TSP

• House committee OKs bill making TSP’s L Funds the default for new hires

  New Thrift Savings Plan participants would be automatically enrolled in an age-appropriate Lifecycle Fund -- instead of the G Fund -- under a bill set to be debated Wednesday by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The Smart Savings Act, introduced by the committee's chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), is supported by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.

  Congress

  March 11, 2014
• Strong stock market boosts TSP returns in February

  After a rocky start to the year, fund performance for the Thrift Savings Plan rebounded last month. A strong February on Wall Street helped fuel across-the-board gains in all five of the TSP's regular funds, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.

  Pay & Benefits

  March 04, 2014
• TSP board considers rebranding Lifecycle Funds

  The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board is eyeing another potential tweak to the Thrift Savings Plan's Lifecycle Funds — their name. Lifecycle Funds, also known as L Funds or target-date funds, are made up of a mix of the five core TSP funds that shifts over time. But board members are concerned the "fund" label may be confusing to TSP participants. In its place, the board is considering changing the name to "Lifecycle strategies."

  Pay & Benefits

  February 24, 2014
• Rocky start to 2014 as TSP returns trend negative

  Returns for nearly all of the funds in the Thrift Savings Plan trended downward in January following a rocky month on Wall Street. The largest declines came in the stock funds. The large-cap C Fund fell by 3.45 percent, the small-cap S Fund inched down 1.91 percent and the I Fund, made up of international stocks, plunged by more than 4 percent, according to new data from the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.

  Pay & Benefits

  February 03, 2014
• TSP loans, hardship withdrawals hit 10-year high last year

  More Thrift Savings Plan participants withdrew money from their accounts early in 2013 than in any other year over the past decade. The board processed a total of 291,000 loans and about 138,000 hardship withdrawals last year, according to statistics presented at the board's monthly meeting Monday. More than 14,000 of the hardship withdrawals taken last year came during the month of October, when partisan gridlock led to a 16-day government shutdown and financial uncertainty and delayed paychecks for thousands of federal employees.

  Pay & Benefits

  January 27, 2014
• A PC, gluten-free investment option –yummy!

  Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wants to know: Do you think you could make more money, or be more supportive of causes to endorse, if Uncle Sam would broaden your investment options?

  Mike Causey

  January 23, 2014
• Investing in the Thrift Savings Plan

  Financial planner Arthur Stein will answer your questions about the TSP, and Federal Times writers Andy Medici and Nicole Blake Johnson will discuss what's ahead for feds in 2014. January 22, 2014 (This show originally aired Jan. 8, 2013)

  Mike Causey

  January 22, 2014
• TSP investments — everything’s gold … except gold!

  If you are a Thrift Savings Plan investor in any of the stock funds, give yourself a pat on the back ... and purse or wallet, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. Because everything is gold, except gold itself....

  Mike Causey

  January 08, 2014
• Investing in the Thrift Savings Plan

  Financial planner Arthur Stein will answer your questions about the TSP, and Federal Times writers Andy Medici and Nicole Blake Johnson will discuss what's ahead for feds in 2014. January 8, 2014

  Mike Causey

  January 07, 2014
• TSP ends 2013 with nearly across-the-board gains

  Nearly all the funds in the Thrift Savings Plan finished December in positive territory, helping fuel largely across-the-board gains for the year, according to new data from the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. The C and S Funds posted the largest gains of 2013. The F Fund, tracked to the performance of the U.S. bond market, including government, corporate and mortgage-backed bonds, is the only fund to end the year in the red.

  Pay & Benefits

  January 03, 2014
• Young feds: Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow

  In the fifth guest column in a series of five, a long-time Federal Report reader shares his take on why it's important for young feds to start long-term planning early in their careers.

  Mike Causey

  January 03, 2014
• TSP seeks to supplant G Fund in automatic enrollments

  Federal employees could soon be seeing a lot less of the G Fund in their Thrift Savings plan accounts. Instead of being automatically enrolled solely in government securities, new plan participants would be shifted to an age-appropriate Lifecycle, or L, Fund as their default investing option under a proposal approved by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board Monday. The proposal ultimately requires action by Congress.

  Pay & Benefits

  December 16, 2013
• Under budget deal squeeze, will future feds opt out of TSP?

  If the proposed budget deal becomes law, new federal workers will see a total of 10.6 percent of their salaries automatically withheld from their paychecks to cover their retirement benefits. That could lead to them contributing less or not at all to their voluntary Thrift Savings Plan accounts, experts said.

  Budget

  December 11, 2013
• Most TSP funds hold steady in November, though gains slow

  Nearly all the funds in the Thrift Savings Plan ended last month in positive territory, although with smaller gains than in the past few months. The C Fund, which is tracked to the performance of the Standard and Poor's 500, posted the largest gains — 3.05 percent, according to new data from the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, which oversees the TSP. Of the five regular funds, only the F Fund posted in the red for November

  Pay & Benefits

  December 02, 2013