Tips for Filling out the OGE 278, Public Financial Disclosure Report 

IN GENERAL 

The following is a list of tips to help avoid common mistakes in filling out aGE 278s: 

• The annual form is due by May 15th. 

• A Periodic Transaction Report, aGE 278-T, is due within 30 days of the 

notification of a transaction, but no later than 45 day ofthe transaction. 

• The form itself contains more detailed instructions and examples. 

• Include information about the financial interests of yourself, your spouse, and 

your dependent children. 

• If you have questions at any time, please consult an ethics official at your local 

NASA Center legal office. (see the contact list at the end) 

Personal Information Block 

Date of Appointment: Be sure to complete. 

Reporting Status: Be sure to mark whether you are a new entrant (i.e., a first time aGE 

278 filer), an annual filer, or a termination filer. 

Part 1: Filer's Positions Held Outside U.S. Government 

Report: Do Not Report: 

All positions outside the U.S. Government held at any time • Any position with a 

during the reporting period, whether or not you were - Religious entity 

compensated and whether or not you currently hold that - Social entity 

position. Positions include an officer, director, employee, - Fraternal entity 

trustee, general partner, proprietor, representative, - Political entity 

executor, or consultant of any of the following: • Any position that you hold as part of 

• Corporation, company, firm, partnership, trust, or your official duties 

other business enterprise • Any position solely of an honorary 

• Non-profit or volunteer organization nature 

• Educational institution 

• Labor organization 

• Any organization other than the US Government 
Parts 2, 5 and 6 - Assets and Income (Filer's, Spouse's, and Other) 

FOR ALL ASSETS -

Part 2: Filer's Employment Assets and Income 

Report: 

• all sources of non-Federal salary, fees, commissions, 

and other earned income greater than $200 

• bonus 

• consulting fee 

• deferred compensation 

• defined benefit pension plan 

• defined contribution plan (e.g., 40 I (k) plan, 403(b) 

plan, 457 plan, TIAA-CREF account) 

• director's fee 

• employee stock ownership plan 

• employee stock purchase plan 

• employer stock obtained through employment (e.g., by 

exercising a stock option) 

• farming income 

• fee for serving as a trustee or as an executor or 

administrator of an estate 

• honorarium 

• incentive stock option 

• individual retirement account (IRA) 

• investment fund created by an employer soleI y for 

employees 

• law firm income 

• LLC income 

• long-term incentive plan 

• money purchase pension plan 

• partnership distribution or partnership distributive 

share 

• phantom stock 

• restricted stock 

• restricted stock unit 

• self-funded defined benefit plan 

• severance payment from an employer 

• solo legal practice income 

• split-dollar life insurance 

• stock appreciation right 

Do Not Report: 

• Federal Government employment, 

salary or retirement benefits 

• Thrift Savings Plan 

• Social Security benefits 
Part 5: Spouse's Employment Assets and Income 

Report: Do Not Report: 

• all sources of non-Federal salary, fees, commissions, 

and other earned income greater than $200 

• bonus 

• consulting fee 

• deferred compensation 

• defined benefit pension plan 

• defined contribution plan (e.g., 40 I (k) plan, 403(b) 

plan, 457 plan, TIAA-CREF account) 

• director's fee 

• employee stock ownership andlor employee stock 

purchase plan 

• employer stock obtained through employment (e.g., by 

exercising a stock option) 

• farming income 

• fee [or s"rving as a trustee or as an executor or 

administrator of an estate 

honorarium • Federal Government employment, • 

• incenti ve stock option salary or retirement benefits 

• Thrift Savings Plan 

• indi vidual retirement account (IRA) • Social Security benefits 

• investment fund created by an employer solely for 

employees 

• law firm income 

• LLC income 

• long-term incentive plan 

• money purchase pension plan 

• partnership distribution or partnership distributive 

share 

• phantom stock 

• restricted stock 

• restricted stock unit 

• self-funded defined benefit plan 

• severance payment from an employer 

• solo legal practice income 

• split-dollar life insurance 

• stock appreciation right 

Part 6: Other Assets and Income 

Report for Yourself, Spouse, and Dependent Child: Do Not Report: 

