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I used a small and mid cap completion fund alongside the S&P 500 for 16 years. It did not provide a greater return than the S&P 500 alone. So, this year, I abandonded the completion fund and simply went with the S&P 500. Only time will tell if that is the right call. Ultimately, it's a judgment call as they are relatively close in performance historically.

I held 100% stocks and did exactly what you described...tilting this or that, etc...in search of the "optimal" portfolio. I only learned later that this is simply guessing and hoping that it works out. One of the most enduring lessons I have taken away from this forum is the value of simplicity and strongly encourage investors to resist the allure of over "optimizing" ones portfolio which is often generated and "validated" via back testing, etc. This is not to say one should not seek diversification (stocks, fixed income, US, International, etc.) and some guessing is inevitable. However, this pursuit can easily become outsized and results in an overly complex portfolio that is more costly and time consuming to ...

Got it. Sorry, I missed the boat on that one. It looks like you will be eligible for a deferred retirement at age 62 with 5 years of service (7 in your case). It looks like you would receive a monthly payment of 1% of your high 3. https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/f ... mputation/

Would you rather collect 1% of your high three at 62 or reinvest and grow the money til age 62? You could run some calculations to see which nets you more money at age 62. Other considerations are what happens to the monthly payout after you die vs reinvesting the money? Good luck.

Some additional considerations; How are the fees in the Voya Financial ECAP vs the TSP and are your investment options at least as good as the TSP? If TSP gives you a better deal, then you may want to just leave it there. If not, then rolling over the TSP might make sense.

Is the Voya Financial ECAP a qualified employer sponsored plan which will afford you the same legal protection from bankruptcy and lawsuits as the TSP?

Lastly, I understand your general situation, I retired from active duty after 20 years in 2004 and have worked in Civil Service first with the Air Force and now with the Army since 2005. Went down the contractor trail from 2004-2005 too.

Other forum members have already addressed the personal loan, so I won't go there except to say I agree with them. As far as your current TSP allocation goes, given your age, time horizon, other future asset (pension) I think you are on the right track. (my TSP is set to the same allocation ...100% C and nothing else and I'm 58 years old). Generally speaking, I would recommend you put as much money as you can afford to in the TSP keeping an investing/life balance you are happy with. When your income goes higher in future years and you are able to, max out the TSP. As far as a ratio of traditional TSP to Roth TSP, you'll have to run some income and future tax projections to have some idea what tax bracket you think you will be in when you re...

I divorced in 2010. Ours was amicable and easier as we had no children. Financially, I have blossomed as a result of the experience. She didn't fare so well and later literally lost everything. Emotionally, it took me several years to work through everything. If I ever marry again, it will be with a prenup. If you had asked me at any time in our marriage if I thought we would ever divorce, I would have said no way. I still believe we had a better relationship than any couple I know but people change and anything can happen in this life. I used to think human behavior was fairly predictable. Not anymore. I would recommend you stay as amicable as possible and if you can't agree to divorce terms, then seek legal help to sort it all out. Give y...

Congratulations! I think you are on the right track and your asset allocation is fine. Don't be in too big a hurry to add bonds etc. to your portfolio. You have many years to grow your money. Volatility is your friend during your accumulation years. My suggestion to you both would be once you have gotten married and done what you are going to do with the house, put as much money as you can afford to in your retirement accounts each pay period. Some folks recommend a percentage like 15%. I would max them out as soon as you can afford to do so. If you cannot max them out right away, please understand as you get older, your incomes should go up. So, hopefully, you should be able to contribute the max at some point. Only you and your bride can ...

Yes, it is possible as long as you have other income to cover the maintenance and/or other expenses which will exceed your minimal monthly cash flow. If you don't, you may soon find yourself incurring additional debt which makes the whole situation worse. I think it is more likely you will make more money after they are paid off than you did during the 10-15 year amortization period. Unless, of course, you are investing in an area where property values skyrocket in the next 10-15 years and you sell for an obscene profit. I offer this from the following perspective, I've owned and managed rentals on the side while working a full time job since 1994. I've owned single families, duplexes, fourplexes and a 10 unit building. Every one of them ha...

One way you could dampen the variability would be to increase the amount of your emergency fund. You essentially have a 3 year emergency fund. If you were to boost that to a 5 or 7 year emergency fund, you would buy yourself two to four extra years of time to weather any extended market downturns. Only you can determine if you are comfortable with that degree of AA.

Congratulations on investing wisely to arrive at your current financial place!

If that's the asset allocation you and your hubby are happy with as a couple based on your whole financial situation then there is no need to change. I've been a government employee for 17 years, am 57 years old and am currently invested 100% in the C Fund. This allocation is based on my whole financial situation and I'm comfortable with it.

I thought I would offer a different view. I typically buy a new vehicle in cash every 6 to 7 years when I hit a mileage threshold. I keep $50k in my checking account which serves a multifold purpose. It is my personal expense fund for living expenses, personal emergency fund, my business expense fund for business expenses, my business emergency fund (I own some rental properties) and my new vehicle purchasing fund. While I realize I don't make any money out of this cash reserve because of the current interest rates, I like the simplicity and liquidity of using my checking account. So, i don't fret over the lost opportunity cost of this money. $50k represents less than 3% of the value of my total net worth. The rest of my portfolio is made u...

No, it's not crazy. I've been doing it since the late 1990s.