Q. I am planning to separate from the U.S. Postal Service and would prefer a full withdrawal of my TSP balance. I have an outstanding loan that I cannot pay off and would prefer to just pay the taxes and any penalty. Do I have to wait the full 90 days for this loan to go into default, or can I request that an immediate taxable distribution be declared and have the loan closed? When the loan is closed, do I need to pay the taxes/penalties then or would I just declare them when I file my taxes at year…
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. Besides the $18,500 and $5,000 “catch-up” (if at least age 50) 2018 contribution maximums to the TSP 403(b), can one contribute money beyond these two amounts in the form of after-tax non-matched contributions? At the TSP website it states as follows for the “Annual Addition Limit” of $55,000 per IRC Section 415(c): “An additional limit imposed on the total amount of all contributions made on behalf of an employee in a calendar year. This limit is per employer and includes employee contributions (tax-deferred, after-tax, and tax-exempt), Agency/Service Automatic (1%) Contributions, and Matching Contributions. For 415(c) purposes, working for multiple Federal agencies or…
Q. I am considering taking a position where I would be a re-employed annuitant and covered under a dual comp wavier. As my income looks like it would be over the limit for an IRA, what are the best ways I could continue to save for retirement while I am a reemployed annuitant and then roll those savings into the TSP?
Q. I am 57 years old and plan to retire from the federal civil service in 4-5 years with 23 years. About a year ago I significantly reduced the amount going to the G Fund and significantly increased the amount going into the C Fund. The changes have resulted in a current balance of 50 percent G Fund and 50 percent C Fund. Previous to the changes, I had a much larger percentage in the G Fund. I realize I am not diversified as I probably should be. Any recommendations for reallocating my TSP?
Q. Is it possible to do the following: transfer traditional money to an IRA from the TSP and then convert it to Roth IRA and then transfer it back to TSP as Roth TSP?
Q. I have all of my funds allocated to the G Fund and would like to diversify my account. I changed my allocation to 100 percent G Fund in June 2016 when markets were dropping, with the intention of rediversifying at some point. With the markets continued rise, I am afraid now that I will lose money if I tried to convert now since I would be buying in at a higher amount. The loss from the conversion may be worse than the gain of increased returns from the other investment options. What are your recommendations?
Q. There is a lot of information on sites regarding how to convert traditional TSP funds to a Roth IRA – and how to transfer Roth 401(k), Roth 403(b) and Roth 457(b) into the Roth TSP – but I can’t seem to find anything about transferring Roth TSP funds to a Roth IRA. I am told that this can be done (Roth to Roth), but can’t find anything definitive on it, or what form to use to do it.
Q. My wife and I are both 56-year-old retiring U.S. Postal Service FERS employees with over 30 years service. We each want to take a small lump withdrawal from our TSP and also receive monthly payments (not based on life expectancy). Will we be subject to an additional 10 percent penalty tax?
Q. My spouse is a U.S. Marshal retiring at age 51 with 28 years of service retiring next month. The question he has had a hard time getting answers to is transferring his TSP to an IRA and receiving monthly payments. He would like to transfer his TSP to an IRA to maximize his investment options, but is concerned if he takes immediate withdrawals that he will be forced to pay a penalty in addition to taxes. Is TSP the only option to taking immediate withdrawals before age 59.5? Can immediate withdrawals at 51 be made at firms such as…
Q. I am 56 with 32.5 years of FERS service and am getting ready to go home to the family ranch. I have about $550,000 in the TSP and most in the granny G fund. I want to basically draw the earnings after I hang it up. So, if I want to draw, say, $1,400 a month, can I do that, and am I able to adjust the draw, say, once a year?