Mike Causey

Find Your Hidden Estate: It’s There!

Whether you are a GS 7, postal clerk or member of the SES (active or retired) you\'ve got an estate. So do you know what (and where ) it is and what you are wor...

Federal News Network Staff

April 27, 2011 4:00 am

4 min read

After decades of being political punching bags, now more than ever, some feds say they feel tapped out, unwanted and unappreciated. Also without much value. Some say they regret passing up or leaving jobs in the private sector.

But the good news is that most federal workers and retirees are worth a lot more than they think.

The downside is you could be dead to realize your full financial potential.

Having a steady job in times like this is a plus. Pay freezes are unpleasant but pay cuts and layoffs (common in the private sector) are worse.

Having an employer-sponsored annuity (backed by the outfit that prints money) for life is good. Having a pension indexed to inflation is even better. And the ability to pass on that annuity (in the form of a survivor benefit) with health insurance for life is a definite plus.

So bingo, whether you are a brand new fed, are at mid-career or are retired, you have an estate. Your annuity, your house, your TSP (401k plan).

So do you have (or need) a will? If so what kind? How about a living will and what is that? Do you need a trust (not truss) and again, if so, what kind? How about a medical directive or power-of-attorney. Long term care insurance (we are currently in the open season) could make a lot of difference to you and your family members.

Whose got all the answers? You do, if you will listen to today’s Your Turn with Mike Causey radio show at 10 a.m. EDT today. You can catch us anywhere on the internet at www.federalnewsradio.com . Or if you are in the car or near a radio in the DC area we are also on 1500 AM. And we’ve got two great guests today:

Estate planner and attorneyTom O’Rourke will explain what an estate is, and give you tips on how to make the most of what you’ve got, while you are alive and otherwise. Early in his career O’Rouke was also a fed (with the Internal Revenue Service) so he knows what you have and need. Even if you might not. You can e-mail him questions through me at mcausey@federalnewsradio.com. Or you can call us live at 202.465.3080.

Also on Your Turn, Steve Losey will bring us up to date on what’s happening around government, and the status of various nightmarish (to feds) congressional plans to trim the workforce. He a writer at the Federal Times and covers every aspect of the government as an employer. Your employer. He’ll talk about congressional plans to trim retirement benefits and, maybe, extend the 2 year pay freeze for another couple of years. Plus whatever else is in the works.

You may not like all the information, but you need to have it whether you are still working or are long retired.

So listen if you can, call in, or email us, if you like. The show will be archived on our Your Turn page.

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com

Nearly Useless Factoid
by Suzanne Kubota

From MentalFloss’s “10 Facts About the Golden Age of Looney Tunes” we learn “In the beginning, Tweety was pink. He was also named Orson.”

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