Fedweek

TSP officials are expected to make a formal recommendation to the agency’s governing board soon on a long-dormant authority to create an investment “window” through which account holders could invest in financial offerings other than the TSP’s own funds. That authority has been on the books for six years but it wasn’t until last year that the TSP started looking into it seriously, starting with an initial study that is being followed up by one more in-depth. At a recent meeting with an outside advisory board of employee organizations, TSP officials gave a presentation about the program’s future that included an assumption that the investment window will be put in place. The earlier preliminary study raised numerous issues that would have to be resolved first, however, including whether there would be fees for making outside investment, whether the cost would be borne only by those using the window or spread across all investors, whether there would be limits on how much of an investor’s account could be in any one outside investment or among all such investments collectively, whether certain classes of investments or investment funds should be excluded because they carry high risks or high investment fees, and more. Officials have said that putting such an option in place would take about two years even if the board gives its approval.