Should Employees be Automatically Enrolled in the TSP?

Should new employees be automatically enrolled in the Thrift Savings Plan? Author John Grobe asked the question and here are the answers that readers sent to him.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked readers to send me their thoughts on whether new employees should be automatically enrolled in the TSP.  The response was underwhelming. 

A total of 43 individuals sent me emails in response to my question.  Some answers were short and some were quite detailed.  The final tally had 37 of the respondents favoring automatic enrollment and only 6 opposing it.  The six made up in strength of their opinions what they did not have in absolute numbers.  The phrase “nanny state” was used a few times.

Among those who favored automatic enrollment, the L fund was the top choice of the fund to which the contributions should be allocated.  Respondents felt that the L fund allowed for an age appropriate investment.   G and C also got votes.  No one suggested either S or I.
 

Agencies can request to have John Grobe, or another of Federal Career Experts' qualified instructors, deliver a retirement or transition seminar to their employees. FCE instructors are not financial advisers and will not sell or recommend financial products to class participants. Agency Benefits Officers can contact John Grobe at johnfgrobe@comcast.net to discuss schedules and costs.

About the Author

John Grobe is President of Federal Career Experts, a firm that provides pre-retirement training and seminars to a wide variety of federal agencies. FCE’s instructors are all retired federal retirement specialists who educate class participants on the ins and outs of federal retirement and benefits; there is never an attempt to influence participants to invest a certain way, or to purchase any financial products. John and FCE specialize in retirement for special category employees, such as law enforcement officers.