Squalebear's Account Talk

So what do you think stay CSI today or go to G and play it safe?

I bailed out of the (I) Fund "make believe" and into the (G). The build up
concerning the possible Fed Move might start on Tues or Wed. I just don't
like Mondays too much. This again, is just a gut feeling.:confused:
 
I decided to make my move to G and couldn't remember my password.:mad: We have to have so many in the government. Anyway I got locked out until after 12. :laugh: I got my fingers crossed for monday.
 
I posted a comment on govexec. Will be interested to see the comments. If it posted at all

anyway this is what I wrote.....


I have enjoyed reading the comments. Some very misinformed people.
First off, read Title 5 (that explains the TSP) and read the Federal Register so you understand what is really going on.
We the members of the TSP where given, by the FRTIB, a no limit IFT (inter fund transfer). If you wanted to transfer your money daily, weekly, monthly, not at all or anywhere in-between you had that option and ability. Just because some people chose to use their right to perform a daily IFT does not make them abusers nor does it fall in the realm of excessive. WE, all of us, had that right given to us by the FRTIB.
We are being told that the TSP is for long term investment and I truly believe this. But why not have the opportunity to enhance your retirement fund over a short term. Take advantage of increasing your account to make retirement more comfortable. I have been in TSP since the beginning and deposited 5-7% every pay for the first 19 years. I believed in the system. That first 19 years I had less than 70K invested. Not a lot of money to retire on. Since 2004 I have been able to more than double my TSP because I realized I had that ability to do so. By no means am I a day trader and I do not think I could be. However, I had the opportunity given to me by the FRTIB to perform IFT's on a more frequent basis. Maybe I would do an IFT every couple of days. Sometimes I would sit for a week or two and not do any IFT's at all. I had that ability. Now we the members of the TSP are being restricted in our moves and our ability to improve our retirement fund. The real questions are: Why did the FRTIB feel that some members where abusing the system? What was the real cost to all of us? Why where a select few chosen to be made examples of before the system was officially changed? and finally Who or what is the FRTIB really trying to protect?
Just because the TSP is a long term investment doesn't mean you should blindly sit back and do nothing. If I would have continued to sit back and let the FRTIB invest my TSP fund, I would be retiring in 4 years with very little in the bank.
That's my opinion and you can take for what it is worth.
 
My comment might not get posted. I looked at my word document and just realized it is 419 words long. Govexec says keep your comments to 400 words or less. I will check later tonight and if it is not posted I will take out a few words :( and post it again.
 
With the ability to fax IFT's, it would appear that penalization is close to
an end. It only cost my retirement account $5755.22, but as I wrote in
another thread, thats not counting future compounding. So in the long
run, that figure turns out to be much more.

Unrestricted: +9.64% YTD
Restricted: +5.18% YTD

I would like to clear the air about something which has bothered me as of late.
With all the different strategies here on TSPtalk, their are some who think
that taking sides (based on their own philosophy) is more then appropriate.

I disagree. Being fairly new myself (membership) I have been given the
unique opportunity to observe "buy & holds"-"hit & runs"and "Systems".

How lucky am I to have such experience willing to share their research
and allow me to make a more informed decision concerning my hard earned
money. In my opinion, very lucky. I don't judge nor slander any method
and seperate myself from those who do. The reason why I enjoy this web
site with a whole bunch of strangers is the common goal and respect that
many members have for one another. It is also the reason why this site
is so successful and draws concern by those who would opt to shut it
down based on their own philosophy. I use this MB to share my thoughts
and generally hang out with people I've never even met before. It is a
testament to Tom Crowley's hard work and the 99% of it's membership
who don't forget that we're Feds, even while off duty. I may not share
someones opinion, however, I will always respect and appreciate it.

Just a thought for the day. By the way, HOW ABOUT THAT MARKET TODAY !
:o
 
Squalebear,

Well said. Glad to be able to post along side you and the many others I have added to my buddy list.
I am a new member as well and really have seen many strategies as well. Difficult to digest who's is the best. :D Some of you talked about going into the safe zone today others where saying ride it out through next week. I must admit I really am confused. But I respect all the opinions. I am here to learn and hopefully increase my TSP even with the restrictions now placed upon all of us. I was torn between staying the course (CSI) or falling back to G. I decided to play it safe but forgot my password and got stuck in CSI :embarrest:. WOW great numbers. I guess I lucked out again. Now I have to figure what to do about next week. I have to be back in G before Thursday because that is where my money goes into. But are we riding the crest of the wave like a surfer or going to wipe out come Monday or Tuesday. I must admit this has been fun. But I am still confused. lol I am posting more to everybodies account but my own. :cool:
 
Since I posted it here first I will post the edited version and then put it on my account. Anyway my comments did not post on govexec.com. I am guessing because it was 419 words and you are only allowed 400. So here is my edited version at 397 words. Hope it posts...


