Q. I’ve been in the government for four years (retired Army) and have invested in the Thrift Savings Plan since 2009. I plan to retire from the government in 2020 with 11 years of service (I’ll be 58). My TSP portfolio is diversified but certainly heavy in the C and S funds. To avoid the losses all experienced several years ago, what are the recommended allocation moves, within funds, that one should take during what appears to be a stock market selloff that has started in August? A. Unless you plan to withdraw and spend all of your money within the next few…
Browsing: F Fund
Q. I understand why you defend leaving your money in the Thrift Savings Plan because of low expenses, security, protection from lawsuits, etc. However, how do you address the issue of “locking in losses” when withdrawing money in retirement from the TSP? For example, in an IRA, I can have (for a basic portfolio) a cash fund, an income fund and an equities fund. I know I can do this in the TSP, as well, G/F/C or S, but the primary difference is when I go to withdraw my money, in the TSP it comes out of all of these…
Q. I am 39. I contribute 12 percent of my salary to the Thrift Savings Plan. I have 50 percent in the L Fund and 10 percent each in G, I, S, C and F. I plan to retire around 62. Is this a reasonable contribution distribution? A. On its own, it’s not risk-efficient. If you don’t have a good reason to use this allocation, then it’s not reasonable.
Q. I am 31 years old and have five years of federal service. I am a GS-12, Step 3. I contribute 7 percent to the Thrift Savings Plan but have not done anything with the allocation: 100 percent to the G Fund. I have tried to determine the best allocation on my own, but there is too much information out there. I know that I need to do something now. I was thinking about 40 percent C Fund, 30 percent S Fund, 15 percent I Fund, 10 percent F Fund and 5 percent G Fund. Would this be a good start to set…
Q. All of my money is in the F fund and I’ve lost a few thousand dollars in the past couple of months. What fund transfer/allocations would you suggest to recover that money (quickly?) and what investment allocation would you recommend until I retire in eight years? A. Losing money is not a reason to change your investment strategy. All strategies/allocations are subject to loss – that’s the price you pay for the prospect of growth. If 100 percent F Fund was the right asset allocation for your account a couple of months ago, what makes you think it isn’t the…
Q. I am a 66-year-old CSRS retiree with approximately $200,000 in the F Fund. I have no debts, and will likely leave my Thrift Savings Plan untouched until I am forced to start withdrawing it. I am concerned that when interest rates start to rise, bonds will drop and the value of my TSP account may fall. I am considering moving my TSP into the G Fund. However, since I don’t plan on a withdrawal soon, should I put move it to one of the L funds? A. The G Fund is the only TSP fund that does not pose…
Q. In March of this year, I moved 50 percent of my balance from the G Fund to the F Fund because I was tired of not making any money in the G Fund. I evaluated the performance of the F Fund over the past several years before doing this and assumed that risk was low. Initially, I was quite happy with my decision, but now I see the F Fund share price dropping consistently. Is this drop in the F Fund share price temporary, and do you expect it to regain its momentum? I’m now a little nervous about moving to…
Q. Is F Fund performance based just on the principal amount, or does it pay a percentage or dividend at quarter end or year end? A. TSP funds do not distribute earnings. Dividends and interest earned increase the share price.
Q. Which account does my Thrift Savings Plan loan come out of? If I have enough in the G Fund, will TSP take the loan directly from the G Fund, or will it take the money out proportionally? For instance, I want to take a $35,000 loan, and I have enough in the G Fund to cover that loan, and I would prefer that the entire loan come out of the G Fund. But if the loan is taken out proportionally, does that mean 80 percent of the loan comes out of my stock funds, 5 percent out of the F Fund…
Q. I am a 48-year-old GS-14/7 with about $240,000 in my Thrift Savings Plan (I have a little more in a prior 401(k), and my wife makes more than I do but does not have a 401(k) plan…I am willing to take reasonable risks). I have contributed the maximum at 43 percent C, 22 percent S, 25 percent I and 10 percent F for several years and rebalanced each year. Indeed, I stubbornly left it like that during the crash but have recovered nicely. I recently borrowed $30,000 (yes, I know, that is not the best course), at the G…