The most daunting task you face when investing in the Thrift Savings Plan is deciding which funds to choose from. The real problem lies in the fact that the “right” funds WILL change over time.
From the top line menu select one of the TSP funds to see if the fund is currently “in the Black” (upper right hand corner of the chart). If the chart is “in the Red” or moving sideways you will probably want to avoid this fund for now.
Take a minute to look at the charts more closely. Notice that over the past 25 years the C-Fund only moved into the “Red Zone” 8 times. Two of those times resulted in historically huge losses. You will find similar results with the S & I fund charts. Long term market trends and economic conditions do not change very often, but when they do they can happen quickly. Don’t wait to open your annual TSP statement only to discover that you’ve lost half or more of your life savings.
The charts and captions on this site are updated during the first week of every month. The hard part for you will be to remember to visit this site every month without fail. But for that I have a solution.
Simply make a tax deductible donation of your choosing to any one of my favorite charities and I’ll add you to my mailing list for a year. Then each month you will receive a short e-mail from me highlighting any directional changes that may be forming.
Only you can manage your Thrift Savings account but TSP Advantage is here to help you avoid costly mistakes.