<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  <title>Retire Top Rated Topics Atom Feed</title>
  <updated>2011-12-23T18:05:16.687-05:00</updated>
  <id>http://www.opm.gov/Blogs/Retire/HighestRatedTopics.atom</id>
  <link rel="alternate" href="http://www.opm.gov/Blogs/Retire/HighestRatedTopics.atom" />
  <author>
    <name>The Office of Personnel Management</name>
    <uri>http://www.opm.gov/</uri>
    <email>webmaster@opm.gov</email>
  </author>
  <entry>
    <title>Happy Holidays</title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Let me begin by wishing you and your families a very happy and joyful holiday.&nbsp; </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">We&rsquo;ve just completed a very successful Benefits Open Season and are moving on with other scheduled events for you.&nbsp; Right now we&rsquo;re working on completing your &ldquo;Statement of Annuity Paid&rdquo; forms.&nbsp; &nbsp;These are the 1099Rs that you receive every year that you use to file your tax returns. &nbsp;This year we&rsquo;re trying to have your 1099Rs posted and available by the last week of January.&nbsp; The 1099Rs will be available on our Services OnLine (SOL) site. &nbsp;We encourage you to pull those directly from the website.&nbsp; In the future, we would like to move to a completely automated process so you can retrieve the forms without us having to mail them.&nbsp; But in the meantime, we will still be sending out these notifications to you by mail the last week in January. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">In the next couple weeks you&lsquo;ll receive your &ldquo;Notice of Annuity Adjustment&rdquo; by mail.&nbsp; This year&rsquo;s notice contains information about the cost of living adjustment (COLA) and any changes that will affect the amount of your monthly annuity. And remember, it&rsquo;s very important for you to keep your mailing address current.&nbsp; Although you may have direct deposit, we still mail information to you.&nbsp; To be sure you receive this and other mailings, we need to have your correct mailing address. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">As we continue to develop more services for you, I encourage all of you to log on to our retirement website at </span><a href="http://www.opm.gov/retire"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: calibri;">www.opm.gov/retire</span></a><span style="font-family: calibri;"> for current information about retirement issues.&nbsp; There&rsquo;s a treasure chest of great information that may be of value to you.&nbsp; If there are particular business transactions you need to take care of, log on to our Services OnLine (SOL) site at </span><a href="http://www.servicesonline.opm.gov/"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: calibri;">www.servicesonline.opm.gov/</span></a><span style="font-family: calibri;"> where you can quickly and easily change or update your mailing address, set up allotments, change your Federal tax withholding, sign up for direct deposit, change your password and view your annuity statement.&nbsp; You can now take advantage of our SOL site when you&rsquo;re in interim payment status. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">As we move into the New Year, we will be focusing on improving and expanding our services for you so you can continue to enjoy your retirement.&nbsp; Be sure to keep abreast of the latest retirement issues that may affect you by logging on to </span><a href="file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/kjzawodny/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/6X2UB9RY/www.opm.gov/retire"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: calibri;">www.opm.gov/retire</span></a><span style="font-family: calibri;">.&nbsp; Manage your own account on </span><a href="file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/kjzawodny/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/6X2UB9RY/www.servicesonline.opm.gov/"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: calibri;">www.servicesonline.opm.gov/</span></a><a name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: calibri;">. Be sure to follow us on twitter at </span><a href="http://twitter.com/%23!/fedretireinfo"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: calibri;">http://twitter.com/#!/fedretireinfo</span></a><span style="font-family: calibri;">.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Again, best wishes for this holiday season and the New Year.</span></p> <a href="http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/12/23/Happy-Holidays/index.aspx">more</a>]]></summary>
    <published>2011-12-23T18:05:16.687-05:00</published>
    <updated>2011-12-23T18:05:16.687-05:00</updated>
    <id>http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/12/23/Happy-Holidays/index.aspx</id>
    <link rel="alternate" href="http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/12/23/Happy-Holidays/index.aspx" />
    <author>
