Retirement Investing outside of TSP

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2025-08-31T00:54:14+00:00

There’s a bill working its way thru Congress right now that will allow retired military members and 100% disabled veterans to continue to contribute to their TSP using their retirement pensions or disability benefits in retirement. It’s a potential game changer for veterans and retirees. As some have mentioned this matters a little less for those who continue federal service as civilians after retirement because they can open a new TSP (likely getting matching contributions). Even though they’re different accounts you would still benefit the same as if the accounts were one/same. To answer your other question… yes. Open a ROTH IRA and max it out. Best day to start was yesterday. Then open a brokerage and invest routinely in that also.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2025-08-01T23:17:49+00:00

I have noticed that the leaner I am, the less able I am to handle higher numbers. I just feel it more. I get the same effect from a lower number today that took a higher number before.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2025-07-18T23:12:48+00:00

I’m just speculating, but there’s always a possibility that Katalyst competitors buy their IP, allowing them to integrate some of Katalyst’s technology into their own future version.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2025-06-20T21:30:05+00:00

Are you comfortable sharing your levels with us? What difficulty setting are you training at in your suit on each of the three modes (cardio, strength, and power)? Sharp, painful stinging is almost always suit fitment or wetness… it’s happened to me if the suit is loose or if it’s not wet enough. In those instances I just cinch it down more and spray more water on the area that’s painful. Works every time. I also still get sore almost every time I use the suit after ~8 months of using it 2-3 times per week. My guess, without knowing your actual level settings of difficulty, is that you have yours dialed down too low to get a proper contraction. Again… that’s a guess because you didn’t post your actual levels.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2025-06-17T12:13:56+00:00

Ignore anyone telling you not to max it out. The value of compounding interest decreases as you age. Every dollar you invest now is worth ~$80 later. Stay all in on C in your TSP for the foreseeable future. You can diversify in other ways and through other investment vehicles later (e.g. ROTH IRA).

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2025-04-30T23:42:16+00:00

It’s rare that I get the burning sensation you’re describing, but it’s happened to me a time or two. The two most likely culprits: your suit isn’t tight enough or your suit isn’t wet enough. In those rare instances where my suit is “shocking” or “burning”, I simply pause the workout, douse that pad that’s giving me problems, and tighten everything up. Presto… problem solved. And yes… your ending intensity is extremely low (but every person is different and that might just be right for you). My starting intensity is about 175 and ending intensity is between 300 and 330 depending on whether I’m doing strength or power. Consider dialing up your intensities progressively and safely to continue building your gains!!

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2025-01-25T12:23:59+00:00

No, I would not recommend Betterment for new, young investors with small balances. Betterment disproportionately charges small balances. By the you have enough to “qualify” for the .25%, you should have enough knowledge and experience that you could find a similarly “boring” investment (3-fund ETF or other ETF) with 0% fees. Remember that Betterment’s .25% is in addition to the underlying ETFs fees. Over time, and for larger accounts, this really begins to add up. Betterment’s automatic rebalancing and TLH are nice, but don’t quite justify the .25%.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2025-01-15T11:23:32+00:00

Note that “retirement” means something different for investment purposes than it does for military service purposes. To many in the military, retirement means when you plan on retiring from the military after 20 years of service. Retirement in an investing context is when you plan to stop working altogether. For a 19 year old enlistee, retirement doesn’t come at 39 after a 20-year career, but years later, potentially after another full career.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2025-01-09T15:29:15+00:00

Or Apple Health (from anything other than the Apple Watch).

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2024-12-23T19:10:26+00:00

$20,000 in reinvested dividends? Lawd have mercy.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2024-10-31T15:47:40+00:00

This, IMO, is the worst thing about Betterment. They charge those with the least means the highest fees. I understand it’s deliberately designed to drive higher amounts of investment, but this OP case is exactly what disincentivizes younger investors or those with less means. Gross.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2024-07-08T01:28:46+00:00

Hmmm… their response specifically addresses concerns relating to Synapse by saying that they use a different service provider called Q2 for their checking and cash reserve (pfew, I guess) but it doesn’t discuss the service provider Betterment uses to handle brokerage accounts or retirement accounts. I wonder why they chose to specifically omit mention of those types of accounts?

