Deep dives on federal retirement math, state-by-state analysis, scenario walkthroughs, and methodology essays. Every piece is built on the same transparent, source-cited approach as the calculator.
A mid-career GS-14 at year 12 receives a private-sector offer at $185,000. The salary looks like a win. The math says otherwise. We run the full break-even analysis — pension, FEHB, TSP, taxes — and find the number that changes the negotiation.
Most federal employees only see their annual pension number. Run the present value and a GS-14's FERS pension is worth over $2 million. Here's the full math.