Q. I work for a defense agency and I am planning to retire after 28 years of service at the end of this year at age 66. Now I am considering my options for handling and managing my Thrift Savings Plan fund. I have a question regarding withdrawal. According to TSP 775, I can withdraw funds through a single payment, a series of monthly payments or and purchase an annuity. If I decide to go for a series of monthly payments, which TSP form should I use to submit my application? A. TSP-70 – Request for Full Withdrawal.
Author Mike Miles
Mike Miles
Mike Miles is a Certified Financial Planner licensee and principal adviser for Variplan LLC, an independent fiduciary in Vienna, Virginia. Email your financial questions to fedexperts@federaltimes.com and view his blog at money.federaltimes.com.
Q. I have 19 years of federal service (counting the 10 years active duty I bought back). I am 51, and I fall under FERS. I don’t trust the government retirement system with what is going on in the economy and would like to invest in gold or silver, but I don’t trust it being in some IRA in another state, that if everything were to go south, I wouldn’t get anything anyway. Is there any way of withdrawing some or all of my funds without penalties to invest in hard assets? A. Not until you reach age 50½ or…
Q. I am planning on retiring within the next two years. I have a few IRA investments that I would like to transfer to the Thrift Savings Plan, but when I retire, will I be able to them leave there, or do I have to liquidate all my accounts in TSP when I retire? A. You may continue to maintain and manage your TSP account for as long as you live. You may also transfer eligible assets into the TSP at any time, for as long as you maintain the account.
Q. I am 57 years old with 25 years of Veterans Affairs Department service. I plan to leave federal service in April 2013. I would like to resign and postpone my FERS annuity until I reach 60 years old. I would like to start withdrawing from my Thrift Savings Plan soon after resignation. Is this possible to start withdrawals after separation, or must one be in a retired federal service status before starting TSP withdrawals? A. You may start withdrawals after your separation from service.
Q. On Oct. 10, 2009, you said that you could begin receiving fixed payments and switch to an annuity. On Nov. 8, 2010, you responded to a similar question with the opposite advice. I am trying to decide whether to take payments while hoping the providers’ rates improve or go to a fixed index annuity with another company. Is the decision to take payments in the Thrift Savings Plan irreversible? A. My Oct. 10, 2009, answer was incorrect. You may not end a series of automatic monthly payments with a TSP/MetLife annuity purchase. That option is only available when starting…
Q. I have six more years of active duty in the military. I have approximately $62,000 in my Thrift Savings Plan, 100 percent is in the G Fund. What would be the best fund for investment for my age and retirement in six years? A. It’s impossible to say from this information. The correct answer depends upon how and when you plan to use the money.
Q. Effective Feb. 29, 2012, I am a CSRS retiree from federal service; I participated in both the Thrift Savings Program ($201,000), and the Voluntary Contributions Program. I must make an election soon of the funds now in the VCP: $87,637 (nontaxable); $34,682 (taxable). I am married, and I will be 66 years old in October. I (we) do not foresee needing the money from these two sources in the near term. I will likely convert everything to a traditional IRA then Roth IRA in April of the year after I turn 70½, to be left to my son after I…
The availability of buyouts at many agencies and the upcoming elections are among topics prompting readers’ questions related to their Thrift Savings Plan investments. My answers may help other readers with similar concerns: Q. With 25-plus years of service, I qualify for a buyout. If I take the buyout, what happens to my TSP account? May I purchase an immediate annuity or take a lump sum even though I am below the minimum retirement age? Would this cause me to have to wait until I am 59½ to access TSP if I take an early-out? Do you believe the $25,000…
Q. I am 54 years old and I have 30 years of federal service under FERS. Should I start a Roth TSP at age 54? I was born in March 1958. I plan to work until I hit full Social Security, which, I think, is 67 or maybe 66. Bottom line: If I were to start the Roth TSP until retirement at age 67 or 66, which is 13 or 14 years from now, is it worth my time and effort? My current Thrift Savings Plan is about $230,000 as of July. Six years from now, about March 2018, I will be…
Q. I am really confused about the purchase of private annuities and when that is a good idea. I am a FERS employee who just turned 59½. I plan on working for another eight to 10 years, as I only have 12 years of service. My Thrift Savings Plan fund is around $92,000. Last year, my financial adviser, whom I met when his firm conducted a retirement seminar at the Atlanta Federal Center, suggested that I sell most of the securities in my private brokerage account and buy a fixed index deferred annuity from Midland National to avoid losses in…