TSP Sees Some Improvement in April

April brought slight improvement for many of the funds in the federal employee Thrift Savings Plan, though two slipped into the red.

International stocks in the I Fund performed best last month, growing 4.11 percent. They gained 10.05 percent for the year so far.

The government securities (G) fund and the common stocks in the C Fund also were in the black for April, though their gains were small. The G Fund earned 0.15 percent for the month and the C Fund was up 0.96 percent. The G Fund was up 0.62 percent for 2015 and the C Fund, 1.94 percent for the year to date.

The fixed income bonds in the F Fund and the S Fund, invested in small and midsize companies, were the only two offerings that ended April in the red. Both had seen growth in March, with the S Fund actually the best performer that month.

The S Fund was down 1.5 percent for April and the F Fund lost 0.28 percent for the month. Both remained positive for 2015, with the S Fund earning 3.81 percent and the F Fund, 1.4 percent.

The lifecycle funds – designed to move investors to a safer portfolio as they near retirement – all ended April in the black, in contrast to the previous month where they all lost ground. The L Income fund, for those who have already started withdrawing money, was up 0.37 percent for April; L 2020 was up 0.81 percent; L 2030 increased 0.95 percent; L 2040 gained 1 percent; and L 2050 grew 1.16 percent.

The lifecycle funds’ returns for 2015 were all positive as well, with L Income up 1.41 percent; L 2020, 2.73 percent; L 2030, 3.32 percent; L 2040, 3.69 percent; and L 2050, 4.16 percent. 

(Image via Pavel Ignatov / Shutterstock.com)