2014/09/30 GubMints- Highlights from Year Two I recently received my annual Domain Name Bill, which reminds me that GubMints.com is now a petulant 2 Year Old! Year 2 was a change – A new job (private sector) has kept me quite busy. My Quality of Life has increased as my commute time has been reduced by ~10 hrs per week. The new gig has removed me from some ‘water cooler’ discussions regarding Fed Benefits that I was more engaged in during Year One, but I still keep an eye on things, as Federal Travel Regulations affect all of us, and I am a Deferred FERS Retiree who still keeps watch over TSP and FERS issues like a hawk (again, don’t ask me about CSRS- If you’re retired on CSRS you’ve won the equivalent of the lottery- You should be doing donuts in your Ferrari around the 18th green every day of the week, and twice on Sunday). So in retrospect, here’s some of my favorite posts from Year Two: DoD Immediate Retirement Pay – a Wolf in 72(t)’s Clothing DoD proposed an immediate retirement option that eerily resembles the 72(t) option to withdraw from an IRA. I think it’s a raw deal. Who Wants to be a TSP Millionaire? There are a handful of TSP Millionaires out there. Some made it by rolling-in a windfall from their Private Sector career, but some earned it the good-old-fashioned way. It’s good to hear stories about Federal Employee ‘Turtles’ who were able to win the Retirement Race. 6 Ways to make the Credit Card Company your Poodle This is how I roll with Credit Cards. If you pay your bills on time, the Banks who issue Credit Cards hate you with a passion and call you a ‘Deadbeat’ behind your back. Use my techniques to Stick It to your Megabank. PlanSmartChoice – A Flawed FEHB Open Season Analysis Tool PlanSmartChoice is a good place to start when looking at FEHB plans, but there is a darn good reason that over 40 percent of Feds use one of the ‘Blues’ for their Health Plan. ObamaCare – Veterans Should not Apply This is the third update to my first post regarding ObamaCare. The DoD finally issued some guidance in telling its active, retired, and reserve service members that TriCare meets the ‘Minimum Essential Coverage’ requirement, and that TriCare is an alternative to your state’s local ObamaCare exchange. Hope you’ve enjoyed the Second Act – Let me know what topics you’re interested in using the Comments or Contact section! SUPPORT GUBMINTS – Use This Link (free referral) when you Buy Stuff at Amazon. Subscribe to GubMints: via RSS: via Email: Related Federal Employee Benefits FEHB Open SeasonFERS RetirementObamacare