TSP funds come back to life in March

After months of losses, every Thrift Savings Plan fund received a boost in March. But all have lost money during the past year, except for the G and F funds.

The government securities fund, the most stable of the TSP offerings, logged the smallest gains in March, rising 0.24 percent. But since the beginning of 2009, the G Fund's value has risen 0.64 percent, and its worth has increased 3.49 during the last year, the largest long-term gains of any of the TSP funds.

By contrast, the C Fund, which invests in common stocks of large companies on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, made the largest gains in March, increasing 8.81 percent. The boost, however, was not enough to erase earlier losses. The fund's value has fallen 10.94 percent since the beginning of 2009, and 38.01 percent during the last year.

The S Fund, which invests in small- and mid-size companies and tracks the Dow Jones Wilshire 4500 Index, gained 8.64 percent last month. But the fund is down 38.97 percent in the last 12 months, and 10.45 percent since the beginning of 2009.

The international fund, invested in companies in Europe, Asia and Australia, rose 7.2 percent in March. Its losses since the beginning of 2009 and during the last year are the largest of any TSP fund. So far in 2009, the I Fund's value has dropped 15.25 percent; since April 2008, its value is down 46.4 percent.

The F Fund, which invests in fixed-income bonds, made comparatively modest gains in March, rising 1.38 percent. Since the beginning of January, the F Fund's value has risen 0.12 percent, and it increased 3.25 percent during the last year.

All the life-cycle funds, which are set up to provide appropriate investments for employees based on their target retirement dates, gained in March. The L 2040 Fund, a mix of aggressive investments for employees who will retire around 2040, rose 7.08 percent; the L 2030 Fund increased 6.30 percent; the L 2020 Fund received a 5.35 percent boost; the L 2010 Fund gained 2.82 percent; and the L Income Fund, the most conservative fund for workers near retirement, rose 2.06 percent.

The life-cycle funds have experienced losses in the last year, though the losses have been steeper for the most aggressive funds in that group. The L 2040 Fund has fallen 33.16 percent in the last 12 months, and in the same period, the L 2030 Fund dropped 28.96 percent. During the last year, the L 2020 Fund decreased 24.04 percent; the L 2010 Fund is down 10.74 percent, and the L Income Fund has dipped 5.80 percent.