Assets held for investment with a value greater than • Federal Government retirement 

$1,000 at the end of the reporting period OR assets held for benefits 
investment which produced more than $200 in income 

during the reporting period, including but not limited to: 

• stocks, bonds, trust holdings, partnership interests, life 

insurance (other than term), investment real estate, or a 

privately-held trade or business 

• mutual funds (report the full name of the fund, not just 

the general family fund name) 

• holdings in retirement plans, such as 401 (k)s or lRAs 

(list each holding) (unless reported in Part 2 or 5) 

• holdings of investment life insurance (universal, 

variable, or whole) 

• commercial crops, livestock 

• 529 plan (college savings plan or prepaid tuition plan) 

• American depositary receipt 

• annuity (fixed or variable) purchased on the market 

• bank account 

• beneficial interest in a trust 

• brokerage account holdings 

• collectible item 

• common trust fund of a bank 

• corporate bond (not acquired through employment 

(reported in Part 2 or 5)) 

• equity index-linked note 

• exchange-traded fund 

• foreign exchange position (forex) 

• futures contract 

• government agency security 

• investment fund unrelated to employment 

• life insurance (universal, variable, or whole) 

• loan made to another party 

• managed account holdings 

• money market account 

• money market mutual fund 

• mutual fund 

• oil, gas, or other mineral rights lease 

• put or call option not acquired through employment 

• real estate 

• real estate holding company (e.g., REIT) 

• short sale 

• Thrift Savings Plan 

• Term life insurance 

• Your personal residence unless you 

rent it out 

• Money owed to you, your spouse, or 

dependent child by a spouse, parent, 

sibling, or child 

• Deposits aggregating $5,000 or less 

in a single financial institution in 

money market accounts, certificates of 

deposit, savings accounts, checking 

accounts or other deposits 

• Income arising from the dissolution 

of the filer's marriage or permanent 

separation such as alimony or child 

support 

• Dependent child's earned income or 

other non-investment income 

• Veterans' benefits 

• Federal Government salary of you or 

your spouse 

• Spouse's Federal Government 

retirement benefits 

• Social Security benefits 
Reporting Examples 

Mutual FUllds-

• Give the fund family name and the specific name of the fund. 

Example: Vanguard Health Care Fund 

Example: T Rowe Price Blue Chip Growth Fund 

Alllluities- Give name of annuities and state whether fixed or variable. If variable, list 

the underlying assets such as mutual funds (by fund family and specific fund). 

Example: Smith Barney Tax Deferred Annuity (Fixed) 

Example: Fidelity Growth and Guaranteed Income (Variable) 

- [list each underlying asset on a separate line underneath] 

Illsurallce- Give name of company and type (whole, universal, or variable). Ifvariable, 

list the underlying assets such as mutual funds. 

Example: Prudential Life insurance policy (whole life) 

Example: Northwestern life insurance policy (variable life) 

- [list each underlying asset on separate line] 

Brokerage or other Illvestmellt Accoullts- You must list on separate lines all the 

underlying assets in these accounts. This includes 529 education plans that allow you to 

choose the underlying investment assets. Provide full name of brokerage account or 529 

plan as well as listing its assets. 

Trusts- You must list the underlying assets of a trust in which you have a vested 

beneficial interest, even if it is uncertain when your right to possession will begin. 

This reporting requirement includes situations in which you are the grantor of a 

revocable living trust and you have present legal rights to the trust, property or 

mcome. 

Example: Beverly C. Smith Revocable Trust (non-vested beneficiary) 

Example: Morgan Black Irrevocable Trust (vested beneficiary) 

- [list all underlying assets on separate lines underneath] 

Private Limited Partllerships- You must list on separate lines all the underlying assets 

held by a private LP. 

Excepted Illvestmellt FUllds (EIFs) -_Note that certain underlying funds may be 

categorized as "Excepted Investment Funds," due to their characteristics (i.e., widely 

held, publicly traded or widely diversified, and independently managed). This means that 

filers are not responsible for listing the stocks within those funds, but must still list the 
complete name of the fund family and fund. If you indicate that an asset is an Excepted 

Investment Fund, you do not need to indicate the type of the income, but must provide its 

value and the amount of income even if the account is tax-deferred. 

