Back to School for Your Retirement: TSP Lessons You Can’t Afford to Skip

September 4, 2025

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As kids head back to school, federal employees and military service members have an opportunity to sharpen their own skills—this time, in retirement planning. Jim Kaplan, Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, explains how the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is making it easier than ever for participants to learn about their accounts, their options, and their financial futures.

Kaplan says the TSP website and YouTube channel are central hubs for education. At tsp.gov, participants can click into the Online Learning section and find a full range of seminars covering everything from the basics of the plan to fund options, in-service withdrawals, and long-term retirement planning. Some sessions are pre-recorded so participants can learn on their own time, while others are live and interactive with trainers who take questions. The TSP’s YouTube channel, TSP4gov, supplements those resources with shorter, focused videos that tackle common questions and topics in just a few minutes.

The goal, Kaplan emphasizes, is to provide information that participants really need. Everyone wants to know how their money is invested, what choices they have at retirement, and how to handle withdrawals. But the TSP also creates content on less obvious subjects—like how to take a loan, how to handle an emergency withdrawal, or how to manage a beneficiary designation. Kaplan notes that these resources often come directly from participant feedback. If people ask frequently about a topic, the TSP turns it into content.

That feedback loop also comes from in-person events. Kaplan shares that the TSP team attends large agency gatherings and trade shows, where they can answer questions directly. Participants ask everything from contribution limits to tax benefits to how the TSP app works. And that app, Kaplan points out, is becoming a go-to tool. Usage has jumped 33 percent in just the past year. Many participants now log in multiple times a week to check balances, verify contributions, or review their fund alignment. While more complex transactions may still happen online or through the ThriftLine, the app has clearly become a convenient way for participants to stay engaged.

Beyond education and technology, Kaplan highlights the rigorous oversight behind the TSP. A dedicated internal auditor leads a comprehensive program of reviews, reporting not only to staff but directly to the board. These internal checks, combined with external audits from the Department of Labor and others, ensure that the TSP is meeting its mission of serving participants and beneficiaries. On the cybersecurity side, Kaplan proudly notes that the TSP recently achieved the highest possible maturity rating across all domains in its FISMA audit, including the new area of governance.

Looking ahead, Kaplan advises participants to focus on long-term planning. He encourages checking that addresses and beneficiary designations are up to date, making sure contributions are set to receive the full government match, and considering end-of-year tax implications. Next year, the TSP will also introduce in-plan Roth transfers, giving participants another option to align their retirement savings with their broader financial strategies.