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Note: This web site and Bookhaven Press LLC are not
affiliated with OPM or any federal or military entity. If you need assistance
with personnel or retirement issues requiring HR or personnel actions
contact your agency's personnel office. Retiree's must
contact OPM's retirement services.
Do not send official forms and documents to us,
those items must be sent to the appropriate federal entity for review and
processing. If you have questions about benefits, finance, and
retirement in general visit our FAQ page or
Sitemap and contact our Forum hosts via email to ask them specific questions.
| Merger and Acquisition (M&A Opportunities) |
Bookhaven's Internet properties offer
companies exposure to federal sector markets. We focus
on retirement planning guidance, employee benefits, and financial
planning. If
your company is exploring or expanding their footprint in these
markets call us at 412-494-6926 to discuss your
interests. Ask for Dennis or Vic or email us at
support@federalretirement.net.
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This site helps federal employees and retirees find the information they need to make
informed decisions about retirement and benefits and it also provides retirees with
abundant resources targeted to their specific needs. We are constantly
improving and adding new features and writers to assist federal employees and
retirees with whatever they need to make informed decisions concerning their
retirement.
Most federal employees attend agency sponsored retirement seminars prior to
retiring and return
with more questions than answers. They are confused about many things – mostly
things that were not covered at the seminar such as
what they would have to live on in retirement (from all income sources), what
the spouse would have to live on when the retiree dies and most importantly, you
need to know if you are financially able to retire. You also must be
familiar with basic estate
planning and probate avoidance techniques. Little help is available from agencies
for other than eligibility requirements and application assistance. This site will help you determine:
- What you will have to live on in retirement
- What your spouse will have to live on after you die
- Benefit options
- Insurance options
- Financial considerations including estate planning processes
- What survivors need to do plus easy-to-follow checklists to help them
through difficult times
- What other resources are available
Federalretirement.net will get you seriously thinking about your personal
situation. This site was launched in early 2004, when Dennis Damp retired
with 35 years and 7 months government service. Damp understands the federal
retirement and employment systems from the inside out and he is the author
The Book of U.S. Government Jobs,
Take Charge of Your Federal Career, and several other career and business books.
Dennis Damp founded Bookhaven Press LLC in 1985 to publish informative career, business, and finance books
while still employed with Uncle Sam. Bookhaven Press also published the following
helpful
web sites, several of whcih are now affiliates:
Bookhaven Press Sites:
Affiliate Sites (Now run by Federal Media Newtwork, LLC)
Dennis
V. Damp, host of
www.federalretirement.net, is an author, veteran, retired federal manager,
retirement planning counselor, and business owner. He retired from federal
service with 36 years government service. Dennis is the author of 28 books and
has been a guest on hundreds of radio talk shows, CNN’s “Your Money” shows,
lectured at universities, produced Internet web sites, and written hundreds of
retirement planning and federal benefit articles. His books were featured in the
Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times and U.S. News & World
Report.
Damp served on active duty with the Air Force and afterwards with the Air
National Guard. He worked for the Department of Defense (DOD) and
transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) early in his
career. His last position was technical operations manager at the Greater
Pittsburgh International Airport's air traffic control tower. You can sign
up for his
retirement planning newsletter or visit his blog at
www.fedretire.net. Damp expanded this
site based on the research he had to do to prepare for his personal federal
government retirement.
Damp’s books and web sites are based on his many years in management where he was
responsible for recruitment, outreach, retention and career development. Several
of his books received awards for "Best Career” title by the Benjamin
Franklin Awards Committee and one of his books was a Foreword Magazine finalist for “Best Career & Reference.”
Books by Dennis Damp:
"I spent 3 hours on the web looking for answers for
questions concerning retirement. After a Google search yielded your address,
it took only 20 minutes to find all of my answers! Thank you!!!"
Rod H
- 12/16/24 - Thanks for what you do for us and the information is great.
