Warrior Retirement

⚖️ 2026 Estate Planning Alert Will & Estate Planning: The 2026 Tax Cliff The $13.99 million estate tax exemption expires December 31, 2026. For federal employees with pensions, TSP balances, property, and life insurance — the clock is ticking. Here is what you must do before the cliff arrives. 📅 April 10, 2026 ⏱ 15 min read 🛡 Warrior Retirement $13.99M 2026 Estate Exemption (Expires Dec 31) ~$7M Estimated 2027 Exemption if Cliff Hits 40% Federal Estate Tax Rate Above Exemption Dec 31 2026 — Deadline for Current Rules ⚡ Quick Answer — The 2026 Tax Cliff The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 doubled the federal estate and gift tax exemption to approximately $13.99 million per person ($27.98 million per married couple) in 2026. Unless Congress acts, this exemption automatically drops by approximately 50% on January 1, 2027 — reverting to roughly $7 million per person. For federal employees with a p...

FERS Survivor Benefits · 2026 Complete Guide FERS Survivor Benefits in 2026: The Complete Guide to Protecting Your Spouse's Income, Health Insurance & Future Most federal employees make the most consequential financial decision of their retirement in a 5-minute HR conversation on their last day. Here is the complete guide to survivor benefits — so your family is protected no matter what happens. 📅 April 5, 2026 ⏱ 14 min read 🛡 Warrior Retirement When you retire, you will be asked to make an election that determines what your spouse receives for the rest of their life if you die first. You will make this election on your retirement paperwork — often with limited guidance and no opportunity to change your mind later. The FERS survivor annuity election is permanent and irrevocable . Choosing the wrong option — or failing to understand what "no survivor benefit" actually means for your spouse's health insurance — can leave the person you love...

Divorce does not just split a household — it splits a retirement. If you are a federal employee going through or recovering from a divorce, your FERS pension, TSP balance, Social Security benefits, FEHB coverage, FEGLI policy, and survivor benefits are ALL on the table. One wrong move — or one document you forgot to update — can cost you tens of thousands of dollars in retirement income you will never get back. In our first article, The Mid-Career Pivot: A Warrior's Guide to Federal Retirement After Divorce , we covered the foundations — protecting your pension, the TSP recovery phase, building a bridge fund, and the FEHB advantage. This article from Warrior Retirement goes deeper into the financial rebuild — the exact steps, the real math, the documents you must update, and the 7 costliest post-divorce mistakes that federal employees make. This guide applies equally to men and women . Divorce does not discriminate, and neither should your financial recovery plan. How...