Val outlines the journey of a government employee as they near retirement, and explains how his expertise can assist you on your road to retirement as a government employee.

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10.13.23: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

10.13.23: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Val Majewski:
Well, welcome back to the federal retirement show. I'm your host, Val Majewski, vice president here at American Benefits Exchange. And really appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule to join me on this journey. Right. They were on this journey together because the goal of our show is to provide you information, provide answers to your questions, provide you the guidance that we believe you need as a federal government employee so you can make the best decisions along your working career and then on into retirement. The reason why we do that is we just feel like there's a lack of understanding out there that federal employees, just like you, are not as informed about their benefits and retirement information as they should be. We feel like there's a lot of areas that people can improve on. There's ways that they can be set up to make sure that they're in the best position possible, as they're going towards the end of their working career and into retirement. And we also feel that a lack of understanding in all the areas that we've discussed, and you can go back and see all of our episodes, but a lack of an understanding in these areas can cost you tens of thousands of dollars and even more sums of money in retirement if you're not utilizing these things properly. So we just want to make sure that you're setting yourself up. Right. So today, I want to talk to you about the value of getting a full benefits and retirement review, full benefits and retirement review and erasing about I've done this before.

Val Majewski:
I've gotten the retirement estimate. I've talked to people, but what do you normally do? Right? You normally you have some kind of diagnosis with a doctor. You're going to go get a second opinion. You're shopping for a car, you're probably going to check 2 or 3 places to price, check it. Even online, it's you're going to buy something or do something online. You're probably checking multiple spots to make sure you're getting the best deal. Why not have multiple areas of guidance when it comes to your benefits and retirement situation? Why not try to validate what somebody's been telling you now? Also, if you get to that point, you've had a conversation about your benefits and retirement with 2 or 3 different people, and they're all telling you the same story and saying the same things, chances are that the information you're getting is going to be correct. Now you're validating the experience that you that you had earlier to make sure you're getting accurate and honest information because you do not want to get to the end and find out the information that you heard, the guidance that you were given was actually incorrect. Now, I'm not going to tell you that we know everything, and I'm certainly not going to claim that we know 100% of all the answers.

Val Majewski:
If we don't know something, we certainly will do our research and try to find to the best point, to the best direction. But it does help, whether it's with our company or another, to get second and sometimes even third opinions and do that. I shouldn't say regularly or frequently, but enough to where you know you're up to date on all the most accurate information, or as up to date as possible, and getting the most accurate information. Because things change when it comes to your benefits and retirement information, things change. The government can make modifications, updates with or without your say, and there are benefits in there that you may not know about, or the previous person that you talked to may not have brought to your attention. So I really highly encourage you to sit down. Now you can go to our website to request this, but to sit down and talk with an expert, somebody that specializes in this area that comes to your federal benefits and retirement information, and get a full workup over all the areas. Look into every corner, under every little rock of your benefits and retirement situation. So you know 100% that you are in the right position. You are confident as you're going through your working career and into retirement, that you are set up properly. You're optimized. I love using that word and you're maximizing everything that you. Provides for you and then some is there are options outside the government that you can take advantage of and make sure you're set up even better than you were before.

Val Majewski:
Now why? Why should you? Why should you take my word for it? Well, conversations that I've had recently with federal employees have told me and shown me that folks that do not specialize in federal employee benefits and retirement information are not the most knowledgeable on how to guide a federal employee. Right? Somebody may be an expert and may be in the business for 20 plus years in finance and financial services and money management and all of these things. But they may not be able to answer simple questions like what makes up your high three? What are your eligibility requirements for retirement? How do you calculate your pension? What are all the funds within? Out of work. What are my survivor benefit options? What's the first supplement? You know, these are just some of the things that require some level of expertise in order to properly educate, train you the federal employee, about. So when you do look at. Hiring or sitting down with federal benefits expert. Ask them those questions. They should be able to answer what's in your high three. And are you going to be eligible for retirement? How do you calculate your pension? Etcetera, etcetera. So the reason why say this is because recently I've been talk to a federal employee who had a neighbor who's a financial adviser who's been doing that for years, and this better employee went up to that neighbor and said, hey, I'm looking to retire soon.

