Your federal benefits are good. They are not a plan.
FERS, the TSP, FEGLI and Social Security are four separate systems that nobody coordinates for you. I help federal employees in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas read what they already have and fill the gaps before the retirement paperwork is due.
Four systems, one retirement
Federal employment comes with a benefits package most private employers cannot match: a defined benefit pension under FERS, the Thrift Savings Plan, FEGLI group life insurance and Social Security. The problem is not the benefits. The problem is that each one was handed to you separately, with its own rules, its own deadlines and its own election forms.
I work with postal workers, VA and DoD civilians, federal law enforcement, corrections officers and agency staff across the three states where I am licensed. The conversation usually starts with one of three things: a survivor benefit election, a FEGLI premium that just jumped, or a TSP balance that has to become a paycheck.
Lighthouse Legacy Strategies is an independent insurance practice. I am not affiliated with the federal government, OPM, the TSP or any agency, and I do not replace your HR office. What I do is explain the insurance and annuity side of your retirement in plain language and show you where a private policy or contract actually fits.
The decisions that actually move the needle
FEGLI, and what it costs after 50
Basic FEGLI is affordable. Option B is where the surprise lives: premiums rise in five-year age bands and become steep in your fifties and sixties. A private term or permanent policy locked in while you are healthy often costs less over the same years, and it follows you into retirement without the age-band increases.
The survivor benefit election
Choosing a full survivor annuity reduces your own FERS annuity for life. Choosing none leaves your spouse without that income and, in most cases, without FEHB coverage. Some couples use a life insurance policy to fund the survivor's income instead. It is a one-time election, and I walk through the arithmetic with you before the form is signed.
Turning the TSP into income
The TSP is built for accumulation. Turning it into a monthly check is your job, not the plan's. A portion can be rolled to an IRA-held fixed indexed annuity for a guaranteed income floor while the rest stays invested. Whether that fits depends on your pension, your Social Security timing and your income gap.
The retirement timeline
FERS annuity, the Special Retirement Supplement for those who qualify, Social Security, TSP withdrawals and any private income all start at different ages. I map them on one page so you can see the years where income dips and plan for them.
Coverage for the years before you retire
Living benefits, mortgage protection and a policy on a spouse who is not federal. The protection layer is what keeps a diagnosis at 54 from undoing a retirement plan you spent thirty years earning.
The four calls I get most from federal employees
Option B premiums just jumped
The five-year age bands catch almost everyone by surprise. We compare what you pay now against a private policy locked in at today's health.
Full survivor, partial or none
A permanent decision with a deadline. I show you what each choice costs your annuity and what it leaves your spouse.
A TSP balance, not a paycheck
How much can come out each month, for how long, and what a guaranteed floor underneath it would cost.
The gap years
Retiring at 57 with Social Security at 62 or later. Where the income comes from in between.
Four steps, no application in the first one
Bring your numbers
Your latest FERS annuity estimate, TSP statement, FEGLI election and Social Security estimate. Screenshots are fine.
One page, all four systems
I lay out the pension, the TSP, FEGLI and Social Security on a single timeline so you can see what starts when.
Fill the gaps you choose
Where a private policy or an annuity fits, I show you the options side by side. Where it does not, I say so.
Review before every election
Survivor election, FEGLI changes, TSP withdrawal. Call me before you sign anything with a deadline.
Federal employees ask these most
FEGLI is a real benefit and it is rarely the whole answer. Basic coverage is roughly one year of salary, and Option B multiples get expensive as you age because premiums rise in five-year bands. Many federal employees keep Basic and replace Option B with a private policy locked in while they are healthy. I compare your actual FEGLI cost against private quotes so you can see the numbers.
It depends on what your spouse would need and what else is in place. A full survivor annuity reduces your own FERS annuity for life and keeps your spouse eligible for FEHB in most cases. Some couples fund the survivor's income with a life insurance policy instead, or choose the partial election. It is a one-time decision, so bring the packet and we will walk through the arithmetic before you sign.
Yes. TSP funds can be rolled to an IRA, and an IRA can hold a fixed or fixed indexed annuity, generally without a taxable event when it is done as a direct rollover. Most people move only a portion to create a guaranteed income floor and leave the rest invested. Whether that fits depends on your pension, your Social Security timing and your income gap.
For federal employees who retire before 62 with an immediate, unreduced FERS annuity, the supplement approximates the Social Security benefit earned during federal service until age 62. Eligibility rules and earnings limits apply, and OPM administers it, not me. I factor it into your income timeline so the gap years are planned rather than discovered.
Five to ten years before your minimum retirement age is the useful window, because that is when FEGLI premiums start climbing and when TSP decisions still have time to matter. The year you file is the second checkpoint, because the survivor election and TSP withdrawal choices happen then. If you are already retired, the conversation is still worth having.
No. Lighthouse Legacy Strategies is an independent insurance practice. I am not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the federal government, the Office of Personnel Management, the Thrift Savings Plan or any federal agency. Your agency's HR office and OPM remain the authority on your federal benefits. My role is the private insurance and annuity side.
Yes. USPS employees are covered by FERS, the TSP and FEGLI like other federal workers, and postal retirees make up a meaningful share of the federal employees I work with in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas. Shift schedules are normal here, so evening and weekend calls are fine.
Yes. Most consultations happen by phone or video, and I schedule around federal shifts, including evenings. Call or text (501) 516-9456 or book a time on the contact page and pick what works for you.
The other people I work with
Healthcare Professionals
Group coverage that ends with the job, income that depends on your hands, and children whose insurability is worth locking in now.
For healthcare workersTruck Drivers
Owner-operators with no employer benefits, company drivers whose coverage ends with the job, and a retirement without a pension.
For truck driversTwenty minutes, around your schedule.
Call or text, or pick a time on the calendar. No product is presented, no application is opened, and there is no cost to have the conversation.