Honoraria_- When reporting honoraria received by you or your spouse, please 

remember to include the EXACT AMOUNT and the DATE. 

Part 3: Filer's Employment Agreements and Arrangements 

ReDort: Do Not Report: 

• Continuing participation in an employee pension or 

benefit plan (e.g., pension, 40 I (k), deferred • Any agreement or arrangement 

compensation) maintained by a former employer related to your employment by the 

• A leave of absence Federal Government 

• Future employment, including date you accepted • Spouse's and dependent child's 

employment offer agreements or arrangements 

• Continuation of payment by a former employer 

(including severance pay) 

Note: Report any negotiations for future employment from 

the point you and a potential non-Federal employer have 

agreed to your future employment by that employer 

whether or not you have settled all of the terms, such as 

salarv, title, benefits, and date employment is to begin. 

Part 4: Filer's Sources of Compensation Exceeding $5,000 in a Year 

(New Entrant Filers only) 

Report: Do Not Report: 

Sources of compensation in excess of $5,000 and the • Information to the extent that it is 

nature of the duties you provided. This includes not only considered confidential as a result of a 

the source of your salary or other fees, but the disclosure of privileged relationship established by 

clients for whom you personally provided more than law, or 

$5,000 in services even though the clients' payments were • Information about persons for whom 

made to your employer, firm or other business affiliation. services were provided by a business 

affiliation of which you were a member, 

Note: Report in this part only when a client paid your partner or employee unless you were 

business affiliation more than $5,000 for your services. directly involved in the provision of the 

When a source paid you directly report that in Part 6 if the services. The name of a client of a law 

payment was in the reporting period. firm is not generally confidential. 

• Compensation paid to your spouse or 

a dependent child. 
Part 7: Transactions (Annual and Termination fIlers only) 

Report for Yourself, Spouse, and Dependent Child: Do Not Report a transaction 

involvin2: 

• your personal residence (unless 

rented out) 

Any purchase, sale, or exchange of any real property, • a money market or personal savings 

stocks, bonds, commodity futures, mutual funds, and other account 

securities when the amount involved in the transaction • a holding of a Qualified blind, 

exceeded $1,000. Only those transactions that individually diversified, or excepted trust 

exceeded $1 ,000 need to be reported. • US Treasury bills, notes, and bonds 

• solely by and between you, your 

spouse, and/or dependent child(ren) 

Part 8: Liabilities 

• Do not list the mortgage or home equity loan on your primary residence. 

• Please ensure that you include the date incurred, interest rate, and term (if 

applicable) for all liabilities. 

• Report the highest amount owed during the previous calendar year. For example, 

a piece of property that was sold or whose mortgage was paid in full during the 

reporting period will still have a reportable liability because of the highest amount 

owed requirement. 

Report for Yourself, Spouse, and Dependent Child: Do Not Report: 

A liability over $10,000 owed at any time during the • a personal liability owed to a spouse 

reporting period. Report the highest amount owed on any or dependent child, or to a parent, 

liability held during the reporting period, not just at the end brother, sister, or <;hild of you, your 

of the period. spouse or dependent child 

• a mortgage or home equity loan 

Examples: rental property mortgage, student loans, secured by real property which is the 

investment loans, and lines of credit personal residence* (or a second 

residence not used for producing 

*As a result of the Stop Trading on Congressional income) of you or your spouse 

Knowledge Act of20 12, Presidentially Appointed, Senate- • a loan secured by a personal motor 

Confirmed filers must report any personal residence vehicle, household furniture, or 

mortgage on their OGE 278 filed after April 4, 20 12. Do appliances, where the loan does not 

not include the street address (e.g., 123 Main). Other Filers exceed the purchase price of the item 

do not report the mortgage liability on their personal • a revolving charge account where 

residence unless it is rented out. the outstanding liability did not exceed 

$10,000 as ofthe close of the 
reporting period 

• any liability of your spouse or 

dependent child which represents the 

sole financial interest or responsibility 

of the spouse or child, and about 

which you have no knowledge, and 

which is not derived from your 

income, assets, or activities, and 

concerning which you neither derive 

nor expect to derive any financial or 

economic benefit. 

