Confident Federal Retirement

Hosted by Tom Poltersdorf Jr.

Business

Website RSS feed

Episodes

170

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

About the show

Confident Federal Retirement is the retirement podcast for federal employees who want to retire from federal service without guessing. If you're within about 5–10 years of retirement and worried about picking the wrong date, misunderstanding your pension, or messing up TSP and Social Security, this show is for you. In each short, focused episode, I break down FERS, CSRS, TSP, Social Security, FEHB, FEGLI, and retirement taxes into clear decisions you can actually act on, without jargon or spreadsheets. You'll hear real‑world scenarios, simple checklists, and straight answers to questions like: "When can I retire?", "Will my pension and TSP be enough?", and "How do I avoid ugly tax surprises?" I'm a fee‑only fiduciary financial planner who specializes in federal retirement planning, and my goal is to help you go from confused and uncertain to clear and confident about your next chapter. When you're ready for one‑on‑one help, visit gtwealthguide.com to request a personalized federal retirement plan and talk through your options.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 16, 202613 min

Hidden Tax Problems For High-Income Federal Couples With Big Pre-Tax Balances |Ep 171

If you and your spouse are both high-income federal employees under FERS, earning strong salaries and maxing the traditional TSP, the biggest risk you face is often not saving too little. It is how and when all of that pre-tax money comes out, and what that does to your taxes, Medicare costs, and surviving spouse. In this episode, you will learn Why large traditional TSP and IRA balances can turn into very large required withdrawals later on How many high-income federal couples miss their early retirement tax window without realizing it What the widow's penalty is, and how a surviving spouse can pay higher tax on lower income How Medicare IRMAA can increase your Part B and Part D premiums years after a big withdrawal or Roth conversion Why a clear withdrawal order and paycheck design is a form of advanced retirement income planning, not just "where do we pull from this year" --------------- When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing. --------------- Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness --------------- Federal Retirement YouTube Videos - youtube.com/@TomPoltersdorf

June 11, 202616 min

How Federal Employees Can Avoid The Widow Tax Trap In Retirement |Ep 170

Many married federal employees focus on whether they have enough to retire, but not on what happens to the surviving spouse's taxes when one of them passes away. The hard truth is that a widow or widower can end up paying more in taxes and Medicare costs on less income, because the tax brackets, deductions, and Medicare IRMAA thresholds all tighten for single filers. In this episode of Confident Federal Retirement, Tom breaks down the widow tax trap in plain English and shows how it plays out for federal retirees with FERS pensions, TSP balances, and Social Security. In this episode, you will learn: What actually changes in the tax code when a married couple becomes a single filer. A simple case study of a retired federal couple, before and after one spouse passes away. Why pensions, Social Security, and TSP required minimum distributions can push a surviving spouse into higher brackets. How Roth conversions and other planning moves can help manage future surviving spouse taxes. A practical checklist to start this conversation now, while you are both alive. --------------- When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing. --------------- Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness --------------- YouTube Link - youtube.com/@TomPoltersdorf

June 9, 202615 min

Military Service Buyback For FERS Federal Employees, Is It Really Worth It? |Ep 169

Many federal employees with prior military service have heard about "buying back" their time, but are not sure if it's worth writing a big check just a few years before retirement. The rules are confusing, the stakes feel high, and most people only get one shot at this decision. If you're a FERS federal employee in your 50s or early 60s, with active duty, reserve time on orders, or academy service in your past, this episode will help you think through the decision without guessing. In this episode, you will learn What a military service buyback really is under FERS, in plain English How military time can affect both your retirement eligibility and your pension amount Why the service date on your paystub can be misleading for retirement planning Three simple examples of active duty, reserve, and academy service, with real break even math A step by step overview of how to request your deposit estimate and start the process --------------- When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing. --------------- Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness

June 4, 202615 min

How Federal RMDs Stack With Your Pension And Social Security In Retirement |Ep 168

If you're a married federal employee in your 50s or early 60s with most of your savings in the traditional Thrift Savings Plan, you might be wondering how required minimum distributions will affect your taxes and retirement paycheck. Many federal employees have never seen their FERS pension, Social Security, and future RMDs all on one page, which can lead to nasty surprises in their 70s. In this episode of Confident Federal Retirement, you will learn What required minimum distributions are How RMDs stack on top of your FERS pension and Social Security in your 70s A real-world style case study of a federal couple whose income jumped more than they expected How RMDs can push you into higher tax brackets and trigger Medicare IRMAA surcharges Five simple steps to map your own "income stack" and spot your gap years When it might make sense to explore Roth conversions or shifting your savings mix --------------- When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing. --------------- Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness

