The Thrift Savings Plan, decoded.
The latest additions.
Monthly TSP Fund Returns
Every fund’s return, month by month — G, F, C, S, I and the eleven Lifecycle Funds — with year-to-date and 12-month figures and closing share prices. Posted in the first week of each month.
2027 TSP Contribution Limits: The Projection and the Per-Pay-Period Math
Projected $25,500 / $8,000 / $11,750, how the limits are indexed, per-pay-period amounts for every scenario, the mandatory Roth catch-up, and the December election that protects all 26 matches. Updated when the IRS announces.
Your TSP Just Dropped 20% at 60: What to Actually Do
The two decisions that matter, the five that don’t, a decision flowchart, three retirees modeled through the same drop, and how the pension and the FERS supplement carry the household while the TSP heals.
Roth TSP’s Hidden Second Five-Year Clock
Roth TSP and a Roth IRA run separate five-year clocks, and a rollover at retirement lands you on whichever one exists. What resets, what doesn’t, the conversion recapture rule, and how to start both clocks today for $100.
Your C Fund Is a Tech Bet: Diversifying With the S and I Funds
A third of the C Fund is one sector and ten companies are 40% of it. What the S and I Funds actually add, three allocations and the exposure each delivers, and how to rebalance inside the TSP’s two-transfer limit.
L Funds for Feds With a Pension: Which One, and the Glide-Path Problem
The L Funds glide to 72% bonds because they assume the TSP is your whole retirement. Why the target-date label is the wrong way for a fed to pick one, how to count your pension as the bond allocation, and three ways to use L Funds with a pension.
New to the TSP? Read these first.
Monthly TSP Fund Returns
Every fund’s return, month by month — G, F, C, S, I and the eleven Lifecycle Funds — with year-to-date and 12-month figures and closing share prices. Posted in the first week of each month.
TSP Funds Explained: A 2026 Complete Guide to G, F, C, S, and I
What each fund holds, current returns and 10-year history, expense ratios, and the career-stage allocation framework. The best place to begin.
Roth vs Traditional TSP in 2026: The Decision After Two Changes
The mandatory Roth catch-up for high earners, in-plan conversions, and the bracket math that should actually drive the decision.
TSP Withdrawal Options in 2026: Lump Sum, Installments, Annuity
The three withdrawal building blocks, the combination strategy most retirees use, the Rule of 55 that beats every IRA, and the spousal-rights traps that derail withdrawals.
TSP basics
2027 TSP Contribution Limits: The Projection and the Per-Pay-Period Math
Projected $25,500 / $8,000 / $11,750, how the limits are indexed, per-pay-period amounts for every scenario, the mandatory Roth catch-up, and the December election that protects all 26 matches. Updated when the IRS announces.
Your C Fund Is a Tech Bet: Diversifying With the S and I Funds
A third of the C Fund is one sector and ten companies are 40% of it. What the S and I Funds actually add, three allocations and the exposure each delivers, and how to rebalance inside the TSP’s two-transfer limit.
L Funds for Feds With a Pension: Which One, and the Glide-Path Problem
The L Funds glide to 72% bonds because they assume the TSP is your whole retirement. Why the target-date label is the wrong way for a fed to pick one, how to count your pension as the bond allocation, and three ways to use L Funds with a pension.
Five TSP Mistakes in Your Last Five Years Before Retirement
The allocation cliff, the lost match, the loan that becomes a tax bill, the Roth clock nobody started, and the rollover pitch — what each costs, the fix, and a year-by-year checklist.
TSP Funds Explained: A 2026 Complete Guide to G, F, C, S, and I
What each fund holds, current returns and 10-year history, expense ratios, and the career-stage allocation framework. The best place to begin.
Roth & catch-up
Roth TSP’s Hidden Second Five-Year Clock
Roth TSP and a Roth IRA run separate five-year clocks, and a rollover at retirement lands you on whichever one exists. What resets, what doesn’t, the conversion recapture rule, and how to start both clocks today for $100.
TSP Roth In-Plan Conversions: The New 2026 Feature, Explained
Since January 28, 2026, you can convert traditional TSP balances to Roth without leaving the plan. Here are the rules that actually matter — 26 conversions a year, a $500 minimum, the tax bill it triggers, and who should use one.
