Q. I am 26 years old and have been working in the federal system for three years. I am a GS-9 Step 2 and contribute 7 percent of my income to my Thrift Savings Plan. Since I have a long ways to go before I retire, I would like to know what percentage I should put in each fund, if any? A. I suggest that you consider investing your money in the L Fund that most closely corresponds to your life expectancy.
Browsing: life expectancy
Q. I notice that in several of your responses to people requesting guidance on how to allocate their Thrift Savings Plan account, you use as a ‘default’ answer to choose the L Fund that most closely corresponds to their life expectancy. The guidance on the TSP Web page advises the following: “Determine the date when, after leaving federal service, you will need the money that is in your TSP account. Then identify the L Fund that matches your target date.” If I’m 51 and plan to retire and begin tapping my TSP at age 59, according to the TSP guidance, I…
Q. I have worked in the GS system for 13 years, and I have always taken out the maximum percentage allowed for my Thrift Savings Plan. For the past 13 years, I have put everything into the G Fund. I am not very educated on which funds to invest in. At this time, I have $165,000 in my TSP account. I would like to know which funds I should invest in and what percentage would best suited for me. I am 42 years old, and I plan to work until I am 65 to 67 years of age. A. You’ve…
Q. If I am 52 years old and have all of my contributions in the L Fund now at 100 percent, and expect to retire in 2028, what would you recommend on how to distribute my percentages among the other funds? A. This is like asking what kind of car you should buy. The correct answer depends entirely upon what you expect the car to do. If you don’t know what to do, you can pick the L Fund that most closely corresponds to your life expectancy and use that. This is like choosing to buy a four-door sedan, though.…
Q. I am 55 years old and in the process of obtaining Postal Service disability. I want to know the tax ramifications if I withdraw my Thrift Savings Plan at 55 after separating from service. I will have 24+ years in. I have $200,000 and want to make monthly payments, not based on life expectancy. I want to withdraw $1,000 a month at 55 for 25 years or so until it is depleted. Am I subject to any additional penalty taxes? I called TSP and the Internal Revenue Service and was told that because I am spreading the monthly payments over 10 years, they would…
Q. I’ve been with the federal government going on 27 years and am a FERS employee. I don’t have much in my Thrift Savings Plan — barely over $30,000. Shouldn’t I have more? Due to my grade level, I can only contribute 1 percent, maybe 2 percent. How should I distribute the percentage to get the most out of it? Should I put in 50 percent into the G Fund, 10 percent into the F Fund, 10 percent into the C Fund and so on? Where should my percentage go that will give me the best return on my investment?…
Q. I am retiring from the Army after 22 years of service and I am 45 yrs. old. Can I start withdrawing from the Thrift Savings Plan and avoid the early withdrawal penalty by taking a series of Substantially Equal Periodic Payments? How does that work? My life expectancy is 37.7 more years, according to the Internal Revenue Service, so is that the number of years my funds can be distributed? If so, do I then divide what I saved by 37.7 and again divide by 12 to see what my monthly payments would be? A. You may avoid the…
Q. Since I won’t be forced to take the required minimum distribution until six years from now, I’m going to take your advice and transfer my money from the G Fund to one of the L funds. I can’t put money into the Thrift Savings Plan anymore, since I’m retired. How do I determine which L Fund to put my money in? A. If I were you, I’d put my money into the L Fund that most closely corresponds to my life expectancy.
Q. I have 10½ years of combined federal and military service and roughly $15,000 in my Thrift Savings Plan, 100 percent allocated to G Fund. I am 33 years old and nowhere near retirement. I plan on working another 22 years for the federal government and do not plan to start using my TSP until I am in my 60s. What would be the best way to allocate my contributions? I’ve had a few friends tell me to shift over to L funds. A. If you’re not sure what to do, then I recommend that you use the L Fund that most…
Q. I will be taking the early-out offered by the Postal Service. I am a 54-year-old CSRS employee of 35 years. I have a Thrift Savings Plan account. Please give your opinion on the best option such as taking the MetLife annuity, joint with spouse, level or increasing, cash refund compared with simply leaving the money in TSP and getting monthly payments either by specific amounts or increasing by life expectancy. I don’t quite understand the difference in the two options. A. There is no “best” choice. Using your money buy an immediate annuity guarantees income for life. You give…