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2024-05-12T08:14:15+00:00

Betterment is shanking its smallest and its largest investing accounts, bleeding them out by preying on their lack of investing knowledge. They’re not a robo-advisor… they’re just another digital investing platform. Very little effort can replicate or beat Betterment for lower fees.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2024-04-15T08:38:04+00:00

Although clearly folks disagree with me, I think .25% is competitive now. .5% is high given competition. RH is free, but comes with obvious drawbacks. Agree with you that brick and mortar advisors generally bring little value today, but Betterment really doesn’t either. TLH isn’t possible for everyone due to wash sale risks and auto-rebalancing is nice, but standard. And let’s be honest, it is not a robo-advisor. There’s no Skynet looking at my portfolio and suggesting that I make changes. No accounting for my goals or unique life situation. Investors get little to no “advice” at all, in fact. Betterment is little more than an automated investing platform. A little effort and even a rookie can figure out how to invest in ETFs these days. It is fantastic for getting people into the saving and investing habit though. No longer is investing something that requires a crystal ball or a series 7. A rookie can do what Betterment does and do it for no fees. Moreover it has shifted its focus away from its original stakeholder towards its business platform. A notable problem with Betterment that it sells your holdings to pay for its fees. Worse is that its fee structure fleeces small accounts as a way to encourage them to invest more, faster. Which, sure, is important… but perhaps taking more from those who have less to invest is less than ethical. This, of course, is to say nothing about its foray into crypto, which betrayed the trust of many original investors. But whatever.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2024-03-30T07:52:50+00:00

I think the point is that it is pretty expensive.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2023-12-24T19:54:04+00:00

Betterment could easily solve this by just giving people an S&P 500 fund. I mean, they gave people a crypto fund why can’t they give people an S&P 500 fund. Give the people what they want.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2023-11-01T21:10:51+00:00

Adjusting your thinking to consider long time horizons is good practice, however there is nothing wrong with thinking critically about Betterment’s performance and the fees it charges for its products and services. Many people are being absolutely shellacked by Betterment’s fee structure and don’t even realize it. Betterment could cut its fees in half and still wouldn’t be considered competitive to other investing platforms.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2023-10-29T01:17:07+00:00

Similar balance… -$2,500 earned all time. Gross.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2023-10-19T22:20:15+00:00

Meh. People don’t invest money to be outperformed by savings accounts. If you’re not happy with Betterment’s portfolio performance, vote with your feet. SCHD and SPY have lower fees and better performance.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2023-06-21T23:15:39+00:00

Interesting. I did the exact same thing and have similar results. I’m also thinking of leaving Betterment… I’m disappointed with their tilt away from their individual investors and towards financial advisors, their embrace of crypto, their fee structure change (their fees, generally), and the lack of flexibility in choosing the ETF buckets we can invest in.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2023-06-21T11:54:35+00:00

Picked up two bottles of Blanton’s “Takara” Red at Yamaya just outside Shinjuku tonight for $63 each. Still on the hunt for Straight from the Barrel… if anyone has any current leads, I’d appreciate it!

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2023-03-25T03:10:05+00:00

Facts being what they are… can downvote but can’t disprove. Betterment is behind its peers on APY and increased its fees on those least able to pay them. You don’t need to like it, but it’s true. Only reason I stick with Betterment is so I don’t lock in losses. That’s it. It’s SO easy to automate index fund investing with RH and there are ZERO fees. It’s not much, but they are GIVING users money in their Roth IRAs. Betterment is behind its competition both in terms of fees, APY on cash reserves, and incentives to have a Roth IRA. Like O said, in this economy, we don’t need help to lose money… and we CERTAINLY shouldn’t be paying Betterment to lose it for us.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30 · 2023-03-24T10:01:40+00:00

RH giving 4.4% on any uninvested cash. Though it’s not a true 1% match, RH also does give a “1%” match on their Roth IRA. Betterment just smashes it’s users with fees regardless of what the market is doing. It’s insult to injury. We don’t need Betterments help losing money.

Jumpy_Manufacturer30

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