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GT Wealth Your Free Federal Retirement Blueprint 👇www.gtwealthguide.com/federal-blueprint Hi, I’m Tom 👋 , a Certified Financial Planner™ and founder of GT Wealth.

We help successful families and business owners slow down, get intentional, and build a life they never want to retire from. One that's aligned with their values, goals, and vision for the future. Whether you're planning your next chapter or already retired, our GT LifePath process helps you create clarity, purpose, and financial confidence.

đź“Ť Based in PA | Working virtually with clients across t

he U.S.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Husband & dad of two
đź’Ş Runner, drummer, lifelong learner
🎧 Always got a podcast on

Visit us at www.gtwealthguide.com to learn more!

Medicare has a memory and it's two years long.Your 2026 Medicare premium is not based on what you earn in 2026. It's bas...
09/02/2026

Medicare has a memory and it's two years long.

Your 2026 Medicare premium is not based on what you earn in 2026. It's based on the tax return you filed for 2024.

That is the whole rule and it changes how you plan.

A Roth conversion you do this year does not touch this year's premium. It sets the premium you pay two years from now.

Sell a rental property this year? Same thing. Two years out.

And it works in the other direction too.

The year you retire, your income usually drops a lot. But your Medicare premium keeps looking at the old, higher return. So you can be living on a much smaller income and still be paying a high income premium.

For two more years.

Here's the part almost nobody uses.

Retiring counts as a life-changing event. There is a form for it. It is called SSA-44. You give Social Security proof that your work stopped, and you ask them to use your current income instead of that old return.

It is not automatic. You have to ask.

So if you retired recently and your Medicare premium looks too high, that is not a mistake you have to accept. That is a form you have not filled out yet.

Save this and share it with someone who just retired.

09/02/2026

Before you decide anything about Medicare, answer this question.

At 65, will you still be working, or will you already be retired?

That's the fork in the road. Almost every other rule hangs off it.

If you're still an active federal employee at 65 with FEHB through that job, you have what Medicare calls current employer coverage. In most cases you can delay Part B and not pay a late penalty. When you finally stop working, you get a Special Enrollment Period to sign up. That window is 8 months long, and it starts when your job ends or your coverage ends, whichever comes first.

So your real question is not whether to enroll at 65. It's when to enroll after you stop.

Now let's flip it.

If you're already retired at 65, you don't have current employer coverage anymore. FEHB as a retiree is great coverage, but it's not the kind Medicare gives you a pass for. Neither is COBRA.

Wait too long and there's a penalty. 10% added to your premium for every full year you could have signed up and didn't.

And it doesn't expire. You pay it every month for as long as you have Part B.

That's why this question comes first not because the answer is complicated, but because it decides which set of rules you have to follow.

Most people already know if they plan to work past 65. They've just never connected it to their Medicare deadline.

09/02/2026

Somebody asks me this almost every week. Should I add Medicare Part B to my FEHB?

And I always let them down a little because the honest answer is: it depends. I know that's not satisfying but watch what happens when people ignore it.

Someone hears at a class that every federal retiree should take Part B. So they sign up. But their FEHB plan gives them almost nothing extra when Medicare pays first. Now they pay two bills and got very little back.

Someone else hears that FEHB is so good you never need Part B. So they skip it. Ten years later their health changes. Their costs go up. And the door back in to get Part B is not cheap.

Both of them followed a rule. Neither of them looked at their own situation.

Here's what the answer actually depends on.

Your own FEHB plan, and what it does when Medicare pays first. Some plans drop your deductible and copays. Some barely move.

Your health and how much care you honestly expect to use.

Your income, because higher income means a higher Medicare premium.

Whether you're working or retired at 65 because that changes the sign-up rules completely.

And how much you value knowing what a year of healthcare will cost you.

Five things. Change any one of them and the answer can change.

So when someone tells you what every federal retiree should do, they are telling you about their situation. Not yours.

The good news is you can figure this out.

Here's the whole 2026 IRMAA ladder for a married couple, in one picture.These are yearly numbers for the household, with...
09/02/2026

Here's the whole 2026 IRMAA ladder for a married couple, in one picture.

These are yearly numbers for the household, with both spouses on Part B and Part D.

Up to $218,000, you pay the standard rate. About $4,870 for the year.

From $218,001 to $274,000, add about $2,297.

From $274,001 to $342,000, add about $5,770.

From $342,001 to $410,000, add about $9,240.

From $410,001 to $750,000, add about $12,710.

Over $750,000, add about $13,872.

Read that list again and notice something. The jumps get bigger as you climb. And each one happens at a single dollar.

Now here's the part that surprises people most.

Your 2026 premium is not based on what you make in 2026.
It's based on the tax return you filed for 2024.
Medicare looks back two years.

So the income you create this year is already deciding a bill you will not see until two years from now.

That is not a reason to panic. It is a reason to plan on purpose.

Find your line. Then decide what you want your income to be.

Save this and keep it with your tax paperwork.

09/02/2026

Should you retire from federal service at 57 or wait until 62?

In this reel I compare the numbers in a simple FERS example.

At 57, with 30 years of service and a $150,000 high three, the pension is about $3,750 a month.