"First off, read Title 5 (that explains the TSP) then read the Federal Register so you understand what is really going on.
WE the members of the TSP where given, by the FRTIB, a no limit IFT (inter fund transfer). If you wanted to transfer your money daily, weekly, monthly, not at all or anywhere in-between you had that option and ability. Just because some people chose to use their right to perform a daily IFT does not make them abusers nor does it fall in the realm of excessive. WE, all of us, had that right given to us by the FRTIB.
We are being told that the TSP is for long term investment and I truly believe this. But why not have the opportunity to enhance your retirement fund over a short term. Take advantage of increasing your account to make retirement more comfortable. I have been in TSP since the beginning and deposited 5-7% every pay for the first 19 years. I believed in the system. That first 19 years I had less than 70K invested. Not a lot of money to retire on. Since 2004 I have been able to more than double my TSP because I realized I had that ability to do so. By no means am I a day trader and I do not think I could be. However, I had the opportunity given to me by the FRTIB to perform IFT's on a more frequent basis. Maybe I would do an IFT every couple of days. Sometimes I would sit for a week or two and not do any IFT's at all. I had that ability. Now we the members of the TSP are being restricted in our moves and our ability to improve our retirement fund. The real questions are: Why did the FRTIB feel that some members where abusing the system? What was the real cost to all of us? Why where a select few chosen to be made examples of before the system was officially changed? and finally Who or what is the FRTIB really trying to protect?
Just because the TSP is a long term investment doesn't mean you should blindly sit back and do nothing. If I would have continued to sit back and let the FRTIB invest my TSP fund, I would be retiring in 4 years with very little in the bank."
 
To help avoid confusion over the IFT Limits, I thought I'd post an example breakdown;

SAY IT's JUNE AND I'M: 20%(G)20%(F)20%(C)20%(S)20%(I)

6/03/08:I don't like the OSM tomarrow and want to bail out of the (I)Fund
before 12noon today. I do an IFT effect the COB today.
6/04/08:NEW ALLOC: 20%(G)20%(F)20%(C)40%(S)0%(I) ***1ST***
6/17/08:I starting to think Bonds stinks and the G fund ain't worth it and
I do an IFT effect the COB today.
6/18/08:NEW ALLOC: 0%(G)0%(F)50%(C)50%(S)0%(I) ***2ND***

WITH 2 IFT'S COMPLETED FOR THE MONTH I CAN ONLY MOVE BACK TO (G) !
BUT WAIT, HOW MANY TIMES CAN I MOVE TO (G)? MANY TIMES !

6/20/08:I better take some off the table before 12noon today.
6/21/08:NEW ALLOC:5%(G)0%(F)45%(C)50%(S)0%(I)***only to (G)***
6/23/08:I better take some off the table before 12noon today.
6/24/08:NEW ALLOC:10%(G)0%(F)45%(C)45%(S)0%(I)***only to (G)***
6/26/08:I better take some off the table before 12noon today.
6/27/08:NEW ALLOC:20%(G)0%(F)45%(C)35%(S)0%(I)***only to (G)***

and so on,,,,and so on,,,,JUST REMENBER THAT YOUR FUNDS MAY NOT
BE A WHOLE PERCENTAGE ie.... 53.45% AND THE NEW SOFTWARE IS
NOT LIKELY TO BE SET UP TO HANDLE ANYTHING BUT WHOLE NUMBERS.
SO ROUND DOWN TO THE NEXT LOWEST WHOLE NUMBER IF YOU WANT
ALL MOST ALL YOUR MONEY OUT OF AN INDIVIDUAL FUND. IF YOU WANT
EVERYTHING IN THE (G), THATS EASY, JUST DO 100%. BUT ONCE YOUR
IN THE (G) AT 100% AND YOU REACHED YOUR IFT LIMIT,,,,,YOUR STUCK
UNTIL THE 1ST DAY OF THE NEXT MONTH.
 
Last edited:
Can anyone ease my mind. I'm gonna FAX my 1st "real deal" Interfund
Transfer before 12 noon on Monday, April 28, 2008. Do I have this right?

1-866-817-5023
Thrift Savings Plan
POBox 385021
Birmingham, AL
35238
:confused:

one more thing, I will be sending a .jpeg (acceptable?)
 
Yes.... I faxed mine in and didn't experience any problems. Went a heck of a lot faster than the mail.

Best of luck and lets make some money

John
 
Yes.... I faxed mine in and didn't experience any problems. Went a heck of a lot faster than the mail. Best of luck and lets make some money....John

Thanks John, I used Faxzero.com and sent
it at 8:17pm tonight. We'll see how it goes.
:worried:
 
With gaining the ability to FAX an IFT within my "make believe" portfolio,
I was sucessful in doing so by moving 100% into the G Fund. It was faxed
on Sunday night and became effective on Monday (COB). For those of you
who are curious about the final comparison figure, they are as follows;

Restricted "Real Deal" +5.48% YTD 55%(F)20%(C)15%(S)10%(I)
Current Allocations:100% (G) The Tracker System will be off by a day.