I also retired from the Government after 42 years. John R
- 12/16/24 - Thank you for all that you do for "us" retirees! Hard to
believe I will be retired 25 years on the 31st of December. That is when
the Navy closed our research center in Annapolis (across the river from the
Naval Academy - not a smart move)! Ginny P
- 12/14/24 - I retired 10 yrs ago and always look forward to your weekly
mailings !! - Keeping us abreast of ALL CURRENT IMPORTANT ISSUES. Thanks !
John H
- 12/5/24 - You've always given us excellent advice and information. Thank
you SO MUCH, without you I probably wouldn't have know we could remain in
the GEHA plan, their brochure really makes it sound like the MPDP is a done
deal. I hope you truly know how much you've helped
all of us over the years. Thank you for all of us. Robert.
- 12/15/23 - Thank you Dennis for another year of invaluable information
and insight that help us Feds and former Feds make wise decisions regarding
our benefits and personal resources. I for one appreciate the time and
effort you devote to researching and publishing so much important
information throughout the year. Best wishes for a bright future and please
keep up the great work! Sean
- 9/20/23 - Thank you so much for making the yearly leave calendars! I
find it very helpful and have shared it widely. Looking forward to the FY24
one coming out! Brandon
- 6/4/23 - Your newsletter is one of the few newsletters full of valuable
information. Thank you for taking the time to gather information and making
it available to the annuitants. Shanaz.
- 11/12/22 - Thank you Dennis -- Your efforts with Bookhaven are much
admired and appreciated. You, Tammy Flanagan, & Erich Wagner put out much
needed info for our Fed community.
- 8/17/22 - Please allow me to once again thank you for all the amazing
information and retirement planning tools you provide on the website. My
wife and I are both current Federal employees and are looking at our options
for retirement. The information you provide is extremely helpful and we’re
thankful for you folks providing it. Tom V.
- 6/18/22 -
I look forward to early Saturday mornings for your articles to arrive and
when you do not do one, I miss it. Love the information, and pretty simply
put. Murielle
- 3/29/2022 - Sign up for this
e-newsletter. This is common sense financial advice geared towards
preparations for federal retirement. Readers are leaders – but you must
first effectively lead yourself! Mr. Damp is a blessing! Kevin W.
- 12/2/2021 - Good day Dennis, I follow you and your advise, and wanted
you to know in this season of gratitude that I am grateful for your seasoned
and sound expertise... Thank you again for the wealth of knowledge you
provide, the diligence you put into researching, and sharing information for
your audience that is understandable! Kindest regards, Cathy
- 11/14/2021 - Found this site by accident. So very helpful and glad I
found you. Valerie
- 8/30/2020 - Well written article and so true. I always look forward to
your articles and this one was very timely. Steve
- 8/2/2020 - Please know that your honest, candid, and transparent
newsletter is very refreshing, thank you! The one prior to this about your
hard working family, and your own experiences was very good, thank you for
sharing. Cathy
- 5/17/2020 - Finding ACCURATE help was the most challenging part of
retiring. I went to 2 retirement seminars over the years and was left more
confused. You were extremely helpful, by email and reading your blog. I
wish I had found you years ago. Nancy B.
- 2/23/2020 - Thank you! Thank you for all the information time and effort
it takes to put this newsletter together. More importantly thank you for
sharing a bit of yourself. Congrats on a great year and hope 2020 is even
better!! Kim
- 12/6/2019 - Thanks so much Dennis for taking the time to answer and all
the great information and links. John M.
- 10/12/2019 - Hello! My husband is a federal retiree, and we have
benefited immensely from your newsletter prior to, and now during,
retirement. It is well written, current and so helpful because of its focus
on the unique situations of federal employees and retirees. I have
especially valued your take on the down to earth topics like health
insurance, budgeting and retirement preparation. I just want to say a HUGE
thank you for the time and effort you have put into your newsletters and
articles! Maureen F, CA
- 10/10/2019 - This site saved us when we were planning retirement and
didn't know what to do about healthcare. We have been very happy with GEHA.
