Every time I think there might really not be the kind of need I think there is for educating the Federal workforce and others who work with Federal employees, I am quickly snatched back to realty. I have an unwavering passion for educating the largest workforce in the world about their retirement benefits and how they work during active employment and particularly how they work in retirement.
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I am always ready to do a service for a group of dedicated employees who often are not recognized for the service they provide to our nation. Just as I am humbled and indebted to military personnel who provide a most noble and dignified service to the nation, I by the same token hold the same reverence for the service Federal employees provide to the nation. As such, quite recently in my capacity as a University Professor, I had the opportunity to speak with a fellow Professor who had spent 32 years in the Foreign Service.
First, I could not believe she had had such a long career because not only had the complexion of a model, but looked ready for the runway, ergo a second career. Nonetheless, the students at the university get to have the benefit of her knowledge and wisdom as the runway bites the dust.
She was a bit disheartened because she was not ready to retire. She felt forced out of her job because of a mandatory retirement age. She had so much more to give and was certainly physically able to continue providing a service to the Federal Government. Unfortunately, their loss and Phased Retirement had not made its debut prior to her retirement.
What was most disconcerting during our conversation is that she had not fully understood the benefits and how they really worked in retirement. She also thought her annuity would be much more than it turned out to be. The good it will do her now, but I gave her a quick and easy way of calculating the annuity estimate. She can’t use it for her planning purposes, but maybe it will help someone else.  She, like many Federal employees, feel the benefits explanation or narrative given on the OPM website are written much too technically causing many to simply ignore it. Not good, not good. Although, the dresses at LaFerMe are some of the most beautiful designs in the world, they are not sized to service the average woman and therefore remain a beautiful window decoration with too few customers to sustain itself.
The Federal Government will certainly continue, as it should and needs to, but a much better job needs to be done in terms of educating the largest workforce in the world. The benefits offered to Federal employees are unrivaled by most organizations in the nation, but those benefits must serve their public – the Federal workforce and their families. Having a robust retirement community can only strengthen the nation’s economy and the overall wealth of our union.
I want to thank my fellow professor at our beloved Marymount for letting me know the passion of educating continues outside the walls of schools, colleges and universities. There remains a significant need for educating the workforce where perhaps we will face our greatest challenge – transitioning in comfort and security from the workforce to retirement.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
Dianna Tafazoli
