Frequently Asked
Clear answers to help you use TSPvectors.
Learn what the models show, how to find a target date, and how to use the fund percentages. Choose a topic below to get started.
You don’t need to be an investment expert to understand the basics.
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TSPvectors is a free, independent website that turns investment research into model allocations: percentage breakdowns showing how money is divided among TSP funds.
Each model is called a Vector. You can compare it with your current investments, use it as a starting point, or follow it if it fits your needs. You remain responsible for your decisions and any account changes.
No. You don’t need to be an investment expert to use TSPvectors. The models turn the research into clear percentages for each TSP fund, making it easier to compare your current allocations with a model.
Start with Find My Vector to find the aVector and iVector models for when you expect to begin using your TSP savings. Before following either model, consider whether its mix of funds fits your goals and how much investment risk you’re comfortable taking.
TSPvectors was created by John Bouchard, a fellow TSP participant who wanted a more systematic way to evaluate and manage his own TSP portfolio. What began as a personal investing tool grew into a public resource. After years of refining and automating the process, he made the models freely available to other TSP participants.
John originally built TSPvectors for himself. He wanted a disciplined, data-driven way to manage his own TSP portfolio without relying solely on Lifecycle Funds or paying an ongoing advisory fee for allocation guidance.
Drawing on his background in business finance and software engineering, he developed a program to analyze how established target date fund managers allocate their portfolios, then translate that research into model allocations using the TSP’s core funds.
After years of refining the models and using them to guide his own TSP allocations, he began sharing the results with friends and family. Their interest led him to make TSPvectors freely available to other participants.
For those getting started, the models offer a research-based starting point for exploring allocations. For more experienced participants, they provide a benchmark for comparing an existing investment approach.
The goal is to make professional target date fund research easier to understand and use while leaving each participant in control of their investment decisions.
No. TSPvectors is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or associated with the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, the Thrift Savings Plan, or the fund companies used in its research.
TSPvectors does not accept compensation from fund families based on their inclusion in the models.
Yes. TSPvectors is provided as a free educational resource. No account or login is required to view the models.
Share the site with other TSP participants who may find it useful, or send feedback and suggestions. If you find a particular Vector helpful, click its Like button to let others know.
You can also support the project through Buy Me a Coffee. Contributions are optional, TSPvectors is free to use.
aVectors are TSP model allocations designed for a more adaptive approach. They draw on the five highest-ranked target date fund families in the research, which may use active strategies, index strategies, or a combination of both.
Each aVector gives you percentages for TSP funds. The mix can change as the underlying investment strategies evolve.
No. Selection follows the ranking of the 15 fund families in the research. There is no required number of active, blended, or index-based families.
An index-based family can contribute to both aVectors and iVectors if it qualifies for both selections.
aVectors considers active and index-based research, while iVectors uses index-based research only.
aVectors may have more noticeable allocation changes and is designed for portfolio reviews at least quarterly. iVectors generally changes more gradually and is designed for reviews once or twice a year. Both use only TSP funds.
aVectors is designed for portfolio reviews at least quarterly. Current models are published monthly if you want to follow each update.
A review means checking the latest percentages and considering whether your allocation still fits your needs. It doesn’t automatically mean making a change. Check current TSP rules before making account changes.
Active research does not guarantee better returns than iVectors or a TSP Lifecycle Fund.
If you follow an aVector, you hold TSP funds, not the outside funds used in the research. Their management fees are not added to your account. TSP fund expenses still apply, and the fund mix affects the portfolio’s overall expenses.
Active fund managers can adjust their investments as their outlook changes. aVectors combines research from several selected fund families so the model can reflect different approaches to those decisions.
That flexibility does not guarantee better results. It also means the fund percentages may need more frequent review.
iVectors are TSP model allocations built from index-based target date fund research. They emphasize diversification, simplicity, and lower maintenance.
Each iVector gives you percentages for TSP funds, with generally more gradual allocation changes over time.
TSPvectors ranks 15 target date fund families. Six are eligible index-only families, and the five highest-ranked of those are selected for iVectors.
A fund family is a series of target date funds covering different retirement timelines. The Methodology page explains how the selected families contribute to the models.
No. The index-based target date funds used in the research adjust their mix as their retirement timelines progress. iVectors reflects those changes.
The changes are generally more gradual than with aVectors, but lower maintenance does not mean a permanently fixed allocation.
iVectors is designed for portfolio reviews once or twice a year. A meaningful model update or a change in your needs may also be a reason to review.
Current models are published monthly, but publication does not automatically call for an account change.
Not necessarily. Risk depends on the fund mix and what those funds hold, not simply whether the research is index-based.
iVectors can lose value. Gradual allocation changes do not mean predictable returns or protection from losses.
The models use only the five core TSP funds:
• C Fund – U.S. large-cap stocks
• S Fund – U.S. small- and mid-cap stocks
• I Fund – International stocks
• F Fund – U.S. bonds
• G Fund – Government securities
Each model totals 100%. Some models may have a 0% allocation to one or more funds.
There are 10 target dates: Retire, 2030, 2035, 2040, 2045, 2050, 2055, 2060, 2065, and 2070.
Each has both an aVector and an iVector to explore.
Not necessarily. It refers to when you expect to begin using or withdrawing money from your TSP account.
