How We Help
We start by examining all available federal benefits that will ultimately make up your custom-built plan. We’ll look at:
Both the FERS and CSRS are unique pension plans available to government employees. We’ll help you understand your pension and identify strategies to maximize your future payments. We’ll also help you see how it fits into your broader retirement income and comprehensive plan.
This election is one of the most permanent and financially impactful decisions a federal employee makes at retirement. We can help you make a fully informed, long-range decision that protects your spouse without overpaying or locking into a one-size-fits-all government default.
Your TSP will be a foundational piece of your retirement income. We can work together to strategically plan contributions and select investments aligned with your goals. We’ll also help you establish a withdrawal strategy designed to ensure your TSP supports your income needs throughout retirement.
Rules related to pay and cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) could affect how much income you have later in life. We’ll help you understand those rules and how they could affect your retirement date, how much risk you’re taking with your future income and whether your income plan is sustainable.
Your insurance needs will change over the course of your life. Let us help you make informed, cost-efficient health and life insurance decisions and create a strategy that protects and provides for you and your family.
For federal employees, Social Security must be coordinated carefully with FERS, the FERS Supplement and survivor decisions. Our advisors can help you pick the right time to start Social Security benefits, making it a powerful, inflation-adjusted pillar of long-term retirement security.
One Clear Plan
Federal employees don’t need more information — they need integration. We bring it all together in a customized plan designed to fit your unique goals and situation.
Visit with us to gain a clear understanding of where you are today and discover how we can help you and your family move toward and through retirement with confidence and purpose.
Instant Download Will a Recession Rob Your Retirement?
4 things to address to help ensure you can weather a drop in the market. This downloadable guide walks you through four things to check now to help ensure you and your family are prepared — even if the economy takes a dip. What you’ll learn:
- How to decide how much of your savings should be invested in the market
- A simple calculation to help determine whether you've saved enough to retire
- Alternative methods to create income without relying on a volatile stock market
Your TSP Guide: How To Make the Most of Your Thrift Savings Plan
The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a retirement savings plan for federal employees and military members. Participants can save for retirement through regular paycheck deductions.
Contributing to Your TSP
There are two TSP options:
Traditional TSP
Contributions are subtracted from your taxable income in the year they’re made, and you don’t pay taxes on contributions or growth until you begin withdrawals.
Roth TSP
Contributions are made on a post-tax basis, but withdrawals will be tax-free later as long as certain conditions are met.
You can elect to contribute money directly from each paycheck to your TSP. If you’re a FERS employee, your agency also gives you matching contributions — which can add up to more income in retirement.
TSP Investment Choices
There are typically three types of investment options available within a TSP:
Core funds are the building blocks of the TSP. You can mix and match these funds to fit your time horizon, comfort level with risk and future income needs.
- G Fund
- What It Invests In:Â Government bonds (very safe)
- What You Should Know: You won’t lose money, but growth is slow; best for short-term or lower-risk savings.
- F Fund
- What It Invests In: Bonds from many companies and agencies
- What You Should Know: Can add some steady growth but has had weaker returns lately.
- C Fund
- What It Invests In: Big U.S. companies (like those in the S&P 500)
- What You Should Know: Strong long-term growth; many experts say this is the most reliable stock fund.
- S Fund
- What It Invests In: Smaller U.S. companies
- What You Should Know: More ups and downs; can grow faster in good years but drops more in bad ones.
- I Fund
- What It Invests In: International companies
- What You Should Know: Gives global exposure but tends to be more volatile and often underperforms the C Fund.
Don’t want to pick funds yourself, or prefer to set it and forget it? An L Fund is a mix of the five core funds. It automatically becomes more conservative as you get closer to retirement.
For example, TSP participants who plan to retire in 2045 could pick L2045. As retirement nears, the fund will slowly shift from mostly stocks to mostly bonds and G Fund investments.
TSP participants who are more experienced investors or want more options can invest in outside mutual funds. But beware: This option may come with extra costs.
Source: Mark P. Cussen. Investopedia. April 8, 2025. "Breaking Down the TSP Investment Funds." https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/061113/breaking-down-tsp-investment-funds.asp. Accessed April 28, 2026.
Make Your TSP Work Harder for You
Looking to maximize your TSP and future retirement income? Here are some smart habits to establish:
Even small contributions can grow into something big over time. The earlier you start, the more time your money has to grow.
Set your paycheck deductions to get the full agency match if you’re eligible. If you don’t, you could be leaving money on the table.
Timing the market typically doesn’t work, since you can’t predict what will happen next week or next month. Focus instead on steady investing and long-term growth.
Stocks and bonds move differently with markets. Your mix will depend on various factors, including your age, when you want to retire and your comfort with risk.
Your mix of funds can drift as markets move. Plus, you may need to rebalance your portfolio as you get closer to retirement. We recommend visiting with us annually to check your TSP balance and discuss making adjustments to help keep your portfolio mix on target. (This happens automatically if you’re using an L Fund.)
Once you turn 59 ½, you can take money from your TSP without penalty. You can also roll funds into an IRA for more investment choices. After retirement, you can keep the money in your TSP or move it elsewhere. But don’t cash it out all at once; if you do, you’ll lose tax advantages and potential growth. We encourage you to strategize on a plan with one of our advisors before making any decisions about what to do with your TSP.
AE Wealth Management, LLC and Comprehensive Advisor, LLC are not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.
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