Browsing: Investing

Q. You often express the virtues of the TSP, such as simplicity and low fees, but you also cite that the TSP offers eligible investors (i.e., federal employees, retirees and survivors) the unique G Fund. Besides being composed of “special-issue” Treasury bonds, can you elaborate on why the G Fund is a unique and valuable tool for managing ones portfolio and how one can best use the G Fund?

Q. I want to make my overall TSP more conservative. I am 56, and my TSP is very substantial (20 years’ worth of maxed-out contributions) and so are my other retirement assets. I am not feeling very risk tolerant. Currently I have 85 percent of my TSP in L2030. The other 15 percent is my last 3½ years of contributions (with catch-up) that I put in a 70/15/15 mix of C/S/I. I was thinking of moving the last 15 percent to L2030, or even moving that 15 percent into G or F/G. There was a period in the past 3½ years when I was…

Q. I’m late out the gate with my TSP account, however I’m excited that the C Fund is on a gaining streak right now. I used to have my 5 percent going to the G Fund, then whatever total amount I had in the G Fund I switched it completely over to the C Fund. I also added another 1 percent, so now I have a total of 6 percent of my paycheck going into the C Fund. I’m only a Grade 7 so finances are a little tight, and I’m sure they are going to be even tighter when it comes time…

Q. I visited my Roth IRA ($20,000-plus) adviser for a one-year review a few days ago. She informed me it would be better to invest my $150,000-plus with Edward Jones instead of the mandatory MetLife annuity required by TSP. Do I earn interest on my annuity and can I raise my yearly payment, or even pick the dollar amount? Does MetLife provide this information so I can make a educated decision? What do you suggest?

Q. I have been contributing money to the voluntary contribution program throughout the year, and I plan to make a fairly large contribution before the end of year, at which time I plan to retire. I am 60 years old, with 41 years of service. I plan to roll the VCP contributions to a Roth IRA. Will the Roth IRA account have to be held for 5 years before being able to withdraw without a penalty? Do I need to complete the VCP-to-Roth rollover before I retire? Do I need to complete the required forms for the rollover as part…

The election has demonstrated how difficult it can be to predict the effect of world events on the investment markets. If there was a consensus on the effect the outcome would have on the markets, it was that a Trump victory would be bad for stocks. While the stock market did drop significantly immediately following the news that Trump had won, by the end of the following day, it was in positive territory and continuing to climb. During the following weeks, several major stock market indices went on to reach new record highs. Ahead of the election, I did not…

Q. I just turned 60 and eligible for a one-time TSP withdrawal. My financial adviser is pressuring me now to do so. TSP says don’t do it! Where can I find an independent consultant to advise me what to do? Naturally, any financial adviser will recommend a TSP withdrawal so they can get their hands on my money. When I don’t know what to do or get conflicting advice, I don’t do anything! Is that the right approach? I would rather make an educated decision one way or the other.

Q. I recently started a job as a civilian with the federal government. I’m 46 years old and I’m using the TSP retirement system. What fund should I use to maximize my money while adding 5 percent to the G fund. Should I change the allotment to another fund on the list?

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