      <name>Ken Zawodny</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Let me begin by wishing you and your families a very happy and joyful holiday.&nbsp; </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">We&rsquo;ve just completed a very successful Benefits Open Season and are moving on with other scheduled events for you.&nbsp; Right now we&rsquo;re working on completing your &ldquo;Statement of Annuity Paid&rdquo; forms.&nbsp; &nbsp;These are the 1099Rs that you receive every year that you use to file your tax returns. &nbsp;This year we&rsquo;re trying to have your 1099Rs posted and available by the last week of January.&nbsp; The 1099Rs will be available on our Services OnLine (SOL) site. &nbsp;We encourage you to pull those directly from the website.&nbsp; In the future, we would like to move to a completely automated process so you can retrieve the forms without us having to mail them.&nbsp; But in the meantime, we will still be sending out these notifications to you by mail the last week in January. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">In the next couple weeks you&lsquo;ll receive your &ldquo;Notice of Annuity Adjustment&rdquo; by mail.&nbsp; This year&rsquo;s notice contains information about the cost of living adjustment (COLA) and any changes that will affect the amount of your monthly annuity. And remember, it&rsquo;s very important for you to keep your mailing address current.&nbsp; Although you may have direct deposit, we still mail information to you.&nbsp; To be sure you receive this and other mailings, we need to have your correct mailing address. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">As we continue to develop more services for you, I encourage all of you to log on to our retirement website at </span><a href="http://www.opm.gov/retire"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: calibri;">www.opm.gov/retire</span></a><span style="font-family: calibri;"> for current information about retirement issues.&nbsp; There&rsquo;s a treasure chest of great information that may be of value to you.&nbsp; If there are particular business transactions you need to take care of, log on to our Services OnLine (SOL) site at </span><a href="http://www.servicesonline.opm.gov/"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: calibri;">www.servicesonline.opm.gov/</span></a><span style="font-family: calibri;"> where you can quickly and easily change or update your mailing address, set up allotments, change your Federal tax withholding, sign up for direct deposit, change your password and view your annuity statement.&nbsp; You can now take advantage of our SOL site when you&rsquo;re in interim payment status. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">As we move into the New Year, we will be focusing on improving and expanding our services for you so you can continue to enjoy your retirement.&nbsp; Be sure to keep abreast of the latest retirement issues that may affect you by logging on to </span><a href="file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/kjzawodny/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/6X2UB9RY/www.opm.gov/retire"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: calibri;">www.opm.gov/retire</span></a><span style="font-family: calibri;">.&nbsp; Manage your own account on </span><a href="file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/kjzawodny/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/6X2UB9RY/www.servicesonline.opm.gov/"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: calibri;">www.servicesonline.opm.gov/</span></a><a name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: calibri;">. Be sure to follow us on twitter at </span><a href="http://twitter.com/%23!/fedretireinfo"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: calibri;">http://twitter.com/#!/fedretireinfo</span></a><span style="font-family: calibri;">.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Again, best wishes for this holiday season and the New Year.</span></p>]]></content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Natural diasters in the west</title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 13px;">Due to the devastating fires and floods in the west, OPM has dedicated a telephone line to receive calls so our retirees and their families who are affected&nbsp;can get&nbsp;instant assistance for reissuing checks, changing addresses, and in cases of death, adjustments to annuity payments. If you are one of our clients and are affected by the natural disasters,&nbsp;please call 202-606-8142 so the appropriate arrangements can be made to handle your situation as quickly&nbsp;as possible. &nbsp;&nbsp;You may also contact us via email at </span><a href="mailto:retire@opm.gov"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 13px;">retire@opm.gov</span></a><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 13px;"> or via phone at 888-767-6738.</span></span></p> <a href="http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/6/22/Natural-diasters-in-the-west/index.aspx">more</a>]]></summary>
    <published>2011-06-22T12:39:16.937-04:00</published>
    <updated>2011-06-22T12:39:16.937-04:00</updated>
    <id>http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/6/22/Natural-diasters-in-the-west/index.aspx</id>
    <link rel="alternate" href="http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/6/22/Natural-diasters-in-the-west/index.aspx" />
    <author>
