Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO)

Agency and Employee Responsibility

The following provides important information that defines the different responsibilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs and VA employees on the Retirement Financial Literacy and Education Program.

Agency Responsibility... Employing agencies have the primary responsibility for the delivery of retirement financial education to their employees and for supporting financial literacy. The Thrift Savings Plan Open Elections Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-469) required the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to develop and implement a retirement financial literacy and education strategy for Federal employees as part of the retirement training offered by OPM under 5 U.S.C. 8350. The implementation of the strategy must educate Federal employees on the need for retirement savings and investment, and must provide information on how to plan for retirement and how to calculate the retirement investment needed to meet their retirement goals.

Employee Responsibility... The best retirement financial literacy and education program in the world will not be effective unless you take a proactive role in utilizing information that is made available to you and your family members. Acting now and taking the necessary steps toward planning for your future will help you reach your financial and retirement goals. Employees should take full advantage of attending the financial education workshops, fairs, etc., that are conducted by their local Human Resources office. Make a commitment to yourself to learn and take the necessary steps you need in order to achieve your future retirement dreams. Remember, you control your financial and retirement future.

Helpful Tools

Below are some tools that may assist in making more informed financial decisions:

• Monthly Loan Payment Calculator *
• Debt Payoff Calculator *
• Federal Ballpark E$timator *
• Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI) Calculator *
• Savings Calculator *
• Student Loan Repayments Calculator *
• Saving Matters *
• Money Tips for all Ages *
• Improving Your Credit Score *
• FDIC Money Smart Program *
• Social Security Retirement Estimator *
• New Credit Card Rules *
• Savings Bond Wizard *
• IRS Withholding Calculator *
• Mortgage Comparison Calculator *
• Budget Worksheet
• Monthly Spending Plan
• Tips for Budget

Helpful Links

MyMoney.gov *

JumpStart.org *

Choose to Save *

 

Incharge.gov *

Department of Labor (DOL) *

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation *

 

U.S. Department of Agriculture *

Social Security Administration *

Securities and Exchange Commission *

 

Federal Reserve,
Board of Governers of the Federal Reserve *

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Financial Literacy Website *

 

FDIC Money Smart Program

Computer-Based Instruction
The Money Smart Computer-Based Instruction (CBI) is a friendly and easy to use learning tool that teaches the 10 modules of the Money Smart curriculum through a computer. The CBI can complement formal classes or enable people to study independently at their own pace. The CBI is for users age 13 and over.

Each module generally takes between 20-30 minutes to complete. Students receive ongoing feedback and, upon successful completion of each module, can print out a personalized certificate of completion.

The CBI is available online or on CD-ROM. The following links allow you to access the online CBI version of Money Smart.

• Enter Money Smart CBI Online (English Version) *
• Entra en Money Smart CBI Online (Versión en Español) *

If your computer does not meet the minimum requirements * or you have difficulty accessing the online web version, you may Order the Money Smart CBI on CD-ROM *.

For answers to questions such as minimum computer requirements for using the Money Smart CBI, refer to Frequently Asked Questions *.

For the best experience of the FDIC Money Smart CBI, please make sure you have the latest version of the Adobe Flash player installed on your computer. The latest version of Adobe Flash Player can be downloaded at http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer *. Installation questions or troubleshooting help can be found at http://www.adobe.com/support/flash *. If you are accessing the CBI from a slow Internet connection, the application may experience brief delays in responding.

Contacts