Roth vs Traditional TSP in 2026: The Decision After Two Changes
The mandatory Roth catch-up for high earners, in-plan conversions, and the bracket math that should actually drive the decision.
TSP Catch-Up Contributions: The 60-63 Window Most Feds Miss
When catch-ups make sense, the payoff math, the age 64 cliff, the Roth-only rule for high earners, and combat-zone interactions for uniformed services.
SECURE 2.0 TSP Catch-Ups in 2026: Super Catch-Up & Mandatory Roth
The $24,500 limit, the $8,000 catch-up, the $11,250 super catch-up at 60-63, and the new mandatory Roth rule for high earners — with a limit calculator.
Withdrawals & income
Your TSP Just Dropped 20% at 60: What to Actually Do
The two decisions that matter, the five that don’t, a decision flowchart, three retirees modeled through the same drop, and how the pension and the FERS supplement carry the household while the TSP heals.
Using Your TSP to Bridge to Social Security at 70
Claim at 62 for 70% of your benefit, or spend TSP first and claim 124% at 70. What the bridge costs, the G Fund bucket that funds it, the Roth window it opens, and when it’s the wrong call — with a bridge calculator.
TSP Withdrawal Options in 2026: Lump Sum, Installments, Annuity
The three withdrawal building blocks, the combination strategy most retirees use, the Rule of 55 that beats every IRA, and the spousal-rights traps that derail withdrawals.
TSP Installments vs. the Life Annuity: Income for Life (2026)
TSP installments keep your money flexible and inheritable; the MetLife annuity guarantees income for life but is irrevocable. The tradeoffs and a calculator.
The TSP Rule of 55: Penalty-Free Withdrawals at 55
How separating in the year you turn 55 unlocks penalty-free TSP access, the special-category age-50 version, and the rollover trap that voids it — with an eligibility checker.
Rollovers & keep-vs-roll
Should You Roll Your TSP to an IRA? The Keep-vs-Roll Decision (2026)
Rolling your TSP to an IRA buys flexibility and QCDs but costs the G Fund and rock-bottom fees. The real case each way, the fee math, and a cost calculator.
TSP Rollovers in 2026: Moving Money In, Out, and the IRA Decision
How to move an old 401(k) into the low-cost TSP, how to roll out at separation without triggering tax, and the honest version of the stay-or-move-to-an-IRA decision.
The TSP Rollover Pitch
Why leaving the TSP for an IRA often means higher fees and losing the G Fund. The fee-drag math, the legit reasons, and the red flags — with a fee calculator.
Loans, hardship & death benefits
TSP Loans in 2026: The Real Cost Behind the Decision
The double-taxation myth, the real opportunity cost, the separation trap that turns routine loans into five-figure tax bills, and the QPLO rule that saves you.
TSP Hardship Withdrawals in 2026: Rules, Cost, and the Myth
The five qualifying conditions, the real cost of a permanent withdrawal, and the contribution-suspension myth that ended in 2019 but still circulates everywhere.
What Happens to Your TSP When You Die: Beneficiaries & BPAs (2026)
Form TSP-3 overrides your will, the spousal BPA and its hidden trap, the non-spouse 90-day clock and 10-year rule — with a beneficiary-outcome tool.
G Fund vs C Fund: When Each One Actually Wins in Retirement
Why the G Fund’s apparent safety becomes a long-term liability, the sequence-of-returns research behind it, and the cash-bucket approach that protects against early-retirement drawdowns.
Dividing Your TSP in Divorce: The RBCO and the Traps
It’s an RBCO, not a QDRO. How the marital-share (coverture) fraction works, why the exact date matters, the $600 fee, the temporary-account tax trap, and the beneficiary-form trap. With a calculator.
The numbers that matter in 2026
A few figures anchor almost every TSP decision this year:
- $24,500 — the 2026 elective deferral limit for all ages
- $32,500 — the maximum with the age 50–59 catch-up
- $35,750 — the maximum for ages 60–63, using the SECURE 2.0 super catch-up
- 5% — the contribution that captures the full agency match every pay period
- 59½ — the universal penalty-free withdrawal age, or 55 under the Rule of 55
Continue across the federal retirement picture
The TSP is one leg of three. The FERS & CSRS pillar covers pension calculation and retirement eligibility, the Social Security pillar covers claiming strategy for federal employees, and the Tax Strategy pillar covers how retirement income is actually taxed.
Explore FERS & CSRS →