9 – Dec 14, 2026, for FEHB, PSHB, FEDVIP and FSAFEDS. New coverage starts Jan 10, 2027 for most employees, and Jan 1, 2027 for annuitants and PSHB enrollees. The average FEHB enrollee premium is up 10.9% for 2027 (PSHB up 8.2%). Nine FEHB plan options won't be offered in 2027. If yours is one of them and you do nothing, you'll be moved to Compass Rose Standard. FSAFEDS doesn't carry over, so you must re-enroll every year. Find your enrollment code on your paystub or annuity statement now, and compare plans once OPM's comparison tool updates.

Educational only, not tax, investment, or legal advice. Haws Federal Advisors | HawsFederalAdvisors.com

👇 Free Copy of My Book: Building Wealth In the TSP: Your Road Map To Financial Freedom as A Federal Employee: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/free-tsp-e-book

Download a copy of our Free Federal Retirement Roadmap: http://bit.ly/4vlqoGY

Join our NEW LinkedIn or Facebook groups to answer/ask any federal questions: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13175084/

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Gq3H4Vm5F/ 

Federal employee within 12 months of retirement, or already retired, with $1 million+ invested? Book a free 15-minute Fit Call: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/whatservicemakessense

Retiring at the end of 2026? The clock is already running. Here's exactly what has to happen, and when, so your first check isn't delayed.

Quick facts: Confirm your retirement date with HR first. End-of-year is the busiest retirement season in government. 10–12 weeks out: request an annuity estimate, pull your SF-50s and check your service computation date, and finish any military deposit or civilian redeposit before you separate. 8–10 weeks out: complete your SF 3107 retirement application with Schedules A, B and C, plus your survivor election (spouse consent is needed for less than a full survivor benefit). Ask HR how your agency uses OPM's Online Retirement Application. 6–8 weeks out: confirm you meet the 5-year rule for FEHB and FEGLI, decide on FEGLI reductions, and update your TSP (TSP-3) and FERS (SF 3102) beneficiaries. TSP withdrawals are separate from OPM, so you can wait on those. 2–4 weeks out: plan for 3–6 months of expenses while you're on interim pay, know your annual leave payout, and set up direct deposit and tax withholding. After your last day: your agency sends your package to OPM, interim pay starts, and your final annuity can take months. Keep copies of everything.

Educational only, not tax, investment, or legal advice. Haws Federal Advisors | HawsFederalAdvisors.com

👇 Free Copy of My Book: Building Wealth In the TSP: Your Road Map To Financial Freedom as A Federal Employee: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/free-tsp-e-book

Download a copy of our Free Federal Retirement Roadmap: http://bit.ly/4vlqoGY

Join our NEW LinkedIn or Facebook groups to answer/ask any federal questions: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13175084/

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Gq3H4Vm5F/ 

Federal employee within 12 months of retirement, or already retired, with $1 million+ invested? Book a free 15-minute Fit Call: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/whatservicemakessense

The COLA is only one of nine numbers changing for federal retirees in 2027. Here are all nine in one place, so you can get your 2027 numbers right before January.

Educational only, not tax, investment, or legal advice. Haws Federal Advisors | HawsFederalAdvisors.com

👇 Free Copy of My Book: Building Wealth In the TSP: Your Road Map To Financial Freedom as A Federal Employee: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/free-tsp-e-book

Download a copy of our Free Federal Retirement Roadmap: http://bit.ly/4vlqoGY

Join our NEW LinkedIn or Facebook groups to answer/ask any federal questions: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13175084/

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Gq3H4Vm5F/ 

Federal employee within 12 months of retirement, or already retired, with $1 million+ invested? Book a free 15-minute Fit Call: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/whatservicemakessense

A married couple over 65 can have about $148,000 of income and still be in the 12% tax bracket. Yet most feds pay far more tax on their TSP than they need to. Here's how to plan your withdrawals by tax bracket, not just by what you need.

Educational only, not tax, investment, or legal advice. Haws Federal Advisors | HawsFederalAdvisors.com

👇 Free Copy of My Book: Building Wealth In the TSP: Your Road Map To Financial Freedom as A Federal Employee: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/free-tsp-e-book

Download a copy of our Free Federal Retirement Roadmap: http://bit.ly/4vlqoGY

Join our NEW LinkedIn or Facebook groups to answer/ask any federal questions: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13175084/ 

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Gq3H4Vm5F/ 

Federal employee within 12 months of retirement, or already retired, with $1 million+ invested? Book a free 15-minute Fit Call: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/whatservicemakessense

The 2027 COLA is in. FERS retirees got 2.6%, but the average FEHB premium is going up 10.9%. Here's how much of that raise you actually keep, and why some retirees will see a smaller check in January.

Quick facts: The 2027 COLA is 3.6% for CSRS and Social Security, and 2.6% for FERS retirees 62 and older (when inflation is over 3%, FERS gets CPI minus 1%). Regular FERS retirees under 62 get no COLA. The average FEHB enrollee premium is up 10.9% for 2027 (8.2% for PSHB), but your plan's change can be much higher or lower. Illustrative example: a $2,000/month FERS annuity gets +$52/month from the COLA. If your FEHB share is $300/month, a 10.9% increase adds $32.70/month, leaving a net gain of about $19/month. Under 62 on FERS? There's no COLA to offset the premium increase. Look up your plan's 2027 premium and compare plans during Open Season, Nov 9 – Dec 14, 2026.

Educational only, not tax, investment, or legal advice. Haws Federal Advisors | HawsFederalAdvisors.com

👇 Free Copy of My Book: Building Wealth In the TSP: Your Road Map To Financial Freedom as A Federal Employee: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/free-tsp-e-book

Download a copy of our Free Federal Retirement Roadmap: http://bit.ly/4vlqoGY

Join our NEW LinkedIn or Facebook groups to answer/ask any federal questions: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13175084/

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Gq3H4Vm5F/ 

Federal employee within 12 months of retirement, or already retired, with $1 million+ invested? Book a free 15-minute Fit Call: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/whatservicemakessense

How do you turn your TSP into a monthly paycheck? TSP installments let you set your own retirement paycheck and change it any time. But two defaults catch a lot of people: every withdrawal sells every fund, and shorter schedules get 20% withheld for taxes.

Educational only, not tax, investment, or legal advice. Haws Federal Advisors | HawsFederalAdvisors.com

👇 Free Copy of My Book: Building Wealth In the TSP: Your Road Map To Financial Freedom as A Federal Employee: https://app.hawsfederaladvisors.com/free-tsp-e-book

Download a copy of our Free Federal Retirement Roadmap: http://bit.ly/4vlqoGY

Join our NEW LinkedIn or Facebook groups to answer/ask any federal questions: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13175084/ https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Gq3H4Vm5F/