The other posters are correct...Keep the TSP.....You can keep the TSP and its the best deal out there...Keep the funds there if you can and start a new 401K at your company...TSP is crazy cheap compared to Vaguard - that should tell you something about how cheap it is...Vanguard is known for their low fees...

Retirement Fees: How much are 401(k) fees costing you? - CNNMoney

I just found this...I plugged in my own company, some random ones, and just giggles Thrift Savings Plan. TSP came out the best, as far as I can tell. Not sure the validity of the website, but it does bode well for the TSP.

Fees, whether it's the fee you paid an advisor or the expense ratio of the mutual funds you invest in, or your trading costs, or loads that you pay on investments, are HUGE when compounded over time. An innocuous 1% fee charged by your financial advisor can be tens of thousands of dollars, or even over a hundred thousand dollars over your lifetime. That's why it is so critical to keep your costs to a minimum.

Sorry, my previous post was meant to read "just for giggles I looked up Thrift Savings Plan"...I think I omitted some words and my post sounds a bit awkward.

I've been doing more reading like this piece: https://www.tsp.gov/planparticipatio...benefits.shtml
and I see what Satpak says above (and others may have said before in the thread).

However, just to be sure I am understanding this-I could take the Roth IRA I have with American Funds, or the Roth 401k from Fidelity through my civilian employer, and roll them over into TSP? I am setting up a Roth TSP account, not a traditional, by the way.

Thanks, dumb question I know, I just want to be sure I am understanding correctly.

Not a dumb question.

Surprisingly, it looks like the TSP cannot accept a rollover from a Roth 401K......From the TSP website:
https://www.tsp.gov/planparticipatio...erations.shtml

Remember, you may only roll over traditional money into the TSP. The TSP cannot accept rollovers from a Roth 401(k), Roth 403(b), Roth 457(b), or a Roth IRA.

-AND-

The TSP cannot accept transfers from Roth IRAs

*VERY IMPORTANT* when you transfer/rollover IRAs from one custodian to another......if you do decide to do it (and I'd ditch American tomorrow if it was me)......always try to do a "trustee to trustee" transfer meaning that the new custodian directly receives the money your transferring/rolling over without YOU as an intermediary. That entails contacting the custodian that you're transferring TO and filling out their paperwork and letting them handle the transfer with the OLD custodian. That way, you don't get any nasty surprises (taxes, penalties) and there is no withholding of taxes with you being required to make up the difference for the transfer.

Again, MUCH appreciated for your insights, and that of everyone else. I'm glad this thread was started!!

Yeah, it would be hard to ditch my American Funds. My family and I know the brokers decently well, and its a pretty small town where I grew up. I still visit their office about once a year, and see them around town when I go visit my dad. My dad and I have even hunted their land, and my dad I think still does. So I think I will just "go quiet" for now.

They know I'm in the military, and I'd wager they are aware of the TSP, so it kind of sucks that they didn't mention it. If a business recommends me to someone better suited, I usually try to patronize that first business in some manner as an appreciation of their honesty. So if they had mentioned the TSP I'd be more inclined to invest a few bucks a year with them as sort of small thanks.

Thanks again!

just curious, how much education does military provide their members regarding TSP and fund options, etc ?

All I can speak for is my own perspective as a current traditional guardsman, but I would say very little. When I'm called up on Active Duty orders I know Armed Forces Network plays their own version of commercials for TV and radio. Basically AFN commercials are SUPER corny and politically correct versions of what you see and hear on civilian networks...just a little a little teaser to get you thinking. And thinking about TSP I certainly had been, and it was on my short list of things to get into. This thread made me realize just how good TSP is, and I am switching away from American Funds and moving towards TSP in addition to my employer matched Roth 401k.

In short, I think the military could/should do MUCH better reaching out about TSP. Again, just my opinion. I'm just a worker bee, not a spokesperson for any branch or subdivision of the military.

EDIT...I had posted a few months ago asking about National Guard retirement because I honestly only knew what I could find on the internet. I went to the retention office on my base to get the information straight from the horses mouth so to speak. All I was told was look on the internet, and your benefits kick in when you turn 60. The same person handed me some sheets to sign up for TSP because "its a good deal." Gee thanks. So yeah, I had to seek out the information (not the end of the world) but not much information was forth coming. I preferred to get something "official" from my base versus just tooling around the internet, but the forums have turned out to be a great source of guidance on many subjects. Before people attack me for using the forums to make decisions; I think the forums are just a part of using all available resources, and there are some really great people out there once you weed through all the damn trolls!

Thanks to all for the good advice regarding my original post in this forum thread! I appreciate the help!

All the TSP funds did pretty well this year...Except the G, F, and L Income fund...

FedSmith.com - For the Informed Fed!

Thanks for posting that, good to know about that website. I think my distribution will be mostly C and S with a little bit of I fund. Now I'm just waiting g for my PIN to show up in the mail to get access to my account :)

I just use the "L" funds as well. I'd have to make a full time job out of actively managing it to try to do any better, and I'd rather just let it come straight out of my paycheck and try to forget it's there until I need it.

Most military folks get little to no training on TSP. Unless, they have a buddy who is savvy and gives them some gouge.

That's a shame...

TSP C and S funds doing pretty good this year...Especially the S fund...

I'm considering going all into the C and S fund...50/50% mix and letting it ride for a while...What are the rest of you doing?

At present:

C - 40%
S - 35%
I - 25%

Yes, this is a problem, and I was one of those people in the dark. I try to spread the word the best I can, but I am just one man...

For me
C- 40%
S- 45%
I- 15%

Yeah, the S has done well this year. Maybe if the I goes down more, it will be a good time to buy....buy low, sell high! :)

New Feds are now automagically put into their appropriate L fund, instead of the "G". Don't know if this applies to the Military side, but it should.

I've got 20% in each G F C S and I for now. Allocation really depends on your age, retirement age, expected longevity, and personal risk tolerance.
IOW it's still a crap shoot!

A lot of people I know do the allocation you are talking about...They like it and rebalance once a year...Hands off crap shoot....

I don't believe it applies to the military. Also, don't believe the military gets a match or agency automatic - they should on both...

Another strategy that seems to work for folks is to just not worry about their TSP but once a year to rebalance and consistently put in as much as they can stomach and still have a decent quality of life...

As I review my TSP account, it seems TSP only pays out dividends and capital gains at the end of the year. No quarterly distributions? Thanks in advance.

Any thoughts on the I fund right now? According to my daily TSP email, its up something like 9/10% year to date. Is it too late to jump on that band wagon....thoughts???

Ahh. Market timing. Or, as I used to practice it, both catching the falling knives and buying on the peaks. Neither worked well.

SEC.gov | Beginners' Guide to Asset Allocation, Diversification, and Rebalancing

YMMV, but for me the practice of selecting an asset allocation, filling it with index funds/ETFs and rebalancing once a year has produced good returns, low fees and low stress.

I definitely get what you're saying, and its a fair critique of me. I'm just looking at my current balance of 10% C, 10% I, and 80% S and wondering if that is too lop sided.

Thanks for the link, by the way! That's a keeper, I'm gonna save that one for future reference. :cool: