Who should attend?
We believe any federal government worker and spouse
no matter how far away or close to retirement can benefit
significantly.
Course Content and Philosophy:
The intent of this all-encompassing three-day course
is to provide the federal worker and spouse/significant
other with the necessary information and tools to prepare
adequately and allow the retirement years to truly
be “golden years”. Our presenters have
many years experience in discussing these topics with
federal workers from agencies in 34 states. Our first
seminar was conducted in 1980 and subsequent ones well
received since that time. Our philosophy is different
than that of most pre-retirement seminars. Our focus
is on “how to use” the systems to best
make your retirement work. We will focus on the “benefits” of
the system. We believe that retirement planning involves
two primary areas:
- “How do I get it (enough money)?” (the
area everyone focuses on) anD
- “How do I not lose it?” (This is the
financial risk area that many overlook. We don’t
want an ignored risk to snatch your retirement away
at the last minute)
The following will provide some insight on some
of the topics discussed. The listings are merely
a sample and not all-inclusive.
The Federal Retirement
Systems, Social Security, and Risk Management (Part
1)
Your legal matters
- How can I increase the guaranteed monthly pension
income by as much as 10 - 20%.
- Understand defined benefit vs. defined contributions
and how they apply to CSRS and FERS
- How are benefits computed, including shortcuts
- Types of retirement eligibility and their consequences
- When is the appropriate time to retire
- What are the costs
- What are the considerations for retirement eligibility
- What about COLA’s
- What about survivor benefits and choices
- What about CSRS offset and Transfers from CSRS
to FERS
- Is the Flexible Spending Account worthwhile
- The real story behind “pension enhancement
or maximization”
- Social Security eligibility and how it relates
to government work and the problems of WEP, GPO,
and Dual Entitlement
- Special Group Situations (FF,LE,ATC)
- And more
Risk Management (Part 1) “Who gets it
when you go”
- Problems associated with no legal planning
- Considerations even with legal planning
- Six steps in preparing to do wills and trusts
- What is contained in wills and trusts
- Mistakes made in legal planning – “Did
I do these?”
- Documents even more important than wills and trusts… are
they needed
- Do Estate and inheritance taxes affect you
- Taxations involved in gifts and transfers… the
two major pitfalls to avoid
- And more
Risk Management (Part 2) “Everything your
Insurance Agent never told you”
- The three types of auto vehicles being driven by
you that could create a retirement disaster
- Review of the critical parts of an auto insurance
policy
- Methods of “plugging” holes in your
homeowners insurance
- Best insurance purchase you could ever make. It
just may save your retirement.
- FEGLI – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
- How to end up with free life insurance at age 65
- And more
Long Term Care Planning
- Do you need to be concerned
- Cost involved
- Does Medicare play a role
- Do I have to be destitute to draw Medicaid
- Costly mistakes in Long Term Care planning for
you, your children and your parents
- Best alternatives for most folks
- How to structure benefits in a long-term care insurance
contract
- And more
Thrift Savings Plan
- The Ins and Outs – A thorough understanding
of the funds, the underlying indexes and what to
expect from each
- A historical perspective
- Possible models ranging from conservative to aggressive
- How much should I contribute – the changing
regulations
- What to consider in taking a TSP loan
- Withdrawal strategies and options
- And more
Investments & Strategies
- Understand the importance and role proper projections
and calculation of cash flow will play
- Why asset allocation is important
- Identifying what risk “really” is
- What does “being conservative” really
mean in terms of your retirement life
- TSP and IRA distribution planning
- How much of your retirement is taxable and does
it make a difference where you retire
- What about selling a home and moving
- Should I prepay principal on my mortgage or even
pay it off
- What about reverse mortgage strategies…when
do they make sense
- How much money do I really need… how do
I get it
- Why do most people underestimate their needs in
retirement
- What if both of us work for the government
- Tax considerations
- And more
Miscellaneous
- How losing a job could be a blessing in disguise
- Enhance the retirement income from CSRS and FERS
- Using Internet to enhance and simplify your retirement
years – web sites that are a must
- Organization memberships to consider
- And More
For more information, please visit our agendas for
the:
1-Day
Seminar | 2-Day
Seminars | 3-Day Seminars
