Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Any examples used are for illustrative purposes only and do not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation or needs and may not be suitable for all investors. It is not intended to predict the performance of any specific investment and is not a solicitation or recommendation of any investment strategy.
Welcome to Reyna Retirement. Reyna Reyes has dedicated her career to helping people make smarter financial decisions. Reyna Retirement is all about breaking down complex financial concepts into language you can actually understand.
Now here's the co founder of American Federal Benefits Consultants, Reyna Reyes.
[00:00:40] Speaker B: Well, many of us have heard the song by abba or abba, however you want to pronounce it, slipping through my fingers. It's about watching their kids grow up and, you know, sprout wings and fly on their own and things like that and love that song. If you haven't seen that Mama Mia movie with Meryl Streep, you should check it out. Both of them pretty good, pretty good shows. But I feel like the mother hen whose retirees are, are flying the nest because they don't need me to fill out their documents any longer. They've got to kind of have access on their own. Right?
The Postal Service has caught on with everyone else. You've got to use the online retirement application. You know this, I've already done videos on this. We are just recapitulating that with that which we have already mentioned. And yesterday, this is Today is January 16, 2026 if you need reference. Yesterday the 15th, I completed what I believe will be my last ever physical piece of paper for a postal employee. Why? How could you do this, Raina? And this is after the date. Well, the Postal Service said if you allowed certain people who had already requested their documents before the date, they're still going to be allowed to submit physical paper into their retirement system. So I believe yesterday was the very last one I will ever complete in that manner. So it is. The time is slipping through my fingers all the time. So I'm kind of saying goodbye to that era and saying hello to the new world of a little bit of tech. So fear not, my friends. All you've got to do is contact shared services and tell them, hey, I'm trying to say sayonara. Can you go ahead and send me the magical email? And they will, they'll send you the email so you can clickety click your access into the Aura website, the Aura portal.
And like I said, you're seeing some other videos. You've got some videos on other postal employees that I've helped. I had one man, that was very interesting. Waited on military buyback, couldn't submit until January, hadn't requested documents because they didn't need to, because they had me. And because of that, I submitted them, we mailed them. I found out about this, I called them, I said, hey, it's changed. They might make you do a new one. Sure enough, they said, yep, you got to do a new one. We got his, we, we completed his retirement documents probably three times total just because we had finished them, had them ready, double checked them, mailed them, and then had to do them all again through, through the online retirement application system.
So if you're working with somebody, that's fine. I've had people contact me as a double triple check to be sure that the guy or gal they're working with is telling them the right stuff. And it's very common that I have to make some tweaks, edits, adjustments, corrections, not only in what they've been recommended in terms of benefits, but very often they're being recommended financial products or something like that, you know, as some type of, you know, incentive or sales tactic for that individual, which is totally fine. Many people do it. We have products we have that people use as well.
Sometimes you want to double check that you are being put in the right option. So feel free, reach out. My team and I, we're not standing by. I'm not going to pull the PBS tactic there. We're standing by. Operators are standing by. Go ahead and be $1,000 pledge member and we'll give you this special keychain made of leather. No, we, we're, we're ready to help at any time. You can text, you can call, we have websites, there's links, you get all kinds of stuff. Easiest text me at 850-450-6500 and I'll link you to the right specialist, whether that's location wise or specialty wise or whatever. But reach out. We can help you with anything to do with retirement specific to federal and postal or medicare. For anyone, we'll talk to you soon.
[00:04:35] Speaker A: Thanks for listening to Reyna. Retirement. With a strong commitment to ethical standards, Raina works hard to find the right solution for each individual or family who reaches out for advice. To contact Rayna directly, call 850-450-6500. That's 850450 6500. Or to reach the top team at American Federal Benefits Consultants, call 1-800-872-8857. That's 1-800-872- 8857. You can also go online to americanfederal.org not affiliated with the United States Government. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. These opinions are not intended as investment advice nor do they predict future performance of any product. All information provided is believed to be from reliable sources. However, we make no representation or warranty as to the actual accuracy of any statement. The information is intended to be educational in nature and does not provide a guarantee or specific result. All copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. American Federal Benefits Consultants is an independent organization, not a government agency or affiliated with the Federal Government or any state government. The terms CSRS, FERS, FEGLI and FEHB are all registered trademarks of the U.S. office of Personnel Management. American Federal Benefits Consultants, agents consultants or any independent contractors do not provide tax, legal or investment advice and do not engage in the solicitation or sale of securities. Consult with your tax advisor or attorney regarding specific situations.