Part 9: Gifts and Travel Reimbursements Annual & Termination Filers only) 

• Do not list travel paid for by the U.S. Government or given to the Government in 

connection with your official travel. 

Report for Yourself, Spouse, and Dependent Child: Do Not Report: 

• Travel-related reimbursements (items such as lodging, • Anything for which you paid fair 

transportation, and food) totaling more than $375 from any market value 

one source during the reporting period; include where you • Anything received from relatives 

traveled, the purpose, and date(s) of the trip (i.e., your father, mother, son, 

• Any other gifts totaling more than $375 from anyone daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, 

source during the reporting period great uncle, great aunt, first cousin, 

nephew, niece, husband, wife, 

grandfather, grandmother, grandson, 

*If you received more than one gift from one source: granddaughter, father-in-law, mother1. Determine the value of each item you received from that in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, 

source brother-in-law, sister-in-law, 

2. Ignore each item valued at $150 or less stepfather, stepmother, stepson, 

3. Add the value of those items valued at more than $150; stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, 

if the total is more than $375, then you must list those half brother, half sister, your spouse's 

items on this form grandfather or grandmother, or your 

fiance or fiancee); 

• Anything received from the U.S. 

Government, D.C., state, or local 

governments 

• Bequests and other forms of 

inheritance 

• Gifts and travel reimbursements 

given to your agency in connection 

with your official travel 

• Gift items in the nature of 

communications to your office, such 

as subscriptions to newspapers and 

oeriodicals 
• Suitable mementos of a function 

honoring you 

• Gifts of hospitality (food, lodging, 

entertainment) at the donor's residence 

or personal premises 

• Anything received by your spouse or 

dependent child totally independent of 

their relationship to you 

SIGNATURE BLOCK: Before signing, you must review the form to ensure it is 

complete and accurate. If you are filing electronically, you must use your NASA Agency 

User ID (AUlD) and IdMAX password to electronically sign the form. 

If you are logging into EPTS from home, you will be asked to enter your Agency 

User 10 (AUlD; e.g., jsmith1) and Password to log in to your form. The Agency 

User 10 and Password is the same as your Access Launchpad account. 

If you can't remember your Access Launchpad User 10, you can click on 

the link on the login page that says "I don't know my Agency User 10." 

You may also click on the following link: Access Launchpad. 

If you can't remember your Password, you can click on the link on the 

login page that says "I forgot my Password." You may also click on this 

link: Access Launchpad . 

If you need personal assistance obtaining your Agency User 10 and 

Password, please call the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) 

Customer Contact Center at 1-877-677-2123. 
Legal Office Contact Information 

Field Centers IVallle E-Mail Telephone 

ARC Femy McGrath (j!my.. d. mcgrath@.nasa.gov 650-604-5116 

AFRC Erik Lundin erik. b. /undin@nasa.gov 661-276-2552 

GRC JaclYII Facinelli iaciy'n. r. {gcinelli@nasa.gov 216-433-2315 

GSFC Laura Giza laura. m.ziz~nasa.zov 301-286-9181 

HQ DOllna Nelson donna. i- ne/ son@.nasa. gov 202-358-0550 

JSC AmyXenofos Amy. v.xeno{os@nasa.gov 281-483-3021 

KSC DawlI Feick dawn.a. (eick@nasa.gov 321-867-9223 

LaRC Ken Goetzke kenneth. h. goetzke@.nasa.gov 757-864-7390 

Pete Polen charles. a. [!.olen@.nasa.gov 757-864-3225 

MSFC Pam Bourque Dam. bouraue@.nasa.zov 256-544-0024 

NMOIJPL Brett Swansoll Brett. swanson-l @nasa.gov 661-276-3034 

SSC Dialle Sims diane. m.sims@nasa. g:ov 228-688-2164 

NSSC Troy Taylor troy'. d. tay.lor@.nasa.gov 228-813-6830 

IGO{fice Contact your local IG Coullsel