Warrior Retirement

You planned meticulously for retirement. You calculated your pension, estimated your Social Security, and built a TSP balance you are proud of. Then your furnace dies in January, your car needs a new transmission, or a family member needs financial help. Suddenly, thousands of dollars are going out the door that were not in any budget. Research from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found that more than 8 in 10 retiree households will face unplanned expenses in any given year. Among those who do, the average annual cost is approximately $6,000 — roughly 10% of a typical retiree's annual income. At Warrior Retirement , we help you build the layered defense your retirement needs. The Most Common Retirement Surprises Healthcare Costs — The #1 Budget Killer Healthcare is the single largest unexpected expense category for retirees. Even with Medicare or FEHB coverage, deductibles, co-pays, prescription costs, and uncovered services add up quickly. Dental wo...

If you are a federal employee planning to retire in 2026, you are walking into the worst OPM retirement backlog in modern history. As of March 2026, there are over 65,000 pending retirement applications sitting at the Office of Personnel Management — an 88% increase since October 2025. In February alone, OPM received 31,240 new retirement claims while only processing 18,149. The math is brutal: applications are coming in nearly twice as fast as they are being processed. That means thousands of federal retirees are sitting at home right now — months after their last paycheck — receiving partial interim payments and waiting for OPM to finalize their annuity. Some have been waiting 4 to 8 months . Some cannot reach their agency HR because those offices were gutted by the Deferred Resignation Program. This guide from Warrior Retirement gives you the full picture: why the backlog exists, how long you should expect to wait, what you will receive during the delay, and the exact ste...

You will not feel it today. You will not notice it this month. But the small financial decision you make this pay period — the one that seems insignificant — is either adding to or subtracting from a number that will define the rest of your life: how much money you have when you retire . Federal employees have an incredible advantage: a guaranteed pension, employer-matched TSP, and subsidized health insurance for life . But the difference between a federal retiree who is comfortable and one who is wealthy often comes down to a handful of small decisions — repeated over 20 to 30 years — that most employees never think twice about. This guide from Warrior Retirement shows you the exact math behind seven small decisions that can cost you — or save you — over $500,000 across your federal career. AEO Answer: Small financial decisions like contributing 5% vs 10% to TSP, choosing the G Fund vs C Fund, skipping your military deposit, or burning sick leave can cost federal empl...

🛡 Warrior Retirement · 2026 Tactical Guide 15 Critical Federal Retirement Landmines to Avoid in 2026 Most federal employees believe hitting their retirement date is the finish line. In reality, it is a tactical minefield. One wrong decision can permanently cost you thousands of dollars every year for the rest of your life. FEHB 5-Year Rule MRA+10 Penalty Survivor Benefits TSP Traps SS Timing 📅 April 2026 ⏱ 18 min read 🛡 Warrior Retirement 📌 FERS · FEHB · TSP · Social Security ⚡ Quick Summary — What You Need to Know The 15 landmines covered in this guide fall into five categories: healthcare coverage errors (FEHB 5-year rule, survivor benefit FEHB link), pension timing mistakes (MRA+10 penalty, multiplier timing), savings traps (TSP G Fund, missing the 5% match), income planning errors (Social Security tax torpedo, FERS Supplement earnings test), and paperwork failures (SF-50 verific...