Q. I have 14 years of federal service and have always been in the C Fund 100 percent, currently with $230,000. For the past few years, I’ve contributed at 15 percent. I was not very attentive to my Thrift Savings Plan and, after 2008, was leery of moving after the big losses and getting into L2030. In 2013, the C Fund was amazing, but 2014 has been way down so far. How do I know the right time to transfer the whole thing to an L Fund, and is that the right thing? I will probably retire by 2035. A.…
Browsing: L Fund
Q. In your recent column “4 keys to TSP success,” you mentioned, regarding asset allocation, to “diversify your holdings among cash, stocks and bonds to hedge the risk lower.” I agree with this approach wholeheartedly, but ask where in the TSP to keep “cash”? There is no money market option, just the L funds (which I don’t use, preferring to personally allocate my investments), and the G, F, C, S and I funds. By the way, I took everything out of the G Fund and ceased all future allocations to it when there was a proposal by our leaders last…
Q. I’m 33 years old and have been in the federal government since 2004. I own a house and max out my Thrift Savings Plan every year into the L2040 fund. Can I be more aggressive with my allocations? I won’t be able to retire until at least 2034. A. You can be more aggressive, but I can’t tell you if you should without the benefit of more information and some solid planning and analysis. The allocation you use should depend entirely on your unique resources, goals and circumstances.
Q. When I retire in two years at age 62, I would like to take a fixed monthly payment out of my Thrift Savings Plan. Can I still leave the balance in the L Fund and earn the rate that the L Fund is earning? A. Yes.
Q. I’ve just been flying straight with the L2030 plan until I can get some reliable advice. I would like to keep my capital I have in the Thrift Savings Plan, receive a monthly or quarterly check, and reinvest the amount I don’t need back into my capital. When I turn 70½ (in four years) I’ll have to start receiving the required minimum distribution, which I can’t reinvest. I don’t want to get an annuity because I’d have to give up my capital. How can I hold on to my capital, reinvest in it and possibly leave that money to my children…
Q. I am 65 years old and retired from government service in March. I have about $ 400,000 in my Thrift Savings Plan account, with over $150,000 in G Fund. (For the record, I also hold about $70,000 in the F Fund, $90,000 in the C Fund, $50,000 in the S Fund and $40,000 in the I Fund.) I am considering transferring $40,000 from the G Fund to L2020 to make my TSP portfolio a bit less conservative and also as a reflection of long-term price expectations on the bond market. Do you consider this a wise move? If so,…
Q. I don’t understand what you mean by invest in the L Fund based on your life expectancy. My husband plans to retire in 2014 when he turns 62. If his life expectancy is 85 years old, does that mean he should put his money in the L2020 or L2030 Fund? He is still employed, but his Thrift Savings Plan money is in the L Income Fund. A. Recommendation to invest in the L Fund that most closely corresponds to your life expectancy (or joint life expectancy with your dependent) assumes that you don’t have the basis for a more suitable…
Q. I am fairly new to investing in the Thrift Savings Plan, having been active in it for about three years. I am 31, with about $3,800 and contribute about 13 percent of my pay into the L2040. When I started, I had 60 percent G Fund/40 percent C Fund. Am I going the right direction when I moved into the L Fund? A. Probably.
Q. I’m 53 years old and plan to retire in 10 years. My current Thrift Savings Plan balance is $131,000, and I’m 100 percent allocated into the L2040 fund. I’m very aggressive in my investing. Should I allocate my TSP 60 percent C Fund, 20 percent S Fund and 20 percent I Fund instead of the L 2040 fund, which allocates in all of the funds to include the G and F funds? A. You’re the investment manager, so you’ll need to use your process for determining the correct allocation of your TSP funds. If I were responsible for the…
Q. I am 64 years old with 12 years of federal service. I plan to retire when I am 66. I have done well in the L funds except in 2008. I have 80 percent in the 2020 fund and 20 percent in the 2030 fund. Should I put all of this money in the G Fund until the current financial crisis is over? A. How you manage your account should depend upon your goals and circumstances, as well as a plan for future decision making. In general, market timing adds more risk to investment management than it avoids. It’s not part of my…