Thread: Interfund Transfer 7/03 for 7/05/07

Thanks for the emails! I still had my allocation listed as 100% S in today's commentary. It's updated now (100% G).

Thanks again!

I don't understand why you are in the g-fund. The I-fund has been kicking butt all year long. It has made the biggest gain of all the funds this year. The g-fund should only be used as a safety net when things are going bad. If you are able to catch the i-fund dips and transfer your money to the g-fund, that is the only time i would do it. And that would only be for a couple of days. You seem to park your funds in the g-fund for waaaaay to long. Good luck, but i think your money would grow much faster and not with too much risk in the i-fund. watsinit4mee

Welcome wats! All good advice, but rear-view mirror analysis. Let me know when things are going bad.

not really rear-view mirror analysis. i've been in the i-fund for over 3 yrs with only a couple of moves over to the g-fund. have made great gains. i have had it go down on me a couple of times, but it has never failed to return and gain more. the problem is catching those big dips. it is much easier to stay in and ride the hill and valleys. if you're lucky, and i have been a couple of times to get out just before the downhill and catch the ride back up. but again, my sentiments are the g-fund should only be for short term parking. the money is in the i-fund.

What is it, about every six months another one of these people come along? You mentioned you've been in the I fund for over 3 years, congratulations! You've made some nice mula, for TSP anyway. You might want to look back to 2000-2002 to see what you would've made then before you start giving investment advice. Or make sure they don't own weapons...........

Originally Posted by mlk_man

What is it, about every six months another one of these people come along?

Kind of like roaches.

Pisses me off that there are people out there that have to tear another down to make them feel better about their lives. It's just sad.

Living life from the rear view mirror is MUCH easier.

Dearest Mlkman, i don't think the i-fund was available back then, but i could be wrong. i was in the c-fund at the time. i did make some good mula and lost some there too. however, the overall, was up. You seem to be a little bit pissed at me for some reason. All i did was ask why you were in the g-fund so much. I think your $$$ could be put elsewhere to make alot more. if the g and f fund are your thing, then by all means stay there and earn your 2-4%/yr. Stay in the g and you'll be making more than your trades seem to. I am not handing out investment advise, i'm telling you where i am. so settle down hombre.

Originally Posted by watsinit4mee

Dearest Mlkman, i don't think the i-fund was available back then, but i could be wrong. i was in the c-fund at the time. i did make some good mula and lost some there too. however, the overall, was up. You seem to be a little bit pissed at me for some reason. All i did was ask why you were in the g-fund so much. I think your $$$ could be put elsewhere to make alot more. if the g and f fund are your thing, then by all means stay there and earn your 2-4%/yr. Stay in the g and you'll be making more than your trades seem to. I am not handing out investment advise, i'm telling you where i am. so settle down hombre.

The 2001 returns shown reflect the actual returns of the S and I Funds for May (inception of S and I Funds) through December 2001

http://www.tsp.gov/rates/history_2001.html

I gotta take the moderators hat off and put the members hat on for this post!

I don't think we are understanding what we have (TSP) in the reality of risk vs reward.

TSP is a retirement savings plan. The G-fund is 0% risk. The equities are 100% risk. This risk can be lowered by reducing allocations. The L-funds are examples of how risk is reduced as one gets closer to retirement.

If your retirement is on track. You could just about stay in the G-fund of 5%.
Withdrawls and inflation would be about 7%. So a few low risk trades could maintain the 7% or you could go over to the low risk L-funds.

We have had several years of good Bull Markets. But what about the Bear Markets. Can you recognize a Bear Market, can you protect your capital. Do you understand market fundamentals.

Fundamental Analysis
http://www.incrediblecharts.com/inve...l_analysis.htm

We have had some years when you didn't want to be in equities:

10-Year Summary of TSP Individual Funds Annual Returns

Year, G, F, C, S, I

1997 6.77 9.60 33.17 25.68 1.55
1998 5.74 8.70 28.44 8.63 20.09
1999 5.99 -0.85 20.95 35.49 26.72
2000 6.42 11.67 -9.14 -15.77 -14.17
2001 5.39 8.61 -11.94 -9.04 -21.94
2002 5.00 10.27 -22.05 -18.14 -15.98
2003 4.11 4.11 28.54 42.92 37.94
2004 4.30 4.30 10.82 18.03 20.00
2005 4.49 2.40 4.96 10.45 13.63
2006 4.93 4.40 15.79 15.30 26.32

TSPTalk has a excellent mission statement.
We want to maximize our Thrift Savings Plan retirement accounts and help others along the way.
We do this by allocating our assets into the funds which have the highest probability for capital preservation and greatest possibility for increased returns.

Every person has to evaluate their own investing style experience and time frame to retirement. And, the accounts need to be managed. If you want to be a active trader, consider a broker account where you can make trades in a second. Mistakes can be quite large when you have to wait a day or two for a trade.

Consider 3 fund systems:
1. An Emergency cash fund.
2. Your TSP retirement, and
3. A broker trading fund.

I won't be critical of anyone in the G-fund or another in the I-fund, if that suits your plan and risk/reward tolerance. Sometimes we just get out of sync and need to be on a lilly pad.

The problem is not having a plan, and not knowing how to safeguard your savings. As far as I know you (may) only get one shot at retirement.

My 2 cents
U can throw the erasers!
But, Regards and be careful
Spaf

Originally Posted by watsinit4mee

Dearest Mlkman, i don't think the i-fund was available back then, but i could be wrong. i was in the c-fund at the time. i did make some good mula and lost some there too. however, the overall, was up.

So you were one of those that lost 50% of your account balance between 2000 and 2003? Listen and learn - this game is a marathon, not a sprint. Some of the folks here have been running it for a while and have gained some perspective. Having an open mind and being able to learn from them is what makes this place great. By the way, welcome to the board.
c855

nope, i didn't lose 50%, about 10-15%. and that is only because i couldn't get out of the tsp on a daily basis at that time. i've been in the tsp for about 20 yrs now. i'm not a newbie, only to this board. you are right, it isn't a race, but when the i-fund is going up, i'm going to hop on board. and that is what i did a few years back. now that i'm able to trade on a daily basis, i'm a little more cautious about jumping in and out.