Confident Federal Retirement is the retirement podcast for federal employees who want to retire from federal service without guessing.
If you're within about 5–10 years of retirement and worried about picking the wrong date, misunderstanding your pension, or messing up TSP and Social Security, this show is for you.
In each short, focused episode, I break down FERS, CSRS, TSP, Social Security, FEHB, FEGLI, and retirement taxes into clear decisions you can actually act on, without jargon or spreadsheets. You'll hear real‑world scenarios, simple checklists, and straight answers to questions like: "When can I retire?", "Will my pension and TSP be enough?", and "How do I avoid ugly tax surprises?"
I'm a fee‑only fiduciary financial planner who specializes in federal retirement planning, and my goal is to help you go from confused and uncertain to clear and confident about your next chapter.
When you're ready for one‑on‑one help, visit gtwealthguide.com to request a personalized federal retirement plan and talk through your options.
Smart Ways Federal Employees Can Pay Taxes On Roth Conversions |Ep 204
If most of your retirement savings are in a traditional TSP or traditional IRAs, Roth conversions may be worth considering. But the important question is not simply whether Roth is "good." It is how much to convert, when to convert, and how to pay the tax without creating a new problem. (Encore episode, originally published July 30, 2026.)
In this episode, Tom explains:
How Roth conversions work for federal employees
Why the years between retirement, Social Security, and RMDs can matter
Three ways to pay the conversion tax
Why outside cash may be preferable when available
How pension withholding and estimated payments may fit
Why Medicare income thresholds also need to be considered
A simple case study and checklist for getting started
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When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing.
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Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness
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Federal Retirement YouTube Videos - youtube.com/@TomPoltersdorf
6 Oct 2026
How Much Cash Should Dual Federal Couples Hold in Retirement? |Ep 203
Are you a federal employee in your 50s or early 60s whose spouse is also in federal service? If so, you may be wondering how much cash to hold before and during retirement. The usual rules, like three months or six months of expenses, were built for people with a paycheck. Retirement requires a different way to think about cash.
In this episode, Tom explains how to match your cash reserve to your retirement income gap and the amount of time you would want to avoid selling investments after a market decline.
In this episode, you will learn:
Why traditional emergency fund rules may not fit retirement.
How to calculate your retirement income gap.
Why the gap may change when the FERS supplement ends at age 62.
How sequence-of-returns risk affects early retirement.
How to account for known expenses like a vehicle, roof, or family commitment.
How to build a cash target without relying on a generic rule of thumb.
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When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing.
---------------
Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness
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Federal Retirement YouTube Videos - youtube.com/@TomPoltersdorf
1 Oct 2026
Should Dual Federal Couples Take Survivor Benefits on Both FERS Pensions? |Ep 202
Are you a federal employee in your 50s or early 60s whose spouse is also retiring under FERS? When both spouses have federal pensions, it's easy to assume survivor benefits are unnecessary. Sometimes that is the right decision. But the choice can affect pension income, Social Security, taxes, household cash flow, and FEHB coverage.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How full, partial, and no survivor benefits work under FERS
What each option costs on each spouse's pension
Why dual-federal couples should evaluate each pension separately
How income may change after the first spouse dies
Why losing one Social Security check matters
What FEHB questions to review before waiving a survivor benefit
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When you're ready for a personalized plan built around your specific federal benefits, visit https://gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint to request your free Federal Retirement Blueprint. We'll map out your federal benefits, TSP, Social Security, and tax plan on one page so you can retire from federal service without guessing.
---------------
Get your copy of the Federal Retirement Readiness Blueprint: a 7‑step checklist to pick the right retirement date and see what will actually hit your bank account after survivor benefits, FEHB, and taxes: https://gtwealth.kit.com/federal-retirement-readiness
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Federal Retirement YouTube Videos - youtube.com/@TomPoltersdorf
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