Q. I’m a 44-year-old federal employee with 20 years of service and hopes of retirement at age 62. This means 17 more years of TSP contribution and growth opportunity. I’ve been using the “How much will my savings grow?” calculator for several years now and I attempt to capture a best, medium and worst-case scenario when it comes to the percentages of expected annual rate of return and expected annual pay increase. From a financial advisor perspective, what would you consider a safe range of annual rate of return for TSP growth?
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Q. I work for the U.S. Postal Service, but haven’t been there very long. I will be 65 this year and will probably only work for another year or so. Even though my time with the Postal Service has been short, will FERS, TSP and other retirement benefits be available to me as a 20- to 30-year career person? If so, what would be available, and how would I go about getting each of these started?
Q. I am separating from the U.S. Postal Service at age 58. If I take monthly payments of $1,400, will I still be taxed?
Q. When I separate from service I don’t want to do anything with my Thrift Savings Plan funds until required minimum distributions are required at age 71.5. What form do I use to let the TSP know my intentions, and when would I file it?
Q. I’m a federal employee under FERS with a little bit of 11 years of service. I retired active-duty Army, receiving retirement active-duty annuity and disability pay from the Veterans Health Administration. I have no loans through TSP and will have a balance of about $95,000 when I intend to retire in June of this year at my minimum retirement age of 56. I intend to depend significantly upon TSP, $1,000 plus a month, until I reach the age of 62, when my Social Security will start paying out. What would be the consequences of beginning receiving monthly payments prior…
Q. I am 38 years old with nine years of federal service and approximately $100,000 in my TSP. I am considering leaving the federal government within the next year and I am not exactly clear on what my options are. I understand that I can either leave the money in the TSP or withdraw it, but my wife and I intend to move back home to southeast Virginia. I have been considering taking approximately $20,000 and putting it toward a down payment on a house and putting the balance in a Vanguard IRA. I don’t know if this is this…
Q. I’m 68, about to retire from the U.S. Postal Service and have $260,000 in the TSP. Trying to choose between a rollover to Edward Jones or keeping in the TSP. I know the fees are high at EJ, but the personal contact is reassuring, and my track record isn’t very good managing my account in the TSP. Advice?
Q. I am 55 and retired CSRS this past January. When it comes to my TSP investment, 50 percent is in G, 40 percent in C, and 10 percent in S. Should I move any or all of my G Fund to C? It goes against the “buy low, sell high” philosophy, but I feel like I would earn more over time before I have to take minimum distribution if I put my G Funds back into C.
Q. I am a few months from retirement. I have a small residential loan (circa $6,000) that I am still repaying, but would also like to take out some more money from the TSP via a general purpose loan just before retirement. This seems worth it to me, even with the eventual tax liability because I could use the extra cushion while my retirement income stabilizes with OPM. I am over 55, so am only going to have to pay the loan values at my regular income tax rate, money which I will set aside. My TSP account is very healthy, as is…
Q. If I retire at 58 this year, and don’t touch my TSP until I’m 60, does the IRS still withhold 20 percent for taxes?