Tracking Questions

**lifer** · 08-03-2004, 12:11 PM

Hello...I've been lurking around for a couple weeks and my eyes have been opened. I've started manipulating my allocations based on market conditions...something I hadn't realized I could do until learning about this site. Thanks.

My current dilema is figuring out how to track my account. I use Quicken to track my Scottrade account and my IRA account. I can download QIF files or manually enter the transaction data. It also automatically downloads current market prices for my stocks and mutual funds. I've not found a way to do any of this with TSP. I'm reduced to updating my Quicken file on a quarterly basis.

Is there a way to find out some of the following:

When do monthly allocations post? Knowing the day would help a lot since I can look up the Fund price for any given day at tsp.gov

Are there specific fund indexes that Quicken will recognize to automatically update my TSP funds?

Should I be using different financial planning software for TSP?

Thanks for the input. I tried looking around the message boards to see if any of this has been covered before...no joy.

lifer.

**tsptalk** · 08-04-2004, 01:30 AM

Welcome lifer. I just use my spreadsheet so I'm sorry I can't help.

Tom

08-04-2004, 12:37 PM

I also use a spreadsheet.

I just paste a function and then paste the TSP fund prices and it automatically gives me averages, sums, etc.

**rokid** · 08-04-2004, 08:45 PM

Lifer,

I also use Quicken and manually update fund price info.

Since the TSP funds are not openly traded and don't have ticker symbols, you can't automatically download price information from financial web sites. In addition, the TSP web site doesn't support automatic updating.Odd situation. Maybe, if the management fee went to .2%, theTSP could create afunctional web site. Might be worth it.

**Frizz B.** · 08-05-2004, 01:58 AM

You can do an automatic update with the tsp funds, if you take the ^dwcpshare price, wilshire 4500 and divide it by 34.1043 you will get the S fund share price. Take theEFA and divide it by 10.4387 to get the I fund, although they do not seem to coincide all the time, as we all know, sometimes the EFA can be up and when the prices come out the I fund is down, but this is the fund that shows on the tsp website. I will have to update the C Fund tommorrow, I have that info at work. This is a functional website as best as you are going to get unless you pay for up to the minute prices, all websites, I do believe are 20 minutes behind.