Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
Moderator: Aitrus
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
Really, just sit back and accept it. It's like dumbing down America. Everyone should be working to make things better. Lets start raising the standard for everyone. Middle class America wake up, we are what this country was built on and should be compensated accordingly.
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
ArrieS wrote:
"In total, federal employees with a high school diploma or less earn on average 53 percent more than their counterparts in the private sector, while federal workers with a bachelor’s degree received 21 percent more in compensation."
I wonder how many of those High school diploma or bachelor's only are veterans. I would hazard a guess most of those with only a high school diploma are veterans. Also, a large part of the bachelor's only are also veterans. So any attack on benefits is really an attack on veterans.
I know as a veteran the time I EARNED serving was earned at a rate of of 2.5% towards a pension. I didn't serve long enough to get one and I had to BUY IT BACK for 1.1%. So I already earned it at a higher rate of 2.5% only to have to pay for it again at a lower rate. I also get nothing towards the TSP which is suppose to be part of the three legged retirement system of FERS for that same time.
So really, I had to pay for something I already earned and am also missing a leg of a of the three legged retirement stool.
Wow, that is a new one for me; never heard anybody complaining about being able to buy back military time before. To each his own I guess.
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
nodak wrote:
Wow, that is a new one for me; never heard anybody complaining about being able to buy back military time before. To each his own I guess.
You're right. Thanks for the reality check. I should be thankful, I only served 9 and a half years, with 5 and a half years of it in a warzone.
Making me buy it back isn't as if the Government is telling me it valued my time any less as an Infantryman than I do now not risking my life as a Federal Employee.
No, wait it does.
OCTOBER: This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks in. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February. - Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
Thank you for your service. Although it was a smart investment to increase your future retirement by 9%, no one forced you buy your military time. I guess all that tax free money, hazard pay, GI Bill, free medical, training and military preference that helped get you your civilian job wasn't enough of a benefit for you?
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
evilanne wrote:Thank you for your service. Although it was a smart investment to increase your future retirement by 9%, no one forced you buy your military time. I guess all that tax free money, hazard pay, GI Bill, free medical, training and military preference that helped get you your civilian job wasn't enough of a benefit for you?
"no one forced you buy your military time."
Didn't they? In my view, they took it away. I earned it. It was mine by law under a military retirement with the Federal Government. If someone changed agencies, went from DHS to DOD, do you think it would be fair for them to have to buy back all their time again? I was forced to buy back what I already had, in order to get my rights restored I had to purchase it. I was forced to buy something I already had a right to with the Federal Government.
Oh, when I joined, in order to qualify for medicaid you had to be 135% of the poverty level. Or, $1,407 a month. So, I qualified for Medicaid, so I would have qualified for free health insurance anyways, as I outline below based on earnings.
"tax free money, hazard pay,"
That I had to get shot at to earn? It is only a benefit when you are in a designated war zone. It wasn't a continues benefit for my whole time in. So I had to move in and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat in order to earn my pay tax-free. Then when I was redeployed to the States I was fully taxed again.
"GI Bill, free medical, training"
GI BIll, huh? The GI Bill in 2009, not the post 9/11 GI bill but the original one was valued at $1,368.00 a month for 36 months. So a cash value of $49,248. Annualized to earn that for 9 years of service, is $5,184.00 of benefits a year, earned.
So basically it's tuition reimbursement. The same benefit GS employees get.
When I join, I only made $887.70 a month. Or, $10,652.40 a year. I Earned that by being paid less than minimum wage.
Free medical, no, it's not free medical. It's workers medical insurance. You think I had free medical because I didn't have to pay if I got hurt on the job? I hate to tell you this, but the vast majority of workers in the United States have free medical if they get hurt on the job, by law. You think a steel worker that breaks his leg at work isn't covered by his works insurance? What the military has that you seem to be mistaking as health insurance is really workers insurance, only the Government isn't purchasing it.
"training"
You mean so I could do my job? You're going to say my training in order do even be able to do my job is somehow a benefit? It's a requirement, not a plus.
"military preference that helped get you your civilian"
Actually no, I didn't get hired with Military preference, I applied and was hired under a New College Graduate program.
OCTOBER: This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks in. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February. - Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
All I know is before I retired from the Military, I was always told that your time counted if you joined the Federal workforce, then after I do, I am told that if you "Retired", your time does not count. They figure that since your collecting a retirement already that's enough of a bonus, so you can't count that time towards your federal time for vacation. i worked for my retirement, but last time I checked, I was still working for the Federal Government, so that time should be counted. I can understand why having to buy back time pisses people off. Federal time is Federal time...it should count. When I brought that up after being signed up, I was told "That's something you have to get approved before your hired"! Good luck with that.
- Scarfinger
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Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
I bought back my 4 years service which cost me around 1500 dollars. They said its because I paid less tax in the military. Whatever... But if I did my calculations right, I think it comes out as a $700 net positive per year gain for me in retirement.
I am just an average Joe. I have no clue to what the market will do.
