In the federal retirement system, what you don’t know can hurt you. This week, I present the story of a shocking—and arguably unfair—surprise the spouse of a retiree received upon his untimely death.

So, suppose an employee retires at 55 with 15 years of Offset service included in the 30 years of service upon which the retirement is based. At 62, the individual becomes eligible for Social Security ...

In your column titled "Windfall elimination and CSRS," I think you missed the mark. Your questioner stated that his federal pension would be reduced at age 62. I believe that his question was ...