Make Sure Your Financial Planner Understands Federal Benefits
As federal employees, we have some benefits that most other workers do not. If we are working with a financial …More
TSP
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Opinion | Commentary
Social Security, Entitlement vs Earned Benefit
We’re beginning to hear the word “entitlement” bandied about as if it’s a bad thing. You have to admit that …More
Opinion | Commentary
TSP Fire Sale Buying Opportunities
I am a 38-year investor in the Thrift Savings Plan (“TSP”). As a federal retiree, I still take my TSP investing …More
Rolling Over Your TSP When You Leave
Will you end up leaving federal service in the next year? Some of you might want to leave in order …More
Leaving a Federal Job with a TSP Loan
About a year ago, I noted that there had been a 25% increase in the number of Thrift Savings Plan …More
Is There More to the TSP Than Just the Basic L Funds? Yes
The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a useful retirement savings vehicle for federal employees and military personnel. Most participants are …More
Opinion | Commentary
Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme? No but Changes are Needed
Elon Musk recently called Social Security a “Ponzi Scheme”. I wonder how the 27% of retired Americans who rely solely …More
TSP Considerations for Leaving Federal Service
Do you think you’ll be leaving federal service during 2025 (voluntarily or involuntarily)? If you can afford to do so, …More
Opinion | Commentary
Could Low TSP Fees, or Employer Matching Become a Budget Target?
Groundhog Day takes place every year on February 2nd. This past Groundhog Day, I thought of the eponymous 1993 movie …More
An Emergency Fund Can Help You Avoid Raiding Your TSP/IRA, and Steep Fees
Have you heard that there are going to be “large scale RIFs” coming in the next few years? If you’ve …More
Your TSP and Separating from the Federal Government
Will the current offer of “deferred resignation” have anything to do with the Thrift Savings Plan? The short answer is …More
Yes, There’s a Taxpayer Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States are called The Bill of Rights. It was necessary …More
Here Come the 1099s – Tax Forms When You Retire
If you haven’t already received your W-2s for 2024, you should be getting them soon. The same is true for …More
Survey Says: One Third Feel They Have Enough Saved for Retirement
Many of us base our plans on the “fact” that we will work until we reach a certain age – …More
2025 Tax Season is Here: TSP, IRA Considerations for Contributions and RMDs
One of the rules around Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) is that one must have earned income to contribute to an …More
Federal Retirees Have the Advantage When it Comes to Longevity Risk
When we invest in the Thrift Savings Plan or other investment vehicles, we realize that we must accept some level …More
What happens to your TSP if you go through a divorce?
2024 Update: What happens to your Thrift Savings Plan if you go through a divorce? “A man in love is …More
Forewarned is forearmed; Plan now for next year’s taxes
It’s not too early to start thinking about your 2025 federal income taxes; especially if you are planning on retiring …More
FERS and Social Security are Big, but You’ll Want a Fat TSP
It’s not uncommon for a federal employee to feel that they can’t afford to contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan, …More
Fraudulent Investment Red Flags
After I wrote a recent article on Ponzi schemes, I began to think about other types of investment fraud. That …More
There’s a Better ‘G Fund’ in the TSP Mutual Fund Window
Since its inception in June 2022, the money market settlement fund in the TSP’s mutual fund window (MFW) has outperformed …More
TSP Considerations Before and After Separation
For employees only – that describes Thrift Savings Plan contributions. You are not allowed to contribute to the TSP once …More
Just 15 Percent Make Catch-up Contributions
A recent survey conducted by Vanguard showed that only 15% of 401(k) participants aged 50 and older made catch-up contributions …More
There Could be More TSP Millionaires but for These Two Things
The April 2024 statistics had approximately 117,000 Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Millionaires for 6.9 active TSP plan participants. Let’s look …More
Taxable Income vs Earned Income
We recently wrote about various earnings tests and described how earned income is different from taxable income. Earned income is, …More
Can You Spot a Ponzi Scheme?
A Ponzi scheme is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays profits to earlier investors with funds from …More
Thinking of Rolling Over Your TSP? Read This
Many separated TSP participants choose to roll their money out of the Thrift Savings Plan. And by far, the most …More
Mutual Funds, ETFs and Fractional Shares
If you want to invest in the stock market and don’t have enough money to buy individual shares in publicly …More
No, TSP Income Does Not Count Toward Earnings Test
Does income you receive from Thrift Savings Plan distributions count towards the earnings test that apply to the Retiree Annuity …More
TSP: Would you Prefer to Sleep Better, or Eat Better
Financier John Pierpont (JP) Morgan was known for his pithy quotes about investing. One of them that bears repeating is …More