Paul Merriman 2 fund strat: (age - 25) x2.5 = TDF + balance into S fund or variation ofTimboSlice wrote: "People really need to stop overthinking this."
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
I retired from active duty after 20 years of service in the Air Force. I was given the option to buy back my time but I would lose my Military retirement...in the end, it really wasn't worth the buy back, as it would only add about $800 bucks a month to my federal pension. I did however, get my deployed time brought in so that I didn't have to wait the 3 years to get more annual leave. I currently get 6hrs annual instead of 4hrs...it adds up quick though.
Cheers!
Current Strat: Loosely following 152300 and 85660 more the former rather than the later
Current PIP: 24.04
Current Strat: Loosely following 152300 and 85660 more the former rather than the later
Current PIP: 24.04
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
evilanne wrote:Thank you for your service. Although it was a smart investment to increase your future retirement by 9%, no one forced you buy your military time. I guess all that tax free money, hazard pay, GI Bill, free medical, training and military preference that helped get you your civilian job wasn't enough of a benefit for you?
This is typical military-civilian divide mindset. I don't like to argue on forums like this, but as a veteran nothing offends me more when someone calls my benefits "free" or says I only got to where I am because of veterans preference.
I would hardly call it medical treatment when a doctor gave me allergy meds and sent me back to the field with double pneumonia. I almost died, not in combat, but because of shoddy medical treatment. My military training was useless in the civilian world. In fact, my service was such a hindrance on my resume, I took it off because of bias by employers against vets. I didn't apply for my fed job using veterans preference. I got it because of my education that I paid for without tuition assistance or the GI Bill.
Please educate yourself. Low information comments like this are on par with non-fed employees complaining about overpaid fed employees.
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
There's always an 'it could be worse' story... Before 2000, you had to surrender your military retirement in total to enter federal service. All of it. This sent a strong message that military retirees were not welcomed in federal service. Someone figured out that the federal government was losing-out on some valuable experience and changed the rules.
I hope we NEVER return to those days. I think the federal government is stronger when it encourages the best qualified individuals to enjoin. IMHO, the incentives don't need to be so lavish that it creates a 'lifestyle' and they should not be so restrictive that it takes away from earned benefits. The ability to serve as a federal employee after military service is an honor that should have some incentives...
I hope we NEVER return to those days. I think the federal government is stronger when it encourages the best qualified individuals to enjoin. IMHO, the incentives don't need to be so lavish that it creates a 'lifestyle' and they should not be so restrictive that it takes away from earned benefits. The ability to serve as a federal employee after military service is an honor that should have some incentives...
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
Carmen909 wrote:evilanne wrote:Thank you for your service. Although it was a smart investment to increase your future retirement by 9%, no one forced you buy your military time. I guess all that tax free money, hazard pay, GI Bill, free medical, training and military preference that helped get you your civilian job wasn't enough of a benefit for you?
This is typical military-civilian divide mindset. I don't like to argue on forums like this, but as a veteran nothing offends me more when someone calls my benefits "free" or says I only got to where I am because of veterans preference.
I would hardly call it medical treatment when a doctor gave me allergy meds and sent me back to the field with double pneumonia. I almost died, not in combat, but because of shoddy medical treatment. My military training was useless in the civilian world. In fact, my service was such a hindrance on my resume, I took it off because of bias by employers against vets. I didn't apply for my fed job using veterans preference. I got it because of my education that I paid for without tuition assistance or the GI Bill.
Please educate yourself. Low information comments like this are on par with non-fed employees complaining about overpaid fed employees.
Very well said.
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
evilanne wrote:Thank you for your service. Although it was a smart investment to increase your future retirement by 9%, no one forced you buy your military time. I guess all that tax free money, hazard pay, GI Bill, free medical, training and military preference that helped get you your civilian job wasn't enough of a benefit for you?
Thank you for your service? Really? No one is forced to buy back their military time? How else does a veteran get that time back then? Please enlighten us.
And how do you come to the conclusion that all those benefits are free? I can tell you unequivocally that every one of them is EARNED! As is the veteran’s preference. Which by the way is not a magic wand. A veteran still has to be qualified for the position.
“Wasn’t enough of a benefit for you?” Veterans will tell you it’s more than enough. Because that’s the caliber of the people they are. But in reality it’s not nearly enough for a service-member who volunteered to stand on freedom’s frontier and defend our nation.
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
To all the military and veterans out there, my brother included, we support you.
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
Carmen909 wrote:This is typical military-civilian divide mindset.
Low information comments like this are on par with non-fed employees complaining about overpaid fed employees.
Perfectly articulated Carmen909. It’s unfortunate that some choose to make such broad, uneducated comments.
Re: Federal Retirement Benefits 'Very Generous'
evilanne wrote:Thank you for your service. Although it was a smart investment to increase your future retirement by 9%, no one forced you buy your military time. I guess all that tax free money, hazard pay, GI Bill, free medical, training and military preference that helped get you your civilian job wasn't enough of a benefit for you?
I don't get the "free" part.
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