Micah and Tammy have been seeing lots of mistakes and missteps happening lately, with more people reaching out to see whether they were wrong or...
Read MoreMicah and Tammy have been seeing lots of mistakes and missteps happening lately, with more people reaching out to see whether they were wrong or...
Read MoreWhen we talk about your FERS Retirement, we’re really talking about several different benefits. FERS (Federal Employees Retirement System) has three main components: Basic FERS...
Read MoreSpecial Benefit for Some FERS Who Retire Before Age 62 Have you heard about the FERS Supplement? It’s an important benefit for FERS planning to...
Read MoreFERS retirement benefits are complex. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the details. But it’s important to remember that federal benefits are just...
Read MoreWithout a doubt since its inception in 1997, the ROTH retirement account has gained tremendous popularity. Named after the Delaware Senator, William Roth, under the established Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, the term “ROTH” today generally means how a particular investment is treated for Federal Income Tax purposes.
When you invest in a traditional account your contributions are being made on a pre-tax basis. The monies you put it are not taxed until you withdraw them.
However, with a ROTH retirement account, the money that you put in is taxed today at your current tax bracket. When you withdraw the money, providing you are doing so by the Internal Revenue Code’s rules on making qualified distributions, the funds are tax-free.
A ROTH IRA is an investment account that is established outside of the Federal Government. It is different than the ROTH Component in your TSP for one really, really important reason.
When you invest in a ROTH IRA, you are subjected to annual contributions limits based on age and earnings.
In 2019 the annual limit to participate in a ROTH IRA is $6,000.00. This is NOT the ROTH TSP limit, which we will address.
It is important to know that with the ROTH IRA there are income limits based on your Adjusted Gross Income. If your AGI is in excess of about $186,000 a year, you begin to phase out of participating in the ROTH IRA. There are options like a “back door contribution” that could be considered after you have discussed them with your financial professional and tax professional.
Here is another reason that we love the TSP as a savings and accumulation tool. In the private sector, your annual contributions to a ROTH IRA are capped at $6,000.00 in the year 2019 with a $1,000 catch-up contribution allowed for those ages 50+.
However, your TSP contribution limits are $19,000.00 and an additional $6,000.00 catch-up contribution for those ages 50+.
Federal Employees could put up to $25,000.00 into their TSP as ROTH contributions if they are ages 50+ in the year 2019.
A ROTH IRA and a TSP Roth Contribution are two entirely different retirement vehicles with different rules. They are not related to one another other than how they are taxed. If you decide to change your contributions to the ROTH, remember that can and most likely will impact your Federal Income Taxes.
Yes. They are different retirement plans. Keep in mind though that the 5% match made by your employer will always be on a tax-deferred basis. The 5% Employer Match made by the Federal Government goes into the tax-deferred portion of your TSP and not your ROTH even if Y-O-U make 100% ROTH contributions.
Happy Planning!
“I have a question related to something in one of your articles about FEHB and Medicare. The article stated: “As a full-time Federal employee, you are eligible to enroll in
“Thank you very much for the great information. Question: Do I need to list my ex-spouse on my FERS retirement application if we were married for less than 10 years
“I watched the very helpful video on ROTH IRA conversions. I will be retiring by the end of 2022 and I do not have any funds in the Roth TSP,
“Is there a way, I can find out how much I will receive at retirement and when I can collect? I worked 24 years, but I don’t know my high
Get the most out of your federal retirement benefits by taking advantage of the FERS resources created by Micah Shilanski, CFP®, and the team of independent financial advisors at Shilanski & Associates, Inc. Join the thousands of federal employees who trust us to guide them in their retirement planning journey because of our unique perspective of how your FERS benefits contribute to your comprehensive financial plan.
Year after year I see Federal Employees missing the same critical concepts in their federal retirement planning. That’s why I’ve created an online workshop to help educate Federal Employees on these critical concepts.
If you are a Financial Advisor looking to work with Federal Employees,
we are always looking for Advisors that want to deliver massive value to clients.
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