Q. I’m active-duty military, maxing out one Roth IRA. I was interested in opening a Roth TSP, as well, but a financial adviser at my bank recommended opening a second Roth IRA in my wife’s name and maxing it out first before contributing anything to a Thrift Savings Plan. This struck me as odd because it would leave my retirement money spread over three separate accounts. I couldn’t max out the TSP but could probably contribute more than $5,000. Is my financial adviser (free service from the bank) right or just trying to get me to open another IRA at…
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Q. I recently retired from the military. I had $30,000 in the Thrift Savings Plan. I have no plans on returning to federal service. I have Roth IRAs with two other private companies, each with less than what I had in the TSP. I want to remove these from TSP and place into either a new Roth or one of my existing accounts, which makes more sense as a larger pot of money will earn me more since I can continue to contribute. This opens a new concern as the limitations of combined income and contributing to a Roth. I…
Q. I qualify for a buyout with 25-plus years of service. If I take the buyout, it is my understanding that I must wait until my normal minimum retirement age of 56 to begin receiving the Social Security supplement. Would this prevent me from receiving increases in Social Security supplemental benefits that I would have received had I waited until 56 to retire? I believe I would get the increases at 62, in any event, when I could first draw reduced SS benefits. Also, what happens to my Thrift Savings Plan account? May I purchase an immediate annuity and/or take a…
Q. I’m a Postal Service worker with 33 years of service under CSRS. Can I make contributions to Thrift Savings Plan that exceed the $17,000 maximum and $5,500 catch-up contributions? A. No. You may transfer money into TSP from an eligible IRA without limit, however.
Q. Have you heard anything regarding an increase to the maximum Thrift Savings Plan annual contribution ($17,000)? A. You should expect the TSP deferral limit to track the 401(k) deferral limit, which is indexed to inflation with a $500 minimum increase. Any increase for 2013 won’t be announced until later this year, usually in October.
Q. I’ll be receiving a check this week or next from an inheritance. I’m not maxed out on my TSP and haven’t sent any catch-up money in this year either. I was wondering if I could send 100 percent of my pay for the last couple of pay periods this year to TSP to get as much in there before the end of the year as possible? Then next year I’ll start putting in the maximum along with catch-up. A. Your TSP contributions must come from payroll deferral or, you may transfer eligible money into your TSP account from an…
Q. I read that the IRS changed the 2012 maximum contribution to 401(k)s to$17,000 from $16,500. However, I haven’t found any update on the TSP website or the Federal Times saying whether this will also apply to TSP contributions. Have you heard any news on this? A. Not yet, but I expect the TSP to follow suit.
Q: In answering a previous question about maximum nondeductible contributions to Individual Retirement Accounts, you wrote: “Your participation in the Thrift Savings Plan should not prohibit you from making the maximum nondeductible contributions to a traditional IRA in 2009.” Is the answer the same if I have a Roth IRA instead of a traditional IRA? Can I max out both TSP at $22,000 and ROTH IRA at $6,000? A: The rules are different for Roth IRA contributions. You’ll have to use an online calculator or the rules contained in IRS Publication 590 to see if you can contribute to both.