If I could do it all over again…

General TSP Discussion.

Moderator: Aitrus

ProduceMan
Posts: 577
Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2018 12:01 pm

Re: If I could do it all over again…

Post by ProduceMan »

Aitrus wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 6:42 pm I've been with a seasonal approach since 2014, and it's served me very well. It took me from 2002 - 2014 to reach $40k (of which $35k were my own contributions plus civil service matching). Since I started following seasonal with a passion in 2014, I crossed the $100k mark in late 2019, and the end of 2023 has me knocking on the door of $200k.

I have another decade and a half to go before retiring for good from the civil service, and I like what the future holds.
WOW, you had a very unproductive first 12 yrs. Definitely made up for it from 14 - 23……..NICE
Moneys’ Money Making Money (4M)

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evilanne
Posts: 2083
Joined: Thu May 14, 2015 6:52 pm

Re: If I could do it all over again…

Post by evilanne »

I would have started investing in the C Fund from the start (They only had 3 funds back then) although the G Fund was paying between 8-9%

wingchaser
Posts: 828
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:39 am

Re: If I could do it all over again…

Post by wingchaser »

I might have went a lil’ heavier into Gold when it was $30.00 an ounce; used to buy an ounce for the Boy’s on their Birthday’s & at Christmas. Turned out to be quite the Start-up Fund (for each) when they turned 18 (respectively)…

Also, Bitcoin was such the lure when it was at $700, though because it was traded primarily on a Russian Exchange, I laid off of it in its early onset…

“All in” posturing (Stock-Wise) has served me well over the years’ & I don’t think I would have changed that tactic…

I’m either “all in” or “all out” depending on the atmosphere…

Finally, my “picker” appeared to broken with many of the women I dated & (subsequently) Married, wish I would paid more attention to my motives in the pursuance of such…

Best of Luck (everyone) in all you choose to endeavor!!!
“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn’t... pays it.” ~ Albert Einstein

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jdoma
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue May 20, 2014 12:18 pm

Re: If I could do it all over again…

Post by jdoma »

Definitely max contributions into C and then forgot about it until retirement. But if TSPcenter and TSPcalc had been around back then........

I'd probably be a multi millionaire.

Bubba
Posts: 487
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2020 3:40 am

Re: If I could do it all over again…

Post by Bubba »

jdoma wrote: Tue Apr 23, 2024 3:23 pm Definitely max contributions into C and then forgot about it until retirement. But if TSPcenter and TSPcalc had been around back then........

I'd probably be a multi millionaire.
Yeah, TSPCenter was around...I was just too busy with other things. Thankfully I have a couple of decades left, but if I had 30 to 40 years in the system...man that would have been awesome! I'm just glad that we have TSPCalc now. :D

paul
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 6:06 pm

Re: If I could do it all over again…

Post by paul »

...I would be buy and hold, all stocks, until 10 years out from retirement. Then reallocate according to my goals and timeline.

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jimcasada
Posts: 329
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 4:40 pm

Re: If I could do it all over again…

Post by jimcasada »

I've been in TSP since 2002. I think that I have done pretty well for the most part (only had two negative years in all that time). Hindsight is 20/20, but I guess the only thing that I would really change would be to pay more attention to my account earlier on. Those first few years I just put everything 50/50 in S & C, and rarely even checked on my account. I could have done better back then.

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IRQVET
Posts: 212
Joined: Tue May 03, 2016 12:45 am

Re: If I could do it all over again…

Post by IRQVET »

I wish when I started with the FED in 2016, I would have left everything in the C-Fund and not spent so may years trying to time the market. Those first couple of years I took substantial loses trying to move things around with no clear strategy.
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Disclaimer: The contents of this thread are known to the state of California to cause cancer. (As they always seem to know more than the rest of us)

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inla$vega$
Posts: 95
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:06 pm

Re: If I could do it all over again…

Post by inla$vega$ »

Ditto IRQVET

"I wish when I started with the FED, I would have left everything in the C-Fund and not spent so may years trying to time the market. Those first couple of years I took substantial loses trying to move things around with no clear strategy."

Now I'm retired and staying in the market and drawing the RMD (about 6%) without reducing my balance.

Just look at the balances of those guys that stayed in 100% C for decades and made 400 to 600 % gains.

Experience and history are such a good teachers.

searight
Posts: 90
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 8:56 am

Re: If I could do it all over again…

Post by searight »

The good and the bad. For my first 10+ years I didn't realize that we got a pension as government workers. This caused me to put the max into the TSP.

I wish that I had learned about FERS/TSP/SSA in my twenties I would have been higher risk since two legs of our retirement have almost no risk.

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Fund Prices2024-11-12

FundPriceDayYTD
G $18.65 0.05% 3.80%
F $19.52 -0.71% 1.55%
C $94.36 -0.19% 26.88%
S $94.25 0.53% 22.25%
I $42.75 -1.60% 6.40%
L2070 $10.63 -0.58% 6.31%
L2065 $17.94 -0.58% 18.67%
L2060 $17.94 -0.58% 18.67%
L2055 $17.95 -0.58% 18.68%
L2050 $35.47 -0.52% 15.88%
L2045 $16.11 -0.49% 15.12%
L2040 $58.57 -0.46% 14.38%
L2035 $15.39 -0.42% 13.52%
L2030 $50.96 -0.37% 12.66%
L2025 $13.79 -0.19% 8.54%
Linc $26.78 -0.16% 7.51%

Live Charts

Pending Allocations

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