TSP

Recent articles have generated considerable discussion on the site about the cost incurred by those who try to time the market with frequent buying and selling of their TSP funds. A few readers contend that it costs the TSP considerably more to balance the lifecycle funds than the costs incurred by those trading frequently. Does anyone know the actual costs of the lifecycle fund rebalancing and how do these costs compare to the costs created by those frequently trading the I fund?

Out of a few million Thrift Savings Plan participants, there are several thousand who trade their funds on a frequent basis. This activity is costing a few million dollars a year in additional expenses. The TSP is considering a recommendation to limit the number of TSP trades that a participant could make during a month.

TSP participants are learning and changing their investing habits. In part, that may be because of market volatility and, in part, because the lifecycle fund option has been successful for many TSP participants.

The stock market has been volatile in 2007. Billions of dollars have been traded in the TSP during the year as some investors have decided to buy and sell different funds as the market ebbed and flowed. What lessons can this volatile market provide for investors?

There was plenty of bad news in the past month and the fluctuations in the stock market frequently reflected the uncertainty. But, despite the storm clouds, TSP investors did very well for the month of September–as well as for the recent quarter and for the last year as well. You can sleep better tonight–your TSP investments are still moving higher.

Readers had strong opinions about the concept of charging a fee for frequent trading of TSP funds. Most are opposed to charging a fee or to limiting the number of transfers one can make during a year. Here are the results.