New Guy Inbound

[Aitrus]

Hey guys. I've been ghosting off and on for a bit, but decided to come out of the shadows and ask a few questions. I've learned quite a bit here, but I'm afraid that my knowledge is still minimal. Maybe you guys can give me some advice.

Stat 1: Former USAF Active Duty member of 10 years, now have 4 years in the National Guard. While on AD contributed minimally to TSP, never took it out of G.
Stat 2: Currently USAF Civil Service, have been contributing heavily to TSP since 2008 to the tune of 10% of paycheck, plus the matching 5%.
Stat 3: Risk tolerance is moderate.
Stat 4: Current age: 32
Stat 5: Market savvy - Nil
Current stats for ANG account: 100% in G, any future allocations (when I get called up, etc) go into 2040.
Current stats for Civil Service account: 76.55% in F, 23.45% in 2040. All new allocations go into 2040. Performance for last 12 months is 7.91%.

So I guess my first question is what do you guys think of my current setup given my knowledge of the market?

 

[RealMoneyIssues]

Welcome aboard and good luck in your trades.

There are tons of folks to learn from here so read, read, read; search, search, search; then ask questions.

RMI

 

[tsptalk]

So I guess my first question is what do you guys think of my current setup given my knowledge of the market?

Welcome Aitrus! It depends on how you plan to manage your account, i.e. buy and hold or actively trade funds. If you are more of a "set it and forget it" investor than for someone your age I would recommend more stock funds in your allocation. At the very least 50% and as much as 90% or even 100%.

If you are going to be more of a market timer like many of us here, than that suggestion is obviously moot.

 

[ILoveTDs]

In the year I've been on this board, the felling I got from the crowd was to get your full TSP matching, then put any extra you have in a Roth IRA outside government until that is maxed, then increase TSP. I personally currently only do the matching for TSP (e.g. 5%) because I'm poor, so I'm not necessary advocating this system, but that was my understanding from the majority (maybe someone doing it can chime in). If that is the case, the suggestion would be to put the extra 5% your putting in TSP into a Roth IRA.

If you do decide to open an outside account, and being "Nil Market Savvy" their are three options for that account I would suggest you research. 1) Buy the darling of the year (e.g Apple now, MCD last year,etc.). 2) Buy and hold high dividend stock and DCA (see Birchtree thread). 3) Follow another simple system such as "Dogs of the Dow" (look it up at investopedia) etc.

 

[crommie]

Welcome Aitrus! Glad that you have joined our ranks. My Dad was USAF in the 1950s at Clark Air Field. As for your inventing, 7.9% is pretty darn good! It all comes down to your risk tolerence. At 32 you have plenty of time to make mistakes and recover...unless you plan on a really early retirement! A RMI stated, READ this forum everyday and learn who is doing what and why. Don't be afraid to ask questions too. In about six months you will have a good feel for the heavy posters and start to notice the silent ones that always seem to be one step ahead. Sign up for the autotracker too and watch the recent IFTs and the top 50. Good Luck!

 

[nasa1974]

Aitus, Welcome aboard. Great place to learn. Thanks for your service.

USAF 1970-1974.
Marty

 

[Aitrus]

Thanks for the welcome, folks. I appreciate the answers as well. As tsptalk mentioned, my strategy is indeed more of a buy and hold kind of position. Having 50+% in stocks would be ideal for me, and I agree, but I wanted to build a core nest egg first then increase my risk in stocks. At the beginning of the year my percentages were 94% F fund, 6% 2040. It's now 76% and 24%, respectively, with the 2040 increasing every paycheck.

My goals now are to learn to read the market a little, enough so that I'll know when to shunt everything to F for safety's sake, then go back to 2040 after a big bear has passed. That's where my being here comes in handy.

And for those who are curious, I'm working at Fairchild.

 

[MrJohnRoss]

Welcome to the board Aitrus! I would also recommend increasing your stock exposure, even if you have minimal knowledge of the stock market. That's the only place you can make really good money. (Ironically, that's also where you can lose a lot of money). Give yourself plenty of time to learn about market timing (buy low, sell high). I believe that's where the big money will be made.

Good luck!

 

[ILoveTDs]

And for those who are curious, I'm working at Fairchild.

I just left Fairchild 5 years ago, owned a house in Airway Heights. Make the most of the Idaho side.

 

[Aitrus]

I just left Fairchild 5 years ago, owned a house in Airway Heights. Make the most of the Idaho side.

I've been here for 7 years. I like it here. Reminds me sometimes of where I grew up in Alaska. I've got a place in AH as well. The town has grown quite a bit since you left. Northern Quest is bigger - it's got a hotel and a multi-story parking garage now. The Spokane tribe is putting in a casino on Hwy 2 about a mile from the Rambo Gate. There's an theatre in town a block down from Hayford road, pretty nice one too. AH has expanded now to include Hayford road and all the new businesses that are at that stoplight (Wal Mart, new strip malls, etc). They even acquired 70 acres of land that they're trying to decide what to do with. It's located over behind the racetrack.

 

[ILoveTDs]

Is AH still the only town in the county for fireworks? If so I assume it's still a war zone on the 4th.

 

[Aitrus]

Yep. This year was no different. They passed a law last year, or the year before, that bans fireworks on city-owned property. We can still light off in driveways and on the sidewalks that are on our poperty, but we can't go to the parks or open parking lots anymore.