What you’ll learn
If you are new to federal service, this track explains the federal retirement system from the ground up: the three parts of FERS, how the Thrift Savings Plan works, and the contribution habits that compound into the largest part of your retirement. No prior knowledge assumed.
Lessons
12 lessons · 12 available- 01The three pillars of FERSHow your federal retirement income is built from three pillars: the FERS pension, the Thrift Savings Plan, and Social Security.20 min read
- 02The 5% match: free money you can leave behindWhy contributing less than 5% of your salary to the TSP forfeits part of the agency match.21 min read
- 03FERS vs. CSRS vs. a private 401(k)What makes federal retirement different from the older CSRS system and from a typical private-sector plan.29 min read
- 04How the TSP works: the G, F, C, S, I, and L fundsA plain-English tour of the Thrift Savings Plan investment options and what each fund holds.18 min read
- 05Traditional vs. Roth TSPHow the two TSP tax treatments differ and which one fits where you are in your career.16 min read
- 06Creditable service and buying back military timeWhat counts toward your years of service and how a military deposit can increase your pension.12 min read
- 07Pay, steps, and how today’s raises drive your future High-3How the GS step and grade system feeds the salary average your pension is built on.10 min read
- 08Beneficiary designations on TSP and FERSWho inherits what if something happens to you, and why these forms override your will.9 min read
- 09Your first 10 years: the compounding mathWhy contributions made early in your career do the heaviest lifting in your final TSP balance.9 min read
- 10When you vest, and what you keep if you leaveThe service milestones that decide whether you keep a future pension and the agency automatic contribution.8 min read
- 11Your first benefits enrollment as a new hireThe enrollment windows for health, life, and the TSP when you start, and which ones do not reopen for a year.8 min read
- 12Emergency fund or extra TSP: what comes firstHow to sequence cash savings against TSP contributions once you are already capturing the full match.8 min read
Common questions
- Who is the early career FERS track for?
This track is for federal employees in roughly their first ten years of service, and for anyone who wants the system explained from the ground up. It starts with how the three parts of FERS fit together: the pension, the Thrift Savings Plan, and Social Security. It then covers the choices that matter most early, such as capturing the full agency match and choosing between traditional and Roth contributions. Nothing here assumes you are close to retiring.
- What should a new federal employee read first?
Start with the three pillars of FERS, which shows how your retirement income is built. Then read the lesson on the 5% match, because contributing less than 5% of your pay to the TSP gives up part of the agency match. After those two, the lesson on your first benefits enrollment covers the sign-up windows for health, life insurance, and the TSP, and which ones do not reopen for a year.
- Where are the High-3 and retirement eligibility covered?
In the mid career track. This track introduces the High-3 in the lesson on pay, steps, and raises, which shows how today’s raises feed the salary average your pension uses. The full rules on what pay counts, how the three years are chosen, and when you become eligible to retire live in the mid career lessons on the High-3 and the Minimum Retirement Age. We keep each rule on one page so the answers never disagree.
Put this track to work
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