My 2 retirement seminars were quite lacking to say the least. Nancy
- 10/7/2019 - I find your Retirement Lifestyle Newsletter to be very
informative, useful, and spot-on. You very often address issues of concern
that I (a 64 year old federal retiree) find extremely beneficial. Dan D
- 7/1/2019 - Thank you very much for this information! You are the first
person that could give me a complete answer to my questions. Katrina
- 10/29/2018 - This website offers great information and I wish I had
discovered it earlier. Thanks so much! Your clear and comprehensive
articles are much appreciated, and I will share them as well as newsletter
info with friends on the cusp of retiring. Susan McCoy
- 6/11/2018 - I send this email to express my gratitude to Dennis V. Damp.
I sent an email early Sunday morning, June 10th, 2018 requesting, actually
pleading, for someone, anyone, to help me find where and who I need to
contact so I would be able to resolve an issue that has been ongoing
off and on for many years regarding my retirement. Because Im a former
federal employee I was having a difficult time, for years, trying to find
the right "agency" that could AND would listen and hopefully resolve my
problem. Anyway, after going around and around with many different
"agencies" over the years I received an email from Mr. Damp within 12 hours
of my email submission on this site. The information Mr. Damp sent me about
where and who he thought could and would help me was spot on. I contacted
his recommendation this morning, June 11, 2018, and after all these years of
frustration of searching there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I cannot
thank Mr. Damp enough for his prompt and knowledgeable response to my
plight. What a kind compassionate individual Mr. Damp is. I'm absolutely
sure that his positive get it done right attitude make him a very valuable
asset in your employ. So I will close with one more thank you to Mr. Damp. Patricia
M Crow
- 4/23/2018 - After finding and reading your blog posts, I researched and
signed up for GEHA. I had never heard of GEHA, but it sounded good, worth a
try. We both just went to the dentist, post retirement, and GEHA paid 40% of
our bills. That's just amazing, BC/BS didn't pay enough to cover postage. We
are paying Medicare, my retirement annuity is still in the estimation stage.
I think you have saved us as much as $300-400 a month by using GEHA. Thanks
again.... Nancy Pinckley"
- 10/5/2017 - Thanks so very much for continuing to send out your
Retirement Lifestyle Newsletter. I so often see things there that I feel I
should have gotten directly from OPM, but have not - as a current example,
my next year's insurance rates. Your work is appreciated; it has so often
been very helpful, especially as I was attempting to understand Medicare
options. Bob, Kansas City, MO - retired IRS Public Affairs officer
- 9/6/2017 - Thank you Dennis for all the great information. Please keep
up the wonderful work, of keeping all of us informed. I work for the US
Postal Service and I am so ready to retire, I've been with the federal
government for about 23 years and I'm looking to retire between the next
five and eight years so there is a lot of preparation at hand for me. And it
is all a little confusing for me, but I'm trying to make sense of it all.
... Your articles have been very helpful in this process so again thank you
so much and please keep the information coming.
- 8/30/2017 - I am witting this letter to you to "thank you" for the
invaluable information contained in your July 4, 2015, article titled "TSP
- Ways to Safeguard Your Heirs Inheritance." Your insights may well
have saved our children avoiding a future immediate tax payment totaling -
hundreds of thousands of dollars... Thank you again for the wonderful work
you do and for saving our family from what could have been a horrible
mistake in our future finanical planning, damaging our children's economic
future. That won't be happening now! Best Wishes, Donald B.
- 11/19/2016 - I am sure glad we retirees have a guy like you that is
sharp enough and motivated enough to share vital info. Robert
- 11/16/2016 - Thank you very much. It works beautifully. I do appreciate
your responding back and presentng a solution. You are a breth of fresh air
around here! Frank
- 11/12/2015 - Thanks for your insight on the new Open a Season plans.