At 62, with 35 years of service, a 1.1% multiplier, and a $165,000 high three, the pension is about $5,294 a month.

That's a difference of about $1,544 a month, or $18,500 a year, for life. Your spouse may also be affected if you choose a survivor benefit.

The bigger pension is easy to see. But a bigger pension does not always mean a better decision. The real question is what those extra five years cost in time, health, family, and freedom.

If you want help comparing your own FERS retirement options at 57 and 62, you can schedule a free Federal Retirement Blueprint from the link on my page when you’re ready.

FERS retirement at 57 vs 62. FERS pension calculation. High three salary, years of service, TSP, and federal employee retirement planning.

This is the one that makes people mad and I understand why.Medicare charges higher income households extra. The extra am...
09/01/2026

This is the one that makes people mad and I understand why.

Medicare charges higher income households extra. The extra amount is called: IRMAA. It stands for Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount.

Here's what makes it so rough.

IRMAA is a cliff. Not a ramp.

In 2026, a married couple with income up to $218,000 pays the standard rate. Both on Part B, that's about $4,870 for the year.

Go one dollar over. Just one dollar.

Now that same couple pays about $7,167 for the year, once you count the extra on Part B and the extra on Part D.

That's $2,297 more. For one dollar of income.

There's no partial step. There is no phase-in. You are under the line or you are over it.

I have watched people cross that line by accident. A little extra withdrawal in December. A stock sale nobody thought about. A conversion that was $15,000 too big.

None of it was reckless. They just did not know the line was there.

So find out where your line is before the year ends, not after.

Save this one. It pays for itself.

Let's put a real number on this.In 2026 the standard Medicare Part B premium is $202.90 a month, per person.If you and y...
08/31/2026

Let's put a real number on this.

In 2026 the standard Medicare Part B premium is $202.90 a month, per person.

If you and your spouse both sign up, that's $405.80 a month. About $4,870 for the year.

And here's the part people miss. Your FEHB premium does not go away. You pay both.

There is also a Part B deductible of $283 a year. And if your household income is higher, you pay more than the standard rate. More on that another day.

So no, Part B is not free.

But that was never the right question.

The right question is what that money buys you.

It buys Medicare paying first on covered care.
It buys lower copays and deductibles on many FEHB plans.
And it buys costs you can actually predict, which matters more in retirement than most people expect.

For a couple that uses a lot of care, that trade can be worth every dollar. For a couple that is healthy and has a plan that gives little extra, it may not be.

Both answers are correct. They just belong to different people.

Run your own numbers before you decide.

08/31/2026

Retiring at 57 is not always a mistake for federal employees.

In this reel I show how the FERS supplement can help bridge the gap until age 62. In one example, the supplement drops by about $1,800 a month, or $21,600 a year. With $900,000 in TSP, covering that gap would be about a 2.5% withdrawal rate. For some couples, that may be very manageable.

You may be able to use the supplement until 62, pull from TSP for a few years, receive your pension COLA at 62, and choose your own time to start Social Security. Those bridge years may also give you more control over Roth conversions and future taxes.

Retiring at 57 is not the mistake. Filing without knowing your cash flow is.

If you want help comparing retirement at 57, 60, or 62, you can schedule a free Federal Retirement Blueprint from the link on my page when you’re ready.

FERS retirement at 57. FERS supplement and TSP withdrawals. Roth conversions and federal employee retirement planning.

08/31/2026

Can you retire from federal service at 57 without a penalty?

In this reel I show how to check if age 57 is on the table for you under FERS. If you are 57 with 30 years of service, you may qualify for an immediate, unreduced FERS pension.

The 1.1% FERS multiplier at 62 matters. But it's only one part of the decision. You also need to look at your pension, TSP, Social Security, FEHB, and survivor benefit.

If you are thinking about retiring at 57 or waiting until 62, you can schedule a free Federal Retirement Blueprint from the link on my page when you are ready.

FERS retirement at 57. Federal employee retirement at 62. FERS MRA, high three salary, pension multiplier, TSP, FEHB, and survivor benefits.

Here's the part that trips up almost everybody.Adding Medicare Part B does not replace FEHB. You keep both. What changes...
08/30/2026

Here's the part that trips up almost everybody.

Adding Medicare Part B does not replace FEHB. You keep both. What changes is the order they pay in.

And that order is the whole reason people add Part B in the first place.

Without Part B, your FEHB plan pays first. Your normal deductible, copays and coinsurance apply, just like they do today.

With Part B, Medicare usually pays first for covered services. Then your FEHB plan pays second. Many FEHB plans lower or waive their own deductible and copays once Medicare is primary.

Many do this. But not all.

That's what I wish more people heard.

Some FEHB plans give you a lot when Medicare goes first. Some offer a Medicare Advantage option built for federal retirees. Some give you very little extra.

Same program but very different value.

So do not decide this off what a coworker told you. Their plan may have completely different rules than yours.

Open your plan brochure. Find the section on Medicare. Read what your plan does when Medicare is primary. That section is your answer.

It takes 20 minutes and it's the single best use of your time on this whole decision.

Save this and go find your brochure.

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