Ever since the issuance of Executive Order 14028, issued in May 2021 to improve cybersecurity across the entire government by implementing a zero trust architecture, federal agencies have been hard at work to meet the requirement. Then, in October 2023 – less than 18 months later – a new executive order, 14110, was released on the “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.” These are...

An Overview of FERS & Different Types of Retirement Types of service used for determining eligibility to retire under FERS Employee and agency contributions to FERS Military service and temporary time The FERS annuity computation Minimum age and service requirements Early retirement Deferred retirement and “postponed” retirement Understanding the Annuity Computation Amount of an annuity Length of service and unused sick leave H...

Agencies increasingly rely on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms such as Salesforce for mission-critical functions, which offers them numerous benefits including flexibility, reducing upfront IT resource costs and delegating upgrades and patches to the provider. Using Salesforce does not remove the agencies’ responsibility for cybersecurity, however, and SaaS applications face their own risks, including misconfigurations, poor access...

An Overview of How Federal Benefits are Taxed FERS Annuity CSRS Annuity TSP Withdrawals from both Traditional and Roth TSP accounts Survivor Benefits Ed reviews how the IRS treats each of these items for Federal Employees. Other Tax Planning Topics to Consider The taxation of Social Security Benefits, how much the state you live in impacts your net amount of income, and which states have the highest and lowest property tax rates The 2017 Tax L...

When FBI Director Christopher Wray speaks publicly about the cyberthreat posed by the Chinese government to U.S. critical infrastructure, it is past time to take the danger seriously. “The PRC [People’s Republic of China] has made it clear that it considers every sector that makes our society run as fair game in its bid to dominate on the world stage, and that its plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to...

In the realm of federal cybersecurity, Zero Trust principles are essential for resilience. This panel discussion delves into the intricacies of integrating ZT principles into established architectures, fostering a culture of trustworthiness and resilience at the agency level. Insights will be shared on navigating implementation processes such as FedRAMP compliance, Software as a Service (SaaS) adoption, and other complexities inherent in the t...

Government today faces a long list of imperatives in serving and defending its constituents while supporting and empowering its workforce. Constituents must trust that their need for essential services can be met with transparency, without sacrificing their privacy and security. Agencies and customers alike must feel safe from internal and external threats, including cyberattacks that could cripple infrastructure and disrupt vital services. Em...

The Basic Steps to Estate Planning What information to gather and analyze, what decisions need to be made (plus suggestions to help your choices), and how and when to review periodically. Why An Estate Plan is Needed What happens to an estate post-mortem? Information about trusts, probate, the titling of property Tax implications ... plus more information about estate planning specifically for federal employees.

A Practical Approach to A-123 Compliance Programs Join us for a unique, interactive workshop that "walks you through" the latest update of The Green Book which now conforms to the Internal Control Integrated Framework (COSO 2013). This training is focused on the current Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government as detailed in the Green Book. This 18 hour CPE course provides you with the tools to implement a compliance program th...

FEHB and Medicare Benefits An Overview of Health Insurance for Federal Employees An overview of federal health benefits in retirement Premium costs Plan changes and what to know about Open Seasons TriCare and other FEHB plans Healthcare Flexible Savings Account strategies, Medicare Understanding the Vision and Dental Plans Enrollment Premiums How it works with your Health Benefits, Annuity, TSP and other components of the Federal Retirement Be...