This fifth of six columns on survivor annuity benefits discusses spousal survivor options and death benefits for employees covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) who die in service.

For decades, a particular kind of federal widow learned to live with a strange arithmetic: her late husband paid into Social Security through a side job, she qualified for a spousal or survivor ...

The federal survivor annuity election is irrevocable, permanently cutting monthly checks by 10% and costing retirees roughly $90,000 in lifetime present-value income. FEGLI Option B premiums double ...

An individual owns a life insurance policy and the insurance company refuses to pay the death benefit claim when the insured dies. This scenario is not beyond the realm of possibility as many state ...

A 68-year-old federal retiree sits down with his account statements and has a startling revelation. His Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) holds $1.2 million, his FERS or CSRS annuity arrives like clockwork, ...