Thread: James48843 Account Talk

Originally Posted by DreamboatAnnie

NASA, I would love to take that survey and ditto your responses. It tells me my email address is already in use and requires me to call in. Wait time is over 1.5 hours. I will try later....ugghhh...

This happened to me but it let me put in a secondary email address to get in and then I changed back to my primary email address when I was done. Good luck! :-)

Crazy times, isn’t it?

I’m lucky that I copied all of my old account data the day before it went down. Luckily, I did the extensive math on Saturday, and calculated that my account was only off by .77 CENTS on a million dollar account, based on share prices and returns of the index’s they are supposed to reflect. That close makes me much more comfortable.

Now it’s just the waiting until they get the website fixed. Waaay too many errors. I don’t think they Beta tested it anywhere near actual use conditions.


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Thuinking I'll dabble a little bit and test the waters. Moving 25% C, 25% S, and 50% L2025 today. Just for the fun of it.

I WAS looking for a better entry point, but I'm seeing some interesting stuff in the day-to-day movement that tells me we are not likely to crash much right now- Yes, there is a risk, but it is small. So I figure half is worth risking for some adventure. Good luck.

Originally Posted by James48843

Crazy times, isn’t it?

I’m lucky that I copied all of my old account data the day before it went down. Luckily, I did the extensive math on Saturday, and calculated that my account was only off by .77 CENTS on a million dollar account, based on share prices and returns of the index’s they are supposed to reflect. That close makes me much more comfortable.

Now it’s just the waiting until they get the website fixed. Waaay too many errors. I don’t think they Beta tested it anywhere near actual use conditions.


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We are the Beta testers

Just a note:

I believe I have found who is the contractor for this TSP program.

Go visit Alight.com and you will see that the software webpages look quite familiar.

I can’t be positive, but I’m about 85% sure they are the company responsible for the TSP web rollout. Even the automated chatbot appears to be the same software.

Alight.Com is a H.R. company with now 16,000 employees, and it’s website mentions it was created in 2017 from other companies, including The Blackstone Group.

Why does that not surprise me?

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James, I found this article. I thought I remembered hearing the name before - Accenture. In the DC area, you HAVE to listen to the news channel in your car to keep up with traffic issues, and I believe they run ads on the station.

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/tsp/2...-21st-century/

Originally Posted by James48843

Just a note:

I believe I have found who is the contractor for this TSP program.

Go visit Alight.com and you will see that the software webpages look quite familiar.

I can’t be positive, but I’m about 85% sure they are the company responsible for the TSP web rollout. Even the automated chatbot appears to be the same software.

Alight.Com is a H.R. company with now 16,000 employees, and it’s website mentions it was created in 2017 from other companies, including The Blackstone Group.

Why does that not surprise me?

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Originally Posted by jonfresno

James, I found this article. I thought I remembered hearing the name before - Accenture. In the DC area, you HAVE to listen to the news channel in your car to keep up with traffic issues, and I believe they run ads on the station.

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/tsp/2...-21st-century/

THANK YOU for the link.

I'm not in the DC area, so I miss things like this.

Obviously- they found a way to DOUBLE DIP- breaking the management of the funds INTO TWO DIFFERENT COMPANIES, < Blackrock, AND State Street Financial, AND they have Accenture to be a "Master Contractor" to "oversee" the companies underneath them. AND they asked for a $100 MILLION increase in their budget to cover the new, higher expenses.


So- if I understand what that article said:

1. Accenture is the 'LEAD CONTRACTOR".

2. Accenture takes their cut of the contract, and then farms out the software design to another company (Align, I am pretty sure). That way- when somebody screws up the software rollout, they can point the finger elsewhere.

3. They (The FRTIB Thrift Board ) split of management of the TSp's funds amoung TWO MUTI-NATIONAL FIRMS- EACH ONE getting a multi-million dollar contract to work the funds. That would be BLACKROCK and STATE STREET, EACH OF WHICH makes millions of dollars off of us.



Why am I not surprised?

WE are the piggy bank.

James,

They were forced to break up and use two companies by the gubmint. There was a concern about using one company. I think the GSA got excited that an issue with one company would make the system inaccessible. I read that somewhere.

I thought it was pretty stupid then, now I find it even more stupid. This site is probably a kluge from slamming data from both holding companies together - even though they have different data models.

Originally Posted by Boghie

This site is probably a kluge from slamming data from both holding companies together - even though they have different data models.

Yeah, like trying to interface Siemens Building Automated Systems with Johnson Control Systems.......... It's doable, but the end results are lacking and a total PITA.

I'll pile on and continue with the hijacking of James' thread..

So I don't get it. Converting to a new system, probably using different data tables and structures, you had over a year to convert the data. It's inconceivable to not have the historical data. You dump out the old data into a flat file, then load it into the new data tables with the new format. Data conversion. EVERY IT system goes thru this when modernizing.

Dump the data, compute the values developing and using a cross-walk matrix then load the data. What am I missing here?

.

Originally Posted by Epic

Yeah, like trying to interface Siemens Building Automated Systems with Johnson Control Systems.......... It's doable, but the end results are lacking and a total PITA.

Originally Posted by jonfresno

I'll pile on and continue with the hijacking of James' thread..

So I don't get it. Converting to a new system, probably using different data tables and structures, you had over a year to convert the data. It's inconceivable to not have the historical data. You dump out the old data into a flat file, then load it into the new data tables with the new format. Data conversion. EVERY IT system goes thru this when modernizing.

Dump the data, compute the values developing and using a cross-walk matrix then load the data. What am I missing here?

.

James' recent comment flagged my flagging memory.

We now have two fine, but discrete, companies who are 'able' to handle our transactions. If one craps the bed the other is the failover and vice versa. Like having two sources for the widgets you need for the manufacturer of your Super-Widget.

It is the normal, stupid thought process that is also behind contracting out goods and services to the lowest bidder on a frequent basis. The military idea that when something needs to get done you can slot someone from disbursing into the IT shop and that dude/dudette/pronoun can get the job done by spending 20 minutes reading a Desktop Procedures Manual. I have burned more money in salaries and incompatible equipment than I have ever saved because something from somewhere else came in $5 cheaper for six items. This is that. Some bean counter and/or auditor felt that things could be done cheaper by someone other than BlackRock. They also felt that TSP should not be beholden to BlackRock. They likely thought anything could be better than the previous portal.

They were wrong.

Now we probably have flat files flopping around between two companies and a central clearinghouse. What a mess. And, when will those files be stolen and exploited.