June 2, 202614 min

7 Things To Check Before You Retire From Federal Service |Ep 167

If you're a federal employee in your late 50s or early 60s, you've probably had this thought. We have a FERS pension coming, a six‑figure TSP, maybe some IRAs. And we still aren't sure we can actually afford to retire. That feeling is more common than you'd think, and it usually doesn't mean you're behind. It usually means nobody has helped you put all the pieces together yet. In this episode of Confident Federal Retirement, host Tom Poltersdorf, CFP®, walks soon‑to‑retire federal employees through seven key things to check before you hand in your retirement paperwork. We cover why your TSP balance is the wrong scoreboard, how to think about the FERS pension and Social Security as two paychecks for life, the real tradeoff hiding inside the age 62 decision, how to define your true retirement number, and how to protect each other with FEHB, FEGLI, survivor benefits, and a tax plan that accounts for RMDs and Roth conversions. --------------- When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing. --------------- Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness

May 28, 202612 min

Why Your Will Doesn't Control Your TSP or IRA When You Die |Ep 166

Most federal employees assume their will is the document that decides where their money goes when they're gone. For your TSP, your IRAs, and your life insurance, that's usually not true. Those accounts pay out based on a beneficiary form on file, and in most cases that form beats whatever your will says. If an old name is sitting on one of those accounts right now, the people you love could be the ones who pay for it. In this episode of Confident Federal Retirement, fee-only fiduciary financial planner Tom Poltersdorf, CFP®, breaks down how your TSP, FEGLI life insurance, and IRAs actually pay out after you die, why federal employees have several separate beneficiary designations instead of one, and what happens when no valid beneficiary is on file. You'll hear the mix-ups he sees most often, including ex-spouses left on old policies, blended-family gaps, and trusts that never got connected to the accounts they were built to hold. --------------- When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing. --------------- Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness

May 26, 202612 min

A FERS Couple Saving $2,000 A Month. Where Should It Go? |Ep 165

You are a great saver. The mortgage might be gone, the kids are grown, and every month there is money left over piling up in your checking and savings account. But you keep wondering, am I being smart with this, or am I just sitting on cash? If you are a federal employee in your 50s or early 60s, this episode walks you through that exact question. Today, Tom Poltersdorf, CFP®, a fee-only fiduciary financial planner, shares how one FERS couple saving $2,000 a month finally figured out where their extra money should go. You will learn a simple framework for giving every dollar a job, why a large cash position can actually be smart this close to retirement, and how the main account types compare in plain English. We cover money market and high-yield savings, your TSP, traditional and Roth options, and a regular brokerage account, and how they fit together with your FERS pension, Social Security, and taxes. --------------- When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing. --------------- Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness

May 21, 20268 min

Why FEHB Costs More In Retirement (Even With The Same Premium) | Ep 164

If you're a federal employee getting close to retirement, you probably know your FEHB health insurance can follow into retirement. What most feds don't realize is that the premium while you were working can end up costing you more once you're living on your pension. In this episode of Confident Federal Retirement, Tom Poltersdorf, CFP®, breaks down exactly why that happens. The reason comes down to a program called premium conversion. While you're working, your FEHB premiums are paid with pre-tax dollars. In retirement, those same premiums come out of your annuity with after-tax dollars. The coverage is the same and the government still pays its share, but the tax treatment changes, and that can shift your real monthly cash flow more than you'd expect. Tom walks through a simple example and shows you how to build this into your retirement income and tax plan before you retire, so it's never a surprise. --------------- When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing. --------------- Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness

May 19, 202614 min

How One Federal Couple Turned RMD Fear Into A Game Plan |Ep 163

If you're a federal employee in your late 50s or early 60s, sitting on a healthy TSP and a strong FERS pension, this episode is going to feel familiar. In this case study, Tom walks through an anonymized story of two long-career federal employees with about $1 million each in their TSP, paid-off mortgage, no debt, and a real plan to travel $50,000 a year in retirement. They've done a lot of things right. And the first time they saw a projection of their future Required Minimum Distributions, the wife looked at Tom and said, "you've traumatized us with your RMD graphs." You'll hear what that graph actually showed, why RMDs stack so hard on federal couples with two pensions and two Social Security checks coming, and the planning window most federal employees never realize they have. That window is what Tom calls the gap years, the years between when you retire and when RMDs start. Inside that window are real levers, including Roth contributions, modest planned Roth conversions, withdrawal order strategy, and Social Security timing. None of these are magic. Used together, they can smooth a scary income line into something much calmer. --------------------- When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing. Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness

May 14, 202616 min

Retire At 60 Or Push To 62? A Real FERS Couple's Story |Ep 162

If you're a federal employee, you've probably wondered whether to retire as soon as you qualify or push to age 62 for a bigger FERS pension. In this episode, Tom walks you through a real federal couple wrestling with that exact question. The husband, in his early 60s, wasn't sure he'd "make it to 62" given his parents' declining health. His wife, in her late 50s, was burnt out from constant reorgs but didn't want to leave the 62 bonuses on the table. Tom unpacks: The actual math of retiring at 60 versus 62 under FERS, including how the pension multiplier moves from 1% to 1.1% at age 62 with 20 or more years of service How the Special Retirement Supplement works for immediate, unreduced retirements And how to think about TSP, Social Security, and travel spending together. ---------------------------- If this sounds like your situation, the first step is to visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing. --------------- If you're not ready for a call, get your free copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness