There are 5.8 million Thrift Savings Plan accounts.

They range from smaller starter accounts of new employees to those with $1 million or more, including one which, at the end of last month, was worth $6.9 million. There are 39,399 accounts worth at least $1 million, compared to March 2018 when the number of TSP millionaires was 23,098.

Most of the millionaires are self-made. They’ve been investing steadily through good and horrible stock markets, investing primarily in the stock-index funds for nearly 30 years on average. They’re not overnight successes, but successes for sure.

And while people are fascinated by the Millionaires Club, the real question is where does your account rank in value? The federal 401k plan is a nice option for workers retiring or retired under the Civil Service Retirement System, to which employees contribute, with its more generous civil service annuity and cost of living adjustment program.

But for the vast majority of workers, who are under the Federal Employees Retirement System, the TSP is a must. FERS provides a much smaller annuity and only partial protection from inflation in retirement. FERS employees, at a minimum, should contribute at least enough to the TSP to qualify for the 5% government match. By some estimates investments and earnings (hopefully) in the TSP will supply anywhere from one-third to one-half the money individuals have to spend in retirement. The rest will come from their FERS annuity and Social Security.

The bottom line, however, is you. Where does your account rank in the TSP lineup? Find yourself in this chart and see how well (or not) you’re doing:

Nearly Useless Factoid

by Amelia Brust

The most lopsided game in college football history took place on this day, 103 years ago, between Georgia Tech and Cumberland College in Atlanta. The final score was 222-0 Georgia Tech, which can be partially attributed to to 97% of the game’s plays occurring in Cumberland territory — 64 of those plays occurred in Cumberland’s own red zone. Cumberland’s longest play was a 10-yard pass. The school had actually discontinued its football program before the season, but was not allowed to cancel its game against Georgia Tech.

Source: Wikipedia