New here... Looking to learn a bit more

[EricDeLee]

Hello everyone. I've never been none to do a lot with savings, TSP, and other things. But over the past year or so I've changed my goals and I'm looking to become debt free in many aspects. I always wanted to be debt free, but never took the steps needed to simply start the process. Now, after a few classes and talking with a few that have been playing with their TSP over the past few years, I've decided it's time to buckle down and learn. That led me here.

Looking at past quarterly statements, I was seeing gains of maybe $75. Yet after talking to a few people I know and seeing 20% gains They were enjoying on Their quarterly statements, I felt a little behind the curve.

Background:
I been In the military for @ 17 years now. Not all of that is active duty, but I am currently active duty (AGR). I have only been tossing money at my TSP since 2009 (I missed the big crash of '08). I also know I haven't thrown enough into it, and have increased my contributions very recently. I didn't know about IFTs until reading about them on here...and completed one this past Friday. Not sure if it all went through for today's excitement. But I was allocated roughly 15% into the S fund, 10% to the F, and the rest I. The G fund. And unfortunately it's been sitting like that since 2009. Lol
That's why I am here... To learn

I also have control of what to do with my wife's 401k as well. I don't know much about it, so I'd like to pick your brains on that as well.

Thanks and I'll see you around
Eric

 

[tsptalk]

Welcome, Eric. Thanks for joining us, and I'm glad you found the site.

If you have any questions, let us know. Lots of knowledge here.

Good luck!

 

[nasa1974]

Eric, welcome. This is a great place to learn. It will take some time but scroll through the different threads and find some that spark your interest. Read, read and read some more. Do not be afraid to ask lots of questions. Good luck.

 

[MrBowl]

You may want to start with the daily writeup, linked to on the front page toward the upper end of the left column. Tom (tsptalk) does an excellent job briefly summarizing what happened yday and the upcoming possibilities. There are several good sources in the Forums. Take your time and don't overwhelm yourself, but don't give up either. This is my 4th year here and I'm still finding new corners of this site that are helpful.

Best of luck. It's never too late to start investing right for your future. And thanks for your service. We're only here because of people like you.

 

[nnuut]

Welcome, Eric you're in the right place.
Best of luck
Norman

 

[DreamboatAnnie]

Hi Eric ... Welcome and wishing you the best in your investing! I've only been here a couple months but enjoy the community and there are so many knowledgeable folks here. The TSP tracker helps you track your earnings and you can also see historical info on how different people are invested and how they have changed percentages over time to get there....click on names WOW! So many with incredibly high returns. That is a wonderful motivator. Best wishes to you! Annie

 

[nasa1974]

Eric or Annie, If you send me a PM with your email I will send you a copy of my excel spreadsheet to follow your daily profits.

Marty

 

[EricDeLee]

Eric or Annie, If you send me a PM with your email I will send you a copy of my excel spreadsheet to follow your daily profits.

Marty

Did you send that? If you did, I need to check my junk mail... I haven't seen it yet. Thanks