Q. I am CSRS and eligible to retire now with 30 years at age 56. My salary excludes my wife and I from funding a Roth with more than $6,000 each year (except $22,500 allowable into new Roth TSP). Let’s say I put $25,000 into the Voluntary Contributions Program with the intention of making a one-time, lump-sum withdrawal as soon as possible and roll the original $25,000 into a private Roth IRA. I am told that doing so is a way to immediately fund a Roth that is not limited to my current $6,000 amount mentioned above. Do I understand this correctly,…
Browsing: CSRS
Q. I am a CSRS employee with 38 years of government service. So far, I have my funds spread over all of the funds: 45 percent in G and 30 percent in F. Is this wise considering I intend to retire in fiscal year 2013? Also, is it wise to take funds from my Thrift Savings Plan and just pay off one of my two mortgages? The mortgage rates are 4.5 percent and 5 percent. I’d like to pay off the 5 percent mortgage, which is about $150,000. Is this wise? If not, why not? A. Your asset allocation makes no sense.…
Q. I wanted to know your thoughts over using a portion of my savings for a “fun” account. I am 57, retired from CSRS, debt-free with no children and a spouse who has a defined benefit pension that would cover her expenses independently. I have $120,000 in a Roth IRA; $100,000 in CDs; and $225,000 in the Thrift Savings Plan, 50 percent in F and G funds. The Roth has 50 percent in a health mutual fund, 50 percent in a financial mutual fund and earns about 6 percent annually. Why not take, say, $75,000 and put it in an account…
Q. I am 59 and am going to retire next year. I am in CSRS. I have a loan on my Thrift Savings Plan, which, if I retire next year, won’t be completely repaid. Do I have to repay it, since it’s my money and I can withdraw all of my money from TSP when I retire? A. No. If you don’t repay it, the outstanding balance will be declared a distribution and will be reported to you as taxable income. Since you are retiring after the year in which you reached age 55, there will be no early withdrawal…
Q. I am retired (68 years old) under CSRS. We are thinking of refinancing our home and paying off the line of credit. If we include the settlement fees, we will be saving $5,474 per year, recouping our settlement fee within 1½ years. However, if we refinance without including the fees, we will be saving $5,916 per year. My husband wants to draw $8,000 from either his 401(k) (he is 68 also), or draw $4,000 from his 401(k) and my Thrift Savings Plan. I don’t want to touch these for a $42 a year savings. Are there drawbacks at our age to taking…
Q. I’m CSRS. If I deposit funds in my Voluntary Contributions Program, I thought I could only transfer interest gain to TSP. Can I transfer the whole amount if I choose Roth TSP? A. You may not transfer or convert money into the Roth TSP. You could roll the money over to a Roth IRA, however.
Q. I am a retired CSRS employee, age 62. I am considering converting my Thrift Savings Plan balance of about $205,000 to an IRA with Fidelity. What are the advantages and disadvantages of making this conversion? What considerations should I look at? A. The disadvantages include higher costs, greater complexity and the loss of access to the G Fund. The advantage might be more flexible withdrawal options. I recommend against this move unless, for some reason, you have no choice.
Q. I am a CSRS employee who plans on retiring in 2013. I want to open a Voluntary Contribution Program account and deposit after-tax money in that account, and then, at retirement, transfer the deposit into Roth TSP, and any earnings into traditional TSP. Is that allowed? A. No. You’ll have to use a Roth IRA for the after-tax portion of the VCP account.
Q. I am a single, 57-year-old CSRS Offset retiree, mortgage-free, no car payment, no children and debt-free. I have enough pension to live on comfortably and still put away money into savings monthly. I have more than 30 quarters of Social Security credit. I have two six-figure IRAs that I do not plan to touch until required. My Thrift Savings Plan is approximately $400,000 and I have yet to touch it. I am perplexed about when to begin drawing money from my TSP, but I know that I will have to begin withdrawals by age 70½. Should I draw TSP…
Q. I am planning to retire next year. If Congress extends the Roth rollover provision, I am interested in pursuing the following scenario: I have funds in the Thrift Savings Plan that will be fully taxable upon withdrawal. If I withdraw them upon retirement (at 56), I will be taxed on them but not subject to the 10 percent penalty. I propose to take those funds and immediately (within the same day if possible) transfer them to the CSRS Voluntary Contribution Program account, which then could also allow a rollover into a Roth account. Therefore, am I permitted to fund the…