You’ve Spent Your Career in Service. Now It’s Time for a Retirement That Serves You.
Buckets is the #1 book for federal employees ready to turn confusion into clarity—with a simple 3-part framework for securing income, enjoying life, and leaving a legacy.
This Isn’t Just a Book...
It’s the Blueprint Federal Employees Have Been Missing.
Inside Buckets, you’ll discover:
The Needs, Fun, Legacy (NFL) framework that organizes your pension, TSP, Social Security, and insurance into a single, clear system
How to calculate your Core Monthly Expense Number and match it to guaranteed income
The most costly federal retirement mistakes—and how to avoid them before it’s too late
What to do before your HR exit meeting to protect your healthcare, survivor benefits, and future income
Why traditional financial advice misses the mark—and how to make confident, informed decisions without second-guessing
Planning tools, timelines, and access to a companion resource vault for videos, calculators, and templates
Turn Years of Service Into a Future You’re Excited to Step Into.
You Don’t Need More Benefits. You Need a Better Way to Use Them.
For decades, you’ve worked inside a structured system. You’ve followed the rules. You’ve earned your benefits.
But now, as retirement nears, you’re being told: “You’re eligible. You’ll be fine.”
And yet… it doesn’t feel that way.
If you’re like most federal employees, you’re facing:
Confusing options with no clear path forward
Contradictory answers from HR and OPM
The fear of making a decision you can’t take back
Worry about healthcare costs, running out of money, or leaving a mess behind
This book is your answer. It's the guidebook every federal employee should receive when they’re handed their pension estimate.
You'll Discover:
How to turn fragmented benefits into one cohesive plan
A simple framework to know you’re ready to retire—not just eligible
How to protect your income, enjoy your life, and leave a legacy
How to finally move from fear to freedom, from questions to clarity
This Book Is For:
Federal employees (non-military), age 59½ and up who are thinking seriously about retirement
Individuals feeling unsure, overwhelmed, or unprepared—even after decades of service
Public servants who want more than a pension estimate—they want a real plan
Anyone worried about making a mistake they can’t take back with their income, healthcare, or benefits
People who want to retire with clarity, not confusion—and with confidence, not guesswork
There Is No Catch
Just to put your mind at ease, there is no monthly charge that gets added to your order later, or any kind of "forced continuity".
It's not going to happen.
And there's a good reason why…
The Goal Of This Book:
The goal of this book is simple: to turn uncertainty into confidence.
If you're a federal employee approaching retirement, you’ve earned great benefits—but you're still left with big questions. “Am I truly ready?” “Will it all work together?” “What if I make a mistake I can’t undo?”
You're not alone.
Every year, thousands of public servants retire feeling eligible—but not prepared.
Buckets™ is here to change that.
If you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels, stop guessing about what to do next, and finally retire with structure, clarity, and peace of mind...
This is your blueprint.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ward Brooks is a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and the creator of the Buckets retirement planning system—designed specifically for non-military federal employees. After years of watching good people retire with more questions than answers, he built a simple 3-part framework to help federal workers retire with clarity, purpose, and peace of mind.
As a trusted guide to employees across federal agencies, Ward brings not just technical expertise—but deep empathy. He understands the fear of irreversible decisions and the weight of transitioning from structure to uncertainty. Buckets is the system he’s used with hundreds of clients—and now, it’s yours.