Posted on Thursday, 19th February 2026 by Dennis Damp

Federal retirement planning comes with its own rulebook. Between FERS calculations, TSP strategies, and benefit elections, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the complexity. But here’s the good news: with the right checklist and timeline, you can navigate this process confidently and avoid costly mistakes. This detailed checklist complements and expands on our abbreviated “Ultimate […]

Tags: 1 Year Before Retirement, 2026 Retirement Checklistd, 5 Year Plan, Daily Brief, Early Retirement, Federal Employees Timeline, FERS Retirement, Key Benefit Elections, Medicare, OPM's Processing Timeline, Social Security, Three Retirement Pillars
Posted in

• ANNUITIES / ELIGIBILITY
• BENEFITS / INSURANCE
• ESTATE PLANNING
• FINANCE / TIP
• General Information
• OPM UPDATES
• RETIREMENT CONCERNS
• SOCIAL SECURITY / MEDICARE
• SURVIVOR INFORMATION

Posted on Friday, 13th February 2026 by Dennis Damp

This service was launched in July of last year, and my article titled “Apply for Retirement on OPM’s Online Application Service” outlined how to sign up for and use this service.  I state in the article that, “Effective July 15, 2025, OPM will no longer accept paper retirement applications. Any paper submissions created on or […]

Tags: Daily Brief, Federal Retirement Processing, LES Statements, Military Time, Online Retirement Application, ORA, Retirment Processing Timeline
Posted in

• ANNUITIES / ELIGIBILITY
• BENEFITS / INSURANCE
• ESTATE PLANNING
• FINANCE / TIP
• General Information
• OPM UPDATES
• RETIREMENT CONCERNS
• SURVIVOR INFORMATION

Posted on Friday, 30th January 2026 by Dennis Damp

I grew up listening to Motown and saw Smokey Robinson and the Miracles at the South Park Fairgrounds in 1967. I keep hearing the Lyrics of Marvin Gaye’s hit song “What’s Going On” over and over in my head: Mother, mother There’s too many of you crying Brother, brother, brother There’s far too many of […]

Tags: 2025 Acomplishments. Daily Brief, 2025 Highlights, Drug Crisis, Marvin Gaye, Poverty, What's Going On, World Conflicts
Posted in

• General Information
• LIFESTYLE / TRAVEL
• OPM UPDATES
• RETIREMENT CONCERNS
• SOCIAL SECURITY / MEDICARE
• SURVIVOR INFORMATION

Posted on Friday, 23rd January 2026 by Dennis Damp

I often refer to OPM’s statistics for my retirement planning articles, and OPM’s new FWD website allows anyone to review these statistics in a pleasing graphical presentation that was not available under the legacy system. Actually, you will find a lot of interesting information readily available on this site. The new Federal Workforce Data (FWD) […]

Tags: Daily Brief, Employment Statistics, Federal Downsizing Statistics, Federal Workforce Data, FWD, Workforce Size
Posted in

• General Information
• OPM UPDATES