Recent content by FedSmith

  1. FedSmith

    Cyber Attack Puts TSP Participants' Personal Data at Risk

    The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) announced Friday that a computer belonging to Serco Inc, suffered a sophisticated cyber attack that resulted in the unauthorized access of personal information of approximately 123,000 TSP participants or other recipients of TSP...
  2. FedSmith

    Legislation Aims to Help Feds Save More for Retirement

    Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) has introduced legislation that would encourage federal workers to save at least five percent of their pay in the Thrift Savings Plan. Dubbed the Save More Tomorrow Act of 2012, the legislation follows the private sector model of automatic enrollment in 401(k)...
  3. FedSmith

    TSP Releases 2011 Participant Survey Results

    The Thrift Savings Plan recently released the results of its participant survey conducted in October of 2011. The survey analyzed plan participants' satisfaction with TSP features, services, and communications as well as considering factors such as participants' retirement readiness...
  4. FedSmith

    Sell in May, Then Go Away?

    The C fund for the Thrift Savings Plan broke its string of four straight months of gains with a loss in April, down 0.62%. The other underlying stock funds were also down with the S fund losing 0.71% and the I fund losing 1.87%. For the past twelve months, the C fund is still up 4.85%...
  5. FedSmith

    TSP's C Fund Provides Highest Returns in March

    The TSP's C fund is the big winner in the monthly returns for March 2012 with a return of 3.3%. For the year, this fund is now up 12.63%. So far in 2012, the biggest returns have come from the S fund with a year-to-date return of 14.45%. (See the 2012 monthly TSP returns table) So far...
  6. FedSmith

    Front-Loading Your Thrift Savings Plan

    Retiring during 2012? You may want to consider “front-loading” your TSP. In 2012 you can contribute $17,000 to the TSP, plus another $5,500 if you are 50 or over. When you work an entire year, it is likely that you will spread your TSP contributions out over the entire year. This is...
  7. FedSmith

    Is the Roth TSP Right for Me?

    Do you want to pay taxes on the seed or the harvest? The soon to be available Roth TSP may provide you a significant tax reduction on your future income. Think of the original tax-deferred TSP as paying tax on the harvest. You get a tax deduction on your contributions, which can grow tax...
  8. FedSmith

    Taking Income from TSP Utilizing SIPS

    In a previous article: Proud to Be an American, I covered the options for taking income from TSP at retirement. Those options are: (1) Take monthly withdrawals from TSP, (2) Create an annuity with TSP through MetLife, or (3) Rollover TSP to an IRA and take distributions. (4) You can also do a...
  9. FedSmith

    Reversal in the TSP: Investors Buying Instead of Dumping the C Fund

    February was a good month for Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) investors. All of the TSP funds were up in both the underlying funds and in the lifecycle funds. The I fund was the leader for the month with a gain of 5.14% on top of its gain of 5.36% in January. The C fund with a return of 4.34% was...
  10. FedSmith

    Managing Variability in Thrift Savings Plans

    A basic knowledge of variability is essential for managing your investments in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). I am always interested in the FedSmith.com TSP related articles regarding decisions investors are making in managing their funds and moving money between the various funds. How do you...
  11. FedSmith

    Considering The New TSP Roth Option

    The Thrift Savings Plan, “TSP”, has always been a good way to save money for retirement. It’s gotten even better in 2012 with the addition of a “Roth” option for contributions. Before going into the details of the new choices, I’d like to start with a quick refresher on the existing TSP...
  12. FedSmith

    208 TSP Millionaires Enjoy a Big Return in January

    The stock market tends to do much better for the entire year if it gets a good head start with positive returns in January. As one would expect, some TSP investors have done better than others. The so-called "January Barometer" has been right more than it has been wrong. When the stock...
  13. FedSmith

    Proud to Be an American

    We are fortunate to live in a country with great abundance, but unfortunately the troubles that we are currently facing threaten many Americans from a comfortable retirement or for some, no retirement at all! Unless your retirement is dependent upon winning the lottery, there is no magic...
  14. FedSmith

    Are You Making the Most of Your TSP?

    Are you a highly compensated FERS employee who contributes the maximum to the TSP each year? Don’t risk losing any of the government’s matching contributions by maxing out your TSP by the end of the year. The government can contribute up to 5% of your salary to the TSP each pay period, as...
  15. FedSmith

    How Did Your TSP Funds Fare in 2011?

    As 2011 ends, it is a good time to check out your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) investments and see if you are on the right track to accumulating future assets for your retirement. Or, if you are retired, you should be checking to see if you are on track to have at least enough money to last as...
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