Q. I am 52, and I have all my TSP money in the C Fund: $187,000. I probably will not retire until 62 or 65, and by that time I will have 30 years of government service. Which L Fund should I switch to, and should I make a lump-sum move now?
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Q. I’m a CSRS employee with 34 years of service. I’m 53 years old and plan to work until I’m 58 years old. I have $15,000 that I want to invest. Would you recommend putting it into the Voluntary Contributions Program? I have a balance in TSP also.
Q. My husband and I are 51. We will retire in about 10 years. How do we find the right financial advisor that will help us understand what we need for retirement, and what we need to do if we won’t have enough to meet our needs?
Q. I heard someone mention the 2020 fund and that they also invest normally. All I can figure is that she invests in the L2020 fund. Is that possible, and how does that work? I did not think you could have a regular investment like the G and C fund, for example, and still have and L fund. A. You may allocate all or a portion of your account to one or more of the L Funds, just like any of the basic TSP funds.
Q. I’m 23 and recently began my FERS career with the government this past May. I contribute 5 percent of my income and plan on increasing the amount by 1 percent every year and 2 percent every GS level increase. What would be the best spread across the five basic funds for someone willing to work 40+ years in government service with a moderate amount of risk? Additionally, is there a limit where increasing the percentage beyond a certain point (besides the $52,000 yearly max) begins to yield diminishing returns when compared to other investment methods? Finally are there any…
Q. You recommend that if we do not feel comfortable managing our TSP, we should invest in the L Fund that most closely corresponds to our life expectancy. However, the L Funds are named for the year we expect to start withdrawing money, not the year we expect to expire. I expect that I will not be withdrawing much money the year I expire, and certainly none afterwards. So why do you word your advice that way?
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”,”serif”;} Q. I’ve been retired for several years and have been taking the good advice you’ve been suggesting in your “Ask the Experts” articles. Since I know very little about how to invest, I’ve put all my TSP savings in the L-2030 fund. Since I don’t need to withdraw any money at the present time, I plan on leaving the money there until it’s time for the RMD in…
Q. I work for the Defense Department. I have $75 biweekly going into the G Fund. I am in my early 30s and want to build my money. I don’t see it moving much in the G Fund, and I have been investing for four years. I can afford to invest $100 biweekly but don’t know what fund to put my money in for it to grow. My annual income is $38,780. A. Given your circumstances, I suggest that you invest all of your Thrift Savings Plan money in the L 2050 Fund for the foreseeable future.
Q. I am 67 and retired. I made a partial withdrawal a few years ago. I need some cash for a family matter, so I want to make a full withdrawal now. I don’t want an annuity, but I’ll invest half in a commercial IRA or retirement instrument in hope of reducing the immediate tax impact of this full withdrawal. Can I do so? — that is, invest half of this full withdrawal in another commercial instrument, thus avoiding for now the tax on this “re-invested” amount? A. Yes.
Q. I am 47, have been investing for seven years, have reached maximum contributions at a total of $115,328.22 and will eventually retire at 63. Recently, there is talk in the stock market of a global sell-off. I have had all of my investments in the S Fund and doing quite well. As of Jan. 23, I’ve shifted my contribution of 100 percent from S to G. Was this a financially dumb move? A. Not if you’ve guessed right. Only time will tell. For what it’s worth, if we’re talking about your entire portfolio here, you should be invested in…