Wanna be a TSP millionaire: Have you got the right stuff?

Many people consider Michelangelo’s statue of David to be the most perfect sculpture ever. It was done in the early 1500s and stands 10 feet tall. Pretty impressive.

Yet a friend of mine, Bill B, claims that his brother in-law, who has seen it in the flesh, thinks the masterpiece is overrated. After studying it for a few minutes, he concluded that virtually anybody could have done it.

“All you have to do,” brother-in-law-said, “is get a really good piece of marble, then chip away all the pieces that don’t look like David.”

Of course he’s right. Up to a point! But he’s leaving out some important details. The sort that face federal, postal and military personnel deciding how — and how much — to invest in their Thrift Savings Plan accounts. For some, TSP (with its generous government match) will provide one-third to as much half the money they have to spend in retirement. Regardless of the percentage, it’s a lot. So how do you become a TSP millionaire? We asked D.C.-area financial planner Arthur Stein if there is a magic formula. Several of his clients are TSP millionaires. The recent stock market nosedive reduced that number. And it has many investors rethinking their situation. Which is the subject of today’s Your Turn radio show with Art Stein.