I’m 42 and have a little over 500k. I’ve been in the government since right out of college but got my act together around age 26. We have 3 young kids so I only contribute 7% while husband maxes out his 401k (only the past 7 years with no company match). I do 75% C Fund and 25% S fund.

I contributed the max when the program started in the late 1980s. I was in CSRS, and then a GS-14, retired as SES, never withdrew anything, took no loans from it, and will not do so until mandatory RMD age, and was always 100% in the C Fund. But, I contributed to external investments too; the C Fund alone has had a great long-term run, but by itself would make for an imprudent asset allocation.

Albert Einstein: "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it; he who doesn't, pays it." Contribute the max for as long as you can and choose an appropriate asset allocation for you time horizon and considering your other taxable and tax-advantaged investments.

I am 47 and am 520 in my TSP. Would have been more but we had an emergency house situation and had to take out 50K TSP loan. Have been in for 17+ years and for many years due to childcare put in only the minimum to get the match. Started as GS 11 and now am at SES.

Anonymous wrote:I'm 49 and have $900K. But I have been contributing the max starting when my kid entered kindergarten and I was no longer paying for preschool (9 years ago). I contributed enough for the match when I started at 28.

Since you are a fed, you will also be eligible for a pension too!

This gives me hope! I just started contributing the max this year at 39 years old.

43, 17 years in on the regular gs schedule. Started as a 9. Have maxed since 2013. Around $650k depending on what day I look at it. Mostly C and S, made an error early on and let everything go into the G for almost 2 years before I realized that was the default setting and switched it up.

Goodness, you folks are hostile.

- np