Page 55 - The Informed Fed--Hearn Wealth Management
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entire balance is distributed to the beneficiaries and charged as income
                        for the year. This means that a surviving spouse may now be pushed into

                        the  maximum  tax  bracket  that  year.  Finally,  many  employees  are
                        depending on their TSP as their only supplement to Social Security and
                        their pension. Virtually everyone who does this will be required to take a

                        pay cut in retirement. Even with the matching funds, 5% savings is not
                        enough to build a retirement income equal to their previous paycheck,

                        especially if those investments rise and fall with the market. While most
                        people know they should be saving more, very few do, and unmatched
                        funds in the TSP are subject to the disappointments of the low-return /

                        high-risk options.
                            Have  you  ever  wondered  how  much  you  should  put  away  for
                        retirement?  The  answer  will  vary  according  to  individual  needs  in

                        retirement. Generally, if we start before age 30 and invest 10% of every
                        dollar we make until age 65, we will retire at an equal or better income
                        than we are accustomed to. If we wait until after age 30 to start saving,

                        we will need to put away 12-15% to reach that same goal. And if you are
                        over 40, you may need to put away 15% or more to build a comfortable

                        retirement income.





                            We  are  providing  the  following  example  courtesy  of  a  federal

                        employee who shared his game plan with us. Every employee has unique


                        experience explains how he made the most of his TSP investments. He
                        stayed  away  from  the  C,  S,  I  and  Lifecycle  funds  to  eliminate  any

                        possibility of losing any of those hard-earned dollars. He was able to get
                        a  predictable  and  positive  return  on  the  investment.  This  FERS

                        employee always contributed 5% to the Thrift Savings Plan. Since the
                        government matches his 5% with an additional 5%, he knows he has an
                        immediate 100% return on investment. He kept his funds allocated to




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