Unrestricted "Make Believe" +9.64% YTD 100%(G)

This concludes my tracking and comparisons of gains and loses due to the
penalization imposed on me by the Director and his refusal to allow appeal.
The final figures resulted in me losing approximately $5373.61 plus gains or
loses I might have accomplished in the future on that money. To be fair, I
calculated (until retirement in 2015) this amount at the 3.495% (G) rate.

If that amount was placed in the (G) over the coarse of 7 years and the
current rate of return remained the same during that time period, it adds
to my lose of potential gains by $1460.97 compounded. The restrictions
cost me between April 1st thru April 28th a grand total of $6834.58.

With the limits of 2 interfund transfers and unlimited moves back to the
(G) certainly poses a challenge. But I'm compelled and motivated to show
the world, that managing your own money is still the best coarse of action.
May the man upstairs back my words, for all to benefit.
 
I can't help but wonder if this is all a setup for another bullish outcome
when the fed releases its decision tomarrow. Based on my 100% (G)
allocation, I lean towards safety as its only the begining of the 2nd qtr.

I heard that if you took the Financials out of the equation, the Indexes
would be up 14% YTD (forgive me, cnbc). Thats interesting to hear and
gives me reason to pause and think. The Financials are working out their
problems (with Fed help) and its been said that they will not be out of
the woods until the 4th qtr. - 1st qtr. of 2009. The market looks ahead
and believes that the 2nd half of 2008 will see a turn around. That is
July my friends, right around the corner. Earnings have been beating
their low expectations since the season started. But the Market has
not responded in kind. That in itself is troubling.

I don't feel too good about this upcoming Fed Decision, even if its a
.25% cut. ie...... I'm in the (G) Fund.......to start the new month.
We have a long 8 months of opportunity ahead of us. Thats plenty of
time to develope the comfort necessary for smart investment moves.
For now, just call me chicken-little. Remember, after tomarrow I fully
expect to be told that I was "WRONG", because if I'm right, I never
hesitate to rip off my shirt and pound wildly on my man-boobs.

Just kidding, I don't have man-boobs, Honest !:nuts:
 
For now, just call me chicken-little. Remember, after tomarrow I fully expect to be told that I was "WRONG", because if I'm right, I never hesitate to rip off my shirt and pound wildly on my man-boobs.
Just kidding, I don't have man-boobs, Honest !:nuts:
Just be careful to take off that bra-bomb first.;)
 
For those of you who follow my "deficit" tracking updates, today the
I Fund met with its obligation to keep the YTD differences between
the (I) Fund and the EFA close enough to reflect one another. The
following is how this played out over the last 7 market days;

4/23 .13 tsp cents
4/24 .20 tsp cents
4/25 .12 tsp cents
4/28 .10 tsp cents
4/29 .01 tsp cents

If you recall, tracking this information for over two years have resulted
in the conclusion that each fund aspires to be within "single digits" while
reflecting each others returns YTD. As of now, the (I) Fund is down -4%
YTD while the EFA is down -3.95% YTD. The difference between the two
is now at .05%. By taking the updated share price of the (I) Fund $23.77
and multiplying it by .05% translates into a .01 tsp cent deficit.

Why is this important ? On 4/24, If I believed that it was a good time to
enter into the market from the (G) Fund, I would have taken notice that
the (I) Fund was at a very high deficit area. That has meant higher gains
or lower loses, depending on what the market did the following day, when
compared to the EFA. After researching all the data I could get my hands
on concerning the next day's trading and I felt strongly about a possible
rebound in the OSM, the deficit would make an IFT into the (I) simply
irresistable. The downside looks minimized and the upside looks better.
So there you have it, one of the tools I use for timing the allocation
selection within the TSP. I have mentioned (in detail) about my tracking
and results since the start of this thread. I think I'll give it a rest for now.
If anyone wishes to know the current deficit between these to funds, its
quite easy to figure out. Or, you can simply ask me. ;)
 
Interesting to see people performing an IFT today not realizing that it goes into affect May 1st and will count as their first IFT for the month.
 
Interesting to see people performing an IFT today not realizing that it goes into affect May 1st and will count as their first IFT for the month.
If you do it electronically before NOON today it is effective COB today April 30. It is the last IFT for April. If it's done after 12 NOON, then it's the first IFT for May.

Ladies and gentlemen, position yourselves and start your engines.
 
I'll be back early morning Thursday to catch up on some reading.
Looks like the F & I Funds were the place to be today, but wait,
the share price update could disappoint some.

My 454 Mopar Rocket Engine is poised for May.
Wait a minute, what happend to Sell in May and Go Away ?
Hmmmmmmm, I need to do more studying to get that answer.
Today was the last IFT for April, Hope evryone has positioned
themselves accordingly. Good Luck and I'll be Back Later.
:D
 
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