Val Majewski:
Are you able to assist me? And that person luckily didn't try to work their way around it or, you know, fake it till you make it? That person said, hey, this is not my area of expertise. I am not an expert on federal employee benefits. You should probably talk to an expert, somebody that's a little more knowledgeable than. I'm very thankful that that person got that advice, rather than somebody trying to figure it out with a federal employees retirement. But it tells you that no matter how experienced somebody is in their field, whether it's financial services or insurance or whatever, it might be money management that you want to talk to somebody that is an expert. Other questions. Right. I mentioned in there about survivor benefits and what's the right survivor benefit option for you that's going to have a huge impact on your pension if you choose the wrong option, or it's going to have a big impact on the benefits your spouse is going to receive, your family's going to receive in the event something happens to you. So you want to make sure you know all the information up front. So you're filling out your retirement paperwork. You know that you're making the right decisions because those decisions will have a lasting effect.

Val Majewski:
The last thing that we would want to have happen for you, or any of your colleagues or those you work with, is that you make an irrevocable mistake when it comes to your benefits and retirement information, a mistake that cannot be undone. A mistake that cannot be rectified. And there are some of those things that you can make with it your benefits, your retirement, your TSP. You want to be assured that you have all the proper information down. So again, you know what those decisions are. And the consequences of those decisions once you make them. And you know what other person again, that you're set up properly. So here's how you can do this. If you're interested in, I hope that you are a federal benefits and Retirement evaluation. This is a complimentary service. We provide a few reports for you going over things like your fegli, your pension, your survivor benefit options, your TSP, Social Security in the first supplement. Any other questions that you may have regarding your benefits or retirement situation? If you're interested in that and getting a full workup and the couple reports printed out and emailed to you, you go to our website, Federal Retirement show.com, fill out the form. One of our representatives will be in touch and happy to schedule some time to dive deeper into your personal benefit situation. Answer all of your questions. In the end, you can get a complimentary copy of the book I wrote regarding benefits and retirement for federal employees.

Val Majewski:
It's called There's No Excuse. Your Guide to Maximizing Your Federal Employee Benefits. It's a great reference material. It's an easy read. Trust me, I wrote it exactly how I talk, how I sound, how I present to groups of federal employees. So we try to make it very easy in plain English so you can understand and go back. You can certainly get a physical copy of the book, or you can request the PDF, a digital copy. Request your benefits review on federal retirement Show.com speak to one of our representatives. Get a copy of our book. Make sure you have a full, complete understanding. Be rest assured. Sleep well at night knowing that you are making the best decisions, and that when that blessed day comes and you put your paperwork in and you're going to walk out with your head held high, you are confident knowing that you're retiring how you want, when you want, with the money, the income, all the benefits that you want or need in retirement. So again, federal retirement Show.com fill out the form. Have a full benefits workup. Get a free copy of our book and we really look forward to speaking with you. So I appreciate you taking the time to watch this episode of the Federal Retirement Show. My name is Val Mesquite with the American Benefits Exchange, and look forward to seeing you on a future episode.

Producer:
The Taylor Swift effect has seeped into the NFL. I'm Jim Trabajo with the Retirement.Radio Network powered by Amara Life. Recent rumors suggest Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce and music icon Taylor Swift have been dating. Reuters sports correspondent Amy Tierney has more.

Amy Tierney:
With a global footprint, the multi-platinum Taylor Swift has an extraordinary influence and retail experts have seen an enormous uptick in jersey sales for Travis Kelce, not just in the United States but internationally.

Producer:
Sports stars and celebrities from various industries have been romantically linked in the past, but this crossover has presented serious branding, marketing and financial opportunities. Last Sunday night's game, for example, between the Chiefs and the New York Jets drew 27 million viewers, the largest audience for a Sunday show since the Super Bowl last February. Nbc sports states further that viewership among teen girls, in particular, spiked 53% from the season to date average of the first three weeks of Sunday Night Football. The audience among women ages 18 to 24 was also up 24%. On the retail side, e-commerce site fanatics says sales of Kelsey's jersey spiked 400% following the Chiefs game against the Bears on September 24th, the first time Swift was spotted in the stands. Kelsey's podcast, New Heights, has also clinched the top spot on Apple's podcast charts. Nfl fans and Swifties an odd couple, to say the least, but revenue generating opportunities abound for the Retirement.Radio Network. Powered by Amerilife.

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