You might leave military or federal service years before you plan to use those savings. Use your expected TSP withdrawal timeline as the starting point.
A glide path describes how a model’s fund mix changes as its target date approaches. Models generally place more emphasis on stocks when withdrawals are farther away and on bonds and government securities as withdrawals get closer.
The two approaches can have different glide paths. Neither guarantees a return or a particular amount of retirement income.
TSP Lifecycle Funds provide a diversified fund mix managed within the TSP. They offer an option for participants who prefer that approach.
TSPvectors provides another reference, drawing on research from multiple outside fund families. If you choose to follow a Vector, you implement and maintain it yourself. The models are not guaranteed to improve on Lifecycle Fund results.
Yes. You can explore the Retire model and other target dates based on when you expect to use your TSP savings.
A model allocation is not a complete retirement-income plan. It does not account for your personal withdrawal needs, pension, Social Security, taxes, other investments, or comfort with risk.
Their managers address many of the same questions TSP participants face: how much to put in stocks and bonds, how to divide U.S. and international investments, and how the mix changes as retirement approaches.
Studying several fund families brings different approaches into the research.
Each year, TSPvectors evaluates and ranks 15 target date fund families using measures of historical performance, risk, consistency, diversification, and relationships to relevant benchmarks.
That shared ranking supports both aVectors and iVectors. The Methodology page explains the process in more detail.
Five are selected for each approach. aVectors uses the five highest-ranked overall; iVectors uses the five highest-ranked index-only families.
The selected families are generally used across target dates within each approach. Limited substitutions may be needed for Retire when an equivalent fund is unavailable. An index-based family can contribute to both approaches.
The investment mixes of the selected fund families are combined, with higher-ranked families having more influence. The result is translated into model percentages for the TSP’s C, S, I, F, and G Funds.
The models do not copy every investment in the outside funds, so their risks and returns can differ.
Both approaches run twice weekly. Results are reviewed regularly, and current allocations are published monthly.
A model run does not automatically change the published percentages. A monthly publication may keep the existing allocation.
The underlying fund mixes do not change every day, so repeated runs often produce the same results.
Running the models twice weekly supports monitoring. Monthly publication allows time to review the results and gives visitors a consistent schedule.
The Methodology page explains the research, selection process, allocation construction, monitoring, and publication process.
The specific ranking and weighting formulas remain proprietary.
There is no guarantee that one approach will perform better than another. A recent advantage does not tell you which will do best in the future.
Compare the fund mix, risk, and review schedule as well as the published returns.
A model can lose value. Its risk depends on the funds it holds and the percentage in each. Diversification does not eliminate investment risk.
A target date and a research-based process do not guarantee that a model will meet your needs or provide enough retirement income.
Individual Vector pages show available performance figures and comparisons. Check the dates, calculation notes, and disclosures alongside them.
Consider the fund mix and risk too. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Not necessarily. Your holdings and the timing of contributions, withdrawals, and allocation changes can make your results different.
Published model performance and hypothetical growth illustrations are not a statement of what your personal TSP account earned.
No. An outside fund used as a research input or comparison proxy may have different holdings, expenses, benchmarks, and returns.
A proxy is an approximation, not the actual TSP fund.
Use Find My Vector and enter the year you expect to begin withdrawing from your TSP account. If you’re unsure, you can use your birth year as a starting point.
The finder shows a corresponding target date and links to both its aVector and iVector. You decide which approach, if either, fits your needs.
No. It matches a withdrawal year or birth year to a target date. It does not evaluate your risk tolerance, pension, other investments, income needs, taxes, or complete financial situation.
Open both models for the same target date. Compare their fund percentages, published performance, and review schedules.
aVectors is designed for a more adaptive approach with reviews at least quarterly. iVectors is designed for lower maintenance with reviews once or twice a year. Neither is automatically right for every participant.
Each individual Vector page shows its currently published TSP fund percentages and allocation date. For example, aVector 2030 and iVector 2030 show the two models for the 2030 target date.
If you decide to follow a model, make the changes yourself through the official TSP website using the published fund percentages.
Check the current TSP instructions and confirm that your choices total 100%. Review whether you’re changing your existing balance, future contributions, or both. TSPvectors never makes changes for you.
No. A monthly publication may leave the percentages unchanged. Even when a model changes, reviewing it does not automatically mean making an account change.
Consider the latest allocations, your own circumstances, and the current TSP rules. General review intervals are at least quarterly for aVectors and once or twice a year for iVectors.
Use Contact Me to send a question, suggestion, or website issue.
Please do not send account numbers, passwords, or sensitive personal or financial information.
TSPvectors provides educational model allocations, not individualized investment, tax, or legal advice. It does not assess your complete financial circumstances.
You are responsible for deciding whether an allocation is appropriate for you.
No. It does not connect to accounts, manage investments, or make transactions. You make your own decisions and any account changes through the official TSP website.
No. Models can lose value. Research, diversification, a target date, and historical performance do not guarantee future results.
Read the Disclaimer for investment information and limitations, the Terms of Use for conditions of using the site, and the Privacy Policy for information about data practices.
These answers are an overview and should be read alongside the full policies.
Still Have a Question?
Have a question, suggestion, or feedback about TSPvectors? Send me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Ready to Find Your Vector?
Start with when you expect to begin using your TSP savings. Explore the two models for that target date and see how they compare with your current approach.