Q. I am retired and turn 70 this month. Even though I do not want to begin distribution of my Thrift Savings Plan investment, I understand that by law I must select a required minimum distribution program. My dependent spouse is 76 and also retired. I am healthy and, with my family genetics, could expect to live to age 100. I do not need the TSP to live on and want to maintain it in the TSP investment form for as long as possible. Under these circumstances, what is the best RMD to select: a life annuity or a TSP monthly payment? Should it be…
Browsing: life insurance
Q. I have been a CSRS retiree since Jan. 3, 2002. I turned 69 on July 14. What should I do with my Thrift Savings Plan funds at my age? What are my options? A. You may invest your TSP money in any of the available investment funds or use the money to buy a life annuity. The investing option allows you to retain control of the principal but bring with it the risk of loss. The annuity will guarantee income for life, but you’ll give up the principal. You’ll have to determine which is appropriate for your particular situation. There is…
Q. My husband is retiring from the Postal Service on Nov. 1. We have $850,000 in tax-free municipal funds (all AAA rated and paying over 5 percent), and another $200,000 in natural gas and oil limited partnerships and some preferred stocks in energy companies that I recently inherited. I would like to live on the interest from these investments, leaving the principal alone. My husband is 62 and we want to wait until he is 66 to receive his Social Security payments. (Waiting until 70 is out of the question as both parents were stricken with Alzheimer’s disease at an early age.…
Q. I am retiring in the near future and I want to take my Thrift Savings Plan balance which is approximately $175,000 to $180,000 and purchase an annuity from MetLife. My concern is if MetLife were to fold. I think my state (Massachusetts) will insure me up to $100,000 in that event. I believe that is per insurance company. So would it be wise to split that total ($175,000-$180,000) and purchase an annuity from two different companies, so as not to exceed the 100,000 limit? A. I’m not confirming your statements about the limits of protection in a particular state,…
Q. In Reg Jones’ column, he states, “Choosing to buy an insurance policy instead of a survivor annuity is seldom a good idea. Could you please expand on that thought? The financial planner I talked to, who also sells insurance, says if you are healthy, the insurance route will be cheaper to pay for and more lucrative in the end. If you plan on dying young, the survivor annuity is best. A. This is a complex decision, and you should proceed with care since it is irreversible once it’s made. The simple answer is “guarantees.” The federal survivor annuity is the…
Q. I know that you say (almost always) not to pay off the mortgage on retirement with Thrift Savings Plan funds. So when it is a good idea to do so? I’m CSRS Offset ending at GS-14, Step 8 with 32 years of service, $300,000 in TSP, $30,000 in cash on hand, will have no credit card or vehicle debt shortly as we are selling an investment property (taking the tax hit instead of identifying a new investment property because I really don’t want to be a landlord anymore), the usual monthly expenses, and will get the law enforcement/firefighter retirement benefit bump…
Q. I am 41 and a “gray area retiree from the Maryland Army National Guard. I am employed with the Postal Service (FERS) and have about 19 years of service (including five years active duty, which I already paid back). I also collect 30 percent disability from the Veterans Affairs Department. In planning my final retirement living, it seems if I retire at my minimum retirement age of 57, I should be immediately eligible for full annuities of the following, with no penalties or offsets: FERS basic annuity Social Security offset (until 62) TSP annuity (no IRS penalty) VA compensation…
Q. I will be retiring at the end of this year with 37 years and 10 months of service. I am a CSRS employee and will be 57 years old in September. My annual annuity would be $81,958. I will have a little over $200,000 in my Thrift Savings Plan account. Is it smartest to take the spousal annuity or take out a life insurance policy on myself to sustain my wife once I pass away? My annual annuity will be reduced by around $7,900 a year if I chose the spousal annuity. Which would be the wisest? A. This isn’t your choice…
Q. I am about to divorce my husband, who works for the Federal Aviation Administration. 1. Can I keep his health insurance as an individual? Does this cost anything to him? How much will it cost me? 2. How can I be eligible for his life insurance after divorce? 3. Which is more beneficial: Getting a survivor benefit or getting a higher pension? 4. When can he start taking money from his Thrift Savings Plan? A. You can’t withdraw money from his TSP account. Your divorce settlement will govern how the TSP is divided and distributed and you’ll likely wind…
Q. My husband is putting in papers to retire after 40 years in civil service. He wants me to sign a paper saying that I agree not to accept his retirement if he dies before me. He said it would be less costly to get a good life insurance policy. We are both 61 years old and in good health. I have asthma and take medication for cholesterol. I have 21 years with the public school system. I hope to retire in the next year or two. Is it a good idea for me to sign this paper? He doesn’t…