Your Turn with Mike Causey - Federal News Network | Hubbard Radio

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Your health plan in jeopardy Nov 29, 2017

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Is it time to change your health plan? Nov 29, 2017

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Most feds will stay in the same health plan theyve been in for years. Maybe even decades.
Walton Francis, editor of Consumers Checkbook Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees, says thats a mistake. Francis says all of the plans are good, but some may be wrong for you. Or too expensive for what they cover.
Francis will be the guest today at 10 a.m. ET on Your Turn. Hell be answering questions sent in by listeners over the last two weeks. If you have one, fire it off to host Mike Causey (before showtime) at: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com.
Listen at 10 a.m. ET on Federalnewsradio.com or at 1500 AM in the D.C. area. The show will also be archived on our home page so you can listen later.

Switching partners? How about switching health plans? Nov 22, 2017

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Every year Uncle Sam holds an open season, when federal workers, retirees and their survivors can update, enroll in or change their benefits package.

Open season with Walton Francis Nov 15, 2017

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The pros & cons of the blended retirement system Nov 08, 2017

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Estate planning: Where do you start? Oct 25, 2017

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Your federal retirement could last decades so it pays to plan ahead. As in having a plan.
Doing the right/smart thing now means a payoff for you, for your spouse/significant other and your children. And peace of mind. The way you get your financial ducks in a row can be a major gift emotionally as well as financially for those who may wind up taking care of you.
So do you have an estate plan? Does it include beneficiary designations and property ownership arrangements? Do you know the difference between a will and a trust? And which is best for you?
Tom O'Rourke is a Washington area attorney who specializes in estate planning. Many of his clients are active and retired federal workers. He says that many feds are worth a lot more than they think.

Are changes coming to your retirement plan? Oct 18, 2017

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Are there people in your office who love their jobs and dread retirement but who are putting in their papers effective at the end of this month? Why are so many federal workers suddenly very nervous in the civil service?
Some, maybe many, feds are convinced that Congress is going to make big-time, devastating-to-feds, changes in the retirement plan. There are a half dozen plans that if approved by the House and Senate would deal a major body blow to some or all of the retirement program.

Tips for protecting your retirement nest egg Oct 11, 2017

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Are you excited, dazzled and worried sometimes at the same time by the stock market boom? Are you concerned about what many experts say is a long-overdue market correction? Do you still have the occasional nightmare about the Great Recession? If so, welcome to the club.
Obviously, nobody knows when, if and for how long, any correction might be. But we asked financial planner Arthur Stein for his take.

Buyouts: What, if anything is likely to happen? Oct 04, 2017

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Are you one of hundreds of thousands of federal workers who could retire tomorrow if you wanted to?
What if Uncle Sam made you a once-in-a-lifetime cash offer you couldnt refuse. And what if that payment, now $25,000, was bumped up by $15,000?
Does the possibility of a $40,000 buyout however remote tempt you to hang on to see what happens?
The good news is that the Senate may (as in MAY, MAYBE, MIGHT) consider and pass legislation that would raise the maximum for all government buyouts to $40,000. Currently, only Defense can offer feds that much money to take regular or early retirement. Other agencies are limited to $25,000 which, after all those deductions, doesn't have the buying power it did in the 1990s.

Is there a buyout in your future? Sep 27, 2017

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Although buyouts are out there, the odds that you personally will get a $25,000 to $40,000 payment to leave are slim and none. You can wait, and hope, and maybe, just maybe get lucky. But the deck is stacked against you.