TIME TO TRANSFORM YOUR SPACE INTO SOMETHING SPECIAL! EMPTY ROOMS, FULL POTENTIAL
When the kids leave the nest, you may find yourself with a lot of space — and a golden opportunity to create a home that reflects your current lifestyle and passions. Those empty rooms don’t have to gather dust; you can turn them into something that sparks
all the supplies you need for your craft and hang up artwork that inspires you. To create a home gym, clear space in the center of the room for an exercise mat and add workout equipment over time. A Fun Space for Entertaining Just because your little ones have grown up doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun and unleash your inner child. You could create a home movie theater with comfy recliner chairs and a big-screen TV or projector. These changes make movie night special, rather than just another typical night in the living room. Stock it with your favorite snacks, a popcorn machine, and warm blankets. If movies aren’t your thing, you could, instead, turn it into an entertainment room where your grandchildren can play on an inviting rug, or you can host friends in a relaxing seating area. So, whether you’re flexing your creativity or your muscles, those empty rooms have plenty of potential and space for you to explore your passions. Feather your empty nest with fun, fitness, and a little flair and enjoy.
joy for you. For years, your home has been the headquarters of science projects, sleepovers, and snack raids, but now it’s time to make those rooms work as hard for you as you’ve worked raising your children. With these
ideas, you can transform your newly emptied nest into almost anything!
A Hobby Room or Home Gym Are you an artist at heart? Maybe you’re getting into a new craft or activity. Have you always wanted to improve
your health but can’t stand going to the gym? Now is the perfect opportunity to turn a child’s old room into a hobby haven or workout station. It doesn’t matter what your passions are; this can be a space dedicated to improving yourself and getting creative. You can install vertical shelving to store
Don’t Let These Simple Errors Slow Your Benefits One Wrong Date Could Delay Your Pension
• Incorrect agency title: Your workplace title often doesn’t match exactly what’s listed in your agency’s official records. Even a small discrepancy, like “specialist” instead of “analyst,” could delay your paperwork. • Service credit: The amount of creditable service you’ve accrued determines your retirement eligibility and benefits. If your numbers don’t match what your agency has on record, it could increase your wait time and change your anticipated benefit. Make sure to include military service and any prior federal employment. • Survivor benefits: If you are married, you must identify that for your survivor benefits. Even if you are not electing survivor benefits, you must still complete the questions on the form. • Additional documents: You must submit additional documents along with your application; like marriage certificates, divorce decrees, proof of military service, or any other agency-specific forms.
You’ve spent years serving the public, and now it’s time to enjoy your well-deserved retirement. But one simple mistake in your paperwork could delay your benefits for months. Around 150,000 federal employees retire yearly, but about 25% of applications contain errors that slow the process. From incorrect dates to missing signatures, even the smallest oversight could cause headaches and longer wait times. Before you submit your paperwork, make sure to double-check for these common and costly mistakes. Required Documents When you’re ready to retire, you must submit several essential documents, including Standard Form 3107 and Standard Form 2818, which designates what will happen with your group life insurance. You must also fill out a W4- P, which dictates how federal taxes will come from your pension. Next, you’ll submit your paperwork to the Office of
Personnel Management (OPM), which will take 3–5 months to finalize. Most, but not all agencies have a Personnel Specialist whose job it is to deal with retiring employees’ paperwork prior to submitting it to OPM. It is valuable to consult with them to help you make sure you have all the vital information correct. Top Mistakes • Incorrect retirement dates: Double-check that you’ve listed the correct date for your retirement. Processing your annuity can’t start until after the date of separation from your agency for retirement, so this date must be accurate. • Forgetting to sign: This error happens more often than you may think. Your signature is required for your application to be valid and processed. • Mistakes with numbers: Ensure you correctly entered identifying numbers, such as your Social Security number and birth date.
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