Federal Employee
Retirement Planning
FERS, TSP, FEHB, FEGLI, survivor benefits, and Social Security all interact — and the decisions you make in the years before retirement can define your financial life for decades. For over 30 years, Advance Financial Lighthouse has helped federal employees bring those pieces together into one plan.
A Federal Retirement Plan Is More Than a Date on the Calendar.
Many of these elections are made once, in a narrow window, and cannot be undone later.
As a financial advisor for federal employees, Kathy Williams understands that the government benefit package is one of the most comprehensive in America — and one of the most underused. Most general advisors don't work with FERS, the Thrift Savings Plan, FEHB, and FEGLI often enough to see how they fit together. Advance Financial Lighthouse builds your retirement around exactly that coordination, with values-based financial planning that turns your benefits into a retirement that reflects your service and your life.
Your FERS pension is based on your high-3 salary, years of creditable service, and retirement age. Small changes in your retirement date or final salary can produce meaningful differences in lifetime income. We work through the math so the date you choose reflects what you actually want.
Your TSP is often the largest asset in your retirement. Allocation, contribution strategy, and withdrawal sequencing each carry consequences that compound over time. Explore our dedicated approach to TSP planning for federal employees.
FEHB eligibility in retirement, how it coordinates with Medicare, FEGLI options, and survivor benefit elections shape what happens to your spouse and your healthcare for life. Most are difficult or impossible to reverse once filed. We coordinate these with your estate and legacy plan.
When you claim Social Security, how it interacts with your FERS pension, and how your combined income is taxed all affect what you keep. We help you time these decisions and plan for the tax efficiency of your retirement income.
When to Plan Each Decision
Align your TSP allocation and contributions with the retirement income you want, and start projecting your FERS pension.
Pressure-test your retirement date, review FEHB and Medicare coordination, and weigh survivor benefit options.
Finalize elections, set a withdrawal sequence, and confirm how Social Security timing fits the rest of your plan.
Already closer to your date? We also help federal employees make the strongest decisions with the time they have.
“You spent your career serving the public. The least we can do is make sure every benefit you earned is working as hard for you as you worked for it.”
Kathy Williams, RFC® · President, Advance Financial Lighthouse
What Federal Employees Ask Us About Retirement
When should I start federal retirement planning?
Five years before your planned retirement date is ideal, because many decisions depend on choices made in the years leading up to it. That said, we also help federal employees within months of retirement make the best decisions with the time they have.
How does FEHB work with Medicare once I retire?
Federal retirees who keep FEHB into retirement often coordinate it with Medicare, and how you pair the two can affect both your coverage and your premiums. The right approach generally depends on your health needs, your budget, and your other coverage. We help you weigh the options before you decide.
Do you coordinate my FERS pension, TSP, and Social Security together?
Yes. These pieces interact — pension timing, TSP withdrawals, and when you claim Social Security each affect the others and your taxes. Bringing them into one plan is one of the most common situations we work on with federal employees. You can read more about our TSP planning as part of that picture.
Do I need an advisor who specializes in federal benefits?
Federal benefits differ enough from civilian plans that most general advisors miss the details that matter most. Working with a dedicated financial advisor for federal employees who understands how FERS, TSP, FEHB, and FEGLI fit together is generally the difference between a plan that works and one that leaves benefits on the table. Learn more about our fiduciary standard.
Do you only work with federal employees in Oklahoma?
We are based in Oklahoma City but serve federal employees nationwide through virtual planning meetings.
You Devoted Your Career to Public Service.
Now Let Us Serve You.
Steady. Purposeful. Always in your corner.
Schedule a complimentary consultation with Kathy Williams, RFC®, and let us build a retirement strategy that brings every federal benefit you earned into one coordinated plan.