Q: I am 62 with 22 years of federal service. Recently, my agency offered a buyout. I was thinking about taking the buyout and retiring. Here is my reason for not doing so. I have been reading horror stories regarding OPM’s incompetency regarding our annuity checks. Some people have been waiting as long as a year. They cannot get any response from OPM. Since the third leg of my retirement TSP has lost so much money, I would have to drain it in order to survive. Should I stay or go? I also will have surgery in early 2012 and will be out of work around two months. Does anyone know what is happening at OPM? What are we supposed to do? Congress does not care. No one cares. Why is OPM getting away with treating new retirees in such a manner? Is there anything that can be done about this?
A: This is an incredibly important and complex decision. It would be irresponsible for me to give you an answer based on this tiny amount of information and foolish for you to rely on it. If you’re not up to the task, find someone competent and trustworthy to help you.