George
- 10/30/2015 - Your newsletter is so informative for all of us and I am
sure, like me, we all appreciate your hard work. Abby
- 6/17/2013 - Thanks for all that you do for federal retirees. I have
shared your link with many of my friends. Due in no small part to you, I
have a wonderful retired life with a fun new career and am in a good place
financially. Cindy
- 12/11/2012 - Linda - Thank you so much for the quick reply as well as the
valuable information. Planning for my retirement has been a difficult
process... It is so refreshing to know that someone like you is available
for questions. Joan
- 10/1/2012 - I suppose any cola will look good compared to what we have
received recently. Your information is very helpful. Gary
- 4/9/2012 - Thank you so much for helping to clarify all of the variables
affecting my decision. It will most certainly help me choose which is right
for me. Daniel
- 2/21/2012 I love reading your articles... Keep up the good work in your
clear delivery of information that isn't always easy to grasp. Fran C.
- 2/6/2012 - Linda, Thank you so much for this info. You're a life saver.
I don't know why this is so difficult to find on the OPM site. Cheers! g
- 1/22/2012 - Linda, Thank you for your reply. Your answers helped clear
up many questions! John
- 12/16/2011 - Thank you for your insight throughout this process which
has been very stressful. Have a great holiday. Linda L
- 10/11/2011 - Dennis. I’ve enjoyed your articles and have found many
valuable ideas in them.
Tammy Flanagan,
Edward
A Zurnforfer and you are my 3 ‘go to’ experts that I seek out when I
have any questions. Thank you again for your insights. Nick R.
- 9/4/2011 - Thank you Linda!! This answers that question for me. OPM told
me to call DFAS who turned around and asked me to call OPM. My Civilian
Personnel Office had not a clue and our base finance told me to contact the
National Records Center (NRC). According to the Finance Office, the NRC
would tell me how to get my deposit back. I found
https://www.federalretirement.net
purely by accident. Glad I did. Thank you again!! F.C.
- 8/01/2011 - Thank you for your reply. This does clear things up for me
much to my relief. Gary L.
- 7/26/2011 - Last year you helped me get my Military Buy Back going and I
appreciate it. The differences between military active duty retirement and
active duty accomplished as a reservist was very confusing to people. It
took six months of back and forth to finally get it accomplished. Thank you.
You are definitely the expert! David
- 4/18/2011 - You are 100% correct in your guidance. I am extremely
appreciative of your support and cooperation in this matter. Thank you for
your professionalism and leadership in showing me the way forward. I have
gained a vast amount of knowledge from you in our communications. Take
care, and again, thank you very much for the solid advice and guidance.
Leonard.
- 01/05/2011 - Thanks for all the concise info. It would have taken me days
to find it. Judy
- 11/10/2010 - Many thanks. A much better answer than given by our own
benefit counselor! Michael A
- 09/11/2010 - I spent 3 hours on the web looking for answers to questions
concerning retirement. After a Google search yielded your address, it took
only 20 minutes to find all of my answers! Thank you!!!" Rod H
- 09/20/2010 - Thank you very much for your guidance. Threading my way
through the legal system and trying to get a straight answer from OPM has
been very frustrating, and I appreciate the information you provided. It's
good to have an disinterested third party who's willing to share their
expertise. Thanks again, Darrell
- 09/18/2010 - Wow. Awesome email--thank you SO much for taking the time
to respond. You helped a lot. Ed
- 07/03/2010 - Thanks Dennis, and thank you again for all that you do for
your fellow retirees. I appreciate you giving your time. Ron
- 03/02/2010 - Thanks for the info. You have given me more info that I can
use in two days than I have received in the last 6 months. Thanks again Glen
- 02/04/2010 - This is very helpful. It’s hard enough getting through to
anyone at human resources to answer questions, let alone getting to someone
who can actually answer your questions. Your answers are clear, concise,
and to the point. Thanks so much. Best, Lisa
- 11/04/2009 - Thanks you so much for your informative response. You are
the first person who could explain this to me in a logical fashion. And yes
I will enjoy retirement (after 38 plus years of service). Kevin
- 01/14/2008 - Your detailed answers really helped me and gave me
confidence that I am choosing the right date for me as a CSRS offset
employee. You offer so much good, practical advice. Margaret
How to Find Essential Retirement and Benefits Information