      <name>Bill Zielinski</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 13px;">Due to the devastating fires and floods in the west, OPM has dedicated a telephone line to receive calls so our retirees and their families who are affected&nbsp;can get&nbsp;instant assistance for reissuing checks, changing addresses, and in cases of death, adjustments to annuity payments. If you are one of our clients and are affected by the natural disasters,&nbsp;please call 202-606-8142 so the appropriate arrangements can be made to handle your situation as quickly&nbsp;as possible. &nbsp;&nbsp;You may also contact us via email at </span><a href="mailto:retire@opm.gov"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 13px;">retire@opm.gov</span></a><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 13px;"> or via phone at 888-767-6738.</span></span></p>]]></content>
    <category term="fire" />
    <category term="flood" />
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Government Debt Limit</title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size: 13px;">As widely reported in the news, our government has reached its debt limit.&nbsp; U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner has since declared a &ldquo;debt issuance suspension period&rdquo; for the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (which funds our retirees).&nbsp; By law this allows the Treasury to redeem (or cash out) a portion of existing Treasury securities held by the fund.&nbsp; The same law also requires that the government repay the fund with interest.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 13px;">&nbsp;Bottom line: This action will not affect CSRS and FERS annuity payments to retirees.&nbsp; All payments will continue as normal and on schedule.&nbsp; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">&nbsp;Thank you for your time.&nbsp; I hope you find this information useful and we look forward to providing you more information in the future</span>.</span></p> <a href="http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/5/20/Government-Debt-Limit/index.aspx">more</a>]]></summary>
    <published>2011-05-20T13:51:00.030-04:00</published>
    <updated>2011-05-20T13:51:00.030-04:00</updated>
    <id>http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/5/20/Government-Debt-Limit/index.aspx</id>
    <link rel="alternate" href="http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/5/20/Government-Debt-Limit/index.aspx" />
    <author>
      <name>Bill Zielinski</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size: 13px;">As widely reported in the news, our government has reached its debt limit.&nbsp; U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner has since declared a &ldquo;debt issuance suspension period&rdquo; for the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (which funds our retirees).&nbsp; By law this allows the Treasury to redeem (or cash out) a portion of existing Treasury securities held by the fund.&nbsp; The same law also requires that the government repay the fund with interest.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 13px;">&nbsp;Bottom line: This action will not affect CSRS and FERS annuity payments to retirees.&nbsp; All payments will continue as normal and on schedule.&nbsp; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">&nbsp;Thank you for your time.&nbsp; I hope you find this information useful and we look forward to providing you more information in the future</span>.</span></p>]]></content>
    <category term="debt" />
    <category term="U.S. Treasury" />
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title>Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami</title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[On behalf of Retirement Services, I wish to extend our deepest sympathy to the people of Japan who have experienced such tremendous loss. <br />
<br />
We have established a dedicated a phone line for our Federal retirees and their families living in the area: <span style="color: #002060;"><strong>202-606-8142</strong></span>. Whether you need to report a payment disruption or death, please contact us immediately. <br />
<br />
You may also contact us via email at <span style="color: #002060;"><strong>retire@opm.go</strong>v</span> or via phone at <span style="color: #002060;"><strong>888-767-6738</strong></span>. <a href="http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/3/16/Japan-Earthquake-and-Pacific-Tsunami/index.aspx">more</a>]]></summary>
    <published>2011-03-16T11:33:38.813-04:00</published>
    <updated>2011-03-16T11:33:38.813-04:00</updated>
    <id>http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/3/16/Japan-Earthquake-and-Pacific-Tsunami/index.aspx</id>
    <link rel="alternate" href="http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/3/16/Japan-Earthquake-and-Pacific-Tsunami/index.aspx" />
    <author>
      <name>Bill Zielinski</name>
    </author>
    <content type="html"><![CDATA[On behalf of Retirement Services, I wish to extend our deepest sympathy to the people of Japan who have experienced such tremendous loss. <br />
<br />
We have established a dedicated a phone line for our Federal retirees and their families living in the area: <span style="color: #002060;"><strong>202-606-8142</strong></span>. Whether you need to report a payment disruption or death, please contact us immediately. <br />
<br />
You may also contact us via email at <span style="color: #002060;"><strong>retire@opm.go</strong>v</span> or via phone at <span style="color: #002060;"><strong>888-767-6738</strong></span>.]]></content>
    <category term="Federal Retirees" />
    <category term="Japan Earthquake" />
    <category term="Pacific Tsunami" />
  </entry>
</feed>
