TSP: Can you afford to “play it safe?”

When financial times get tough and a bull market rears its ugly head, many Thrift Savings Plan investors head for the safety of the bond index F Fund or, more likely, the super-safe never has a bad day G Fund. To many people, the U.S. Treasury-backed securities are the safest haven in an uncertain market.

During the Great Recession many TSP investors pulled out of the stock market (C, S and I funds) into the G Fund. Although the market bottomed out March 9, 2009, and rebounded with a vengeance, many investors never returned.

Certified financial planner Art Stein said there is safety and then there is “safety,” the latter actually used by people to mean a lack of volatility. Stein was the guest on this week’s episode of the Your Turn radio show and he discussed the price that investors pay for safety.

Tune in to the show Wednesdays at 10 a.m. at www.federalnewsradio.com or 1500 AM in the D.C. metro area.