YOUR RETIREMENT MONTHLY

Retirement decisions often are based on a combination of pushes and pulls, and decisions to return to work after retirement similarly are based on a combination of personal and financial factors, says a study by the Sloan Center on Aging and Work.

It said that health issues—either specific health problems or a general feeling of being worn out—and pushes by employers, including being offered a retirement incentive, are the most common reasons for retiring. Read more.

The pattern of retirement expenses plus potential length of life in retirement should play key roles in decisions on drawing retirement benefits, particularly Social Security, according to a report by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

The report says that although there are common standards for retirement income needs, such as 75 percent of pre-retirement income, actual needs will vary greatly. Read more.

Debate over how programs such as federal retirement and Social Security are adjusted for inflation has produced a conflicting series of recommendations, with a proposal favored by retiree interests—a COLA specifically based on retirees’ spending patterns—having flaws just like other formulas, according to a study done for Congress.

The Congressional Research Service report follows a year of back-and-forth proposals that likely will be raised again this year, due to the large cost implications of inflation-related adjustments in retirement programs and many other indexed benefits, such as Medicare.

One option under discussion has been switching to the “chained” CPI, which attempts to reflect changes in purchasing patterns when the price of a certain good or service rises, rather than continuing to assume that individuals will continue buying the same amount despite a price increase. Read more.

While the terms of the FEHB program continued largely unchanged between 2011 and 2012—as they have for many years previously—private sector employers expect to continue the erosion of the health benefits they provide, according to a study by the Towers Watson benefits consulting firm.

The study found that premium increases were slightly above what the federal program experienced, 5.9 to 3.8 percent overall. Read more.

If your carrier denies a claim for payment or for service, it will reconsider its denial on receipt of a written request within six months after the date of the denial. Read more.

On separation for retirement or other reasons, you will have several options for dealing with your Thrift Savings Plan account. Read more.

Federal employees who separate for retirement or other reasons with a buyout payment face restrictions if they want to return to work for the government within five years. Read more.

Unless you have assigned your Federal Employees Group Life Insurance, you may cancel it at any time, including after retirement. Read more.

Traditional tactics of drawing down a portfolio in retirement have some flaws.

* The 4 percent rule. Read more.

How much life insurance coverage do you need? Read more.

If you decide you want to make lifetime gifts to your kids, what should you give away? Read more.

When you convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, you’ll owe income tax. Read more.

Years ago, a joke fax used to make the rounds of federal offices—and the fact that it was a fax tells you just how long ago it was. Read more.