Here are the trends in the TSP universe. The TSP funds have been kind to TSP investors so far in May and the number of investors in the lifecycle funds continues to go up. Active trading in the funds is down.
If you were a big fan of the Beatles singing “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” you remember President Kennedy addressing the nation during the Cuban missile crisis; and you recall seeing Governor George Wallace standing in the door at the University of Alabama to block integration of the public school system on a black and white television set, you are older than most Americans. But many federal employees do recall these events because they were alive when they occurred.
Our patterns of courtship have changed with new technology. Ardent, would-be lovers are not the only people to use the Internet. One government employee found herself the victim of a scam–and the scammer got her personal information from her government computer.
A few billion dollars were moved out of the TSP stock funds during the first quarter of this year. If you are a contrary investor, that may be a signal that stocks are headed up. And, for April at least, that is the case as all of the TSP funds are up for the month–with one exception.
Comments sent in by readers on proposed changes to interfund transfers within the TSP were unusually harsh. Similar comments may have been sent in directly to the TSP board as well. A new Federal Register notice finalizes a final rule limiting TSP trading activity. The official notice is blunt in addressing the comments opposing the changes. Here is the outcome but watch for future changes as well.
The recent publicity about charge card abuse by federal employees outlined in a GAO report has been reported in news media all over the country. The Office of Management and Budget has new guidance for federal agencies telling them steps they must take to get a handle on the problem.
Riding through the ups and downs of the stock market can be exasperating. Is this a good time buy more of the TSP stock funds or a good time to sell them?
Here is an issue with bipartisan support from our Congressional representatives. Congress apparently thinks that federal employees do not write well and intends to correct the problem. A bill has passed the House requiring agencies to use “plain language.” Haven’t we seen this before?
The issue of credit card abuse in government surfaces on a regular basis. Little seems to change. A new GAO report highlights a problem with purchase cards. The reaction of many in the government community is likely to be “Thanks for the report. We don’t really care.”
Why would the head of a major federal agency be writing a letter to Dear Abby? Can this be good for a political appointee’s career?
