GovernmentExecutive.com

Return to Article: Web site overhaul scheduled for Thrift Savings Plan

• 4430
  

  Dear Tork and all of the other whiners:

  When I do a transfer or re-allocation I type in my e-mail address and have a confirmation sent to me directly. It usually shows up in my box before the web site allocates it.

  They have many problems; and I'm experiencing them as they put in place the "new and improved." Everyone just has to get over this paper thing. Whine about something else, but we as a society are going paperless so get used to it!!!!!

  Is this worth the whine Posted April 22, 2004 6:12 PM
• 4407
  

  It was ingenious the way they got the statements down to 400,000. They sent out a statement and said to participants in effect ... "this is the last paper statement you are going to get from TSP unless you request that we put you on our statement mailing list."

  Many times, after the death of a separated federal worker, the only way that legitimate heirs know that mother or dad had a 401K type retirement fund is ... yes, the statements are there with the personal papers of the deceased. Now ...that important piece of paper will not be there.

  The money will stay in the plan. To be declared abandoned in the future?

  Every time I do an Interfund Transfer (done about 8 in April). I get mail from the TSP confirming it. Annoying and a waste of postage. The Board has money for confirming Interfund Transfers and Contribution Allocations but mailing out statements to Alzheimer participants, forget them.

  While I am talking about postage and mailings, now is the time to do a mailing to all participants asking for their opinion of the "$50.00 fee for loans" and the new "... Professionally Managed Fund" proposal and the "Improve the Web Site" proposal.

  Of course, the last thing the rubber stamp Board wants to get is input from the Participants. That would conflict with the agenda ... which is ... How To Get More Money Out of the Plan to Our Friends.

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 22, 2004 6:26 AM
• 4404
  

  What do you want to bet they "improve" it right into private-sector profit-making hands?

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 21, 2004 6:31 PM
• 4403
  

  Actually, there IS one improvement that it could REALLY use - an online transaction history that simply shows what happened in each fund in your account, broken down by day, for any shares bought, exchanged, or sold. Currently one has to wait until the middle of the month following the quarter in which the transactions occured before one can see what happened. You could query the website EVERY DAY and capture the changes from the day before, but that hardly seems like an efficient, cost-effective solution. Do what all the mutual fund companies do - put this data ONLINE!

  Tork Emoto Posted April 21, 2004 6:06 PM
• 4402
  

  My reaction is WHY???? Things are finally going relatively ok after last year's debacle and now they want to "Upgrade" things. They seem to be King Midas in reverse,(if you can remember that Hollies' song). Everything they touch turns to crap.

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 21, 2004 2:23 PM
• 4399
  

  Once again our government's motto is "If it ain't broke, break it."

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 21, 2004 12:40 PM
• 4397
  

  Please...no more improvements! We're lucky it finally got running again after the last time. The thing is fine the way it is. I haven't had any problems using it the way it is. Those guys are just blowing more of our dough.

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 21, 2004 11:39 AM
• 4387
  

  Anytime the TSP board says they are doing something good, I start sweating. They are probably going to take our money away from us and put it in their friends 401K accounts and then charge us for transaction fees.

  These people are a bunch of thieves and I will never trust them. Fire the whole bunch and start over.

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 21, 2004 6:47 AM