September 30, 2026
The Thrift Savings Plan is updating its digital tools to make it easier for participants and beneficiaries to find information, manage their accounts and navigate important life events.
Jim Kaplan, director of external affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, says a recent refresh of TSP.gov is part of a broader focus on improving the participant experience.
The redesigned website is intended to be more visually appealing, accessible and easier to navigate. Kaplan says the goal is ultimately to help participants find the information they need to make decisions about their retirement.
Those changes are driven in large part by how people actually use TSP services.
Kaplan says the organization can examine which documents and pages participants access most frequently and identify common questions coming through the ThriftLine and Ava, TSP’s virtual assistant. Research, focus groups and direct participant feedback also help shape changes to the digital experience.
The website is just one part of that effort.
Kaplan says more participants are using Ava to get answers without calling someone directly. TSP also offers an app and recently introduced a Life Events Hub designed to help people navigate situations such as the death of a loved one.
While Kaplan says it is still early to assess the hub’s performance, one feature is already receiving positive feedback: the ability to track where a request stands in the process.
Government processes can sometimes leave people wondering whether their documents were received or when they should expect a response. Kaplan says the Life Events Hub provides more transparency by allowing users to see the status of the process and determine whether additional information is needed.
It can also reduce the need for physical paperwork. Kaplan describes a recent example in which someone electronically provided a final death certificate that could be uploaded without requiring the person to mail another copy.
The goal, he says, is to make the process require “a little bit less time, a little bit less effort, a little bit less stress.”
As the calendar year approaches its final months, Kaplan also encourages participants to think about routine account maintenance.
That can include making sure bank account information is on file, reviewing beneficiary information, evaluating investments and considering whether to increase retirement contributions. TSP also handles some requirements automatically, including helping participants meet required minimum distributions.
Kaplan says the organization is also focused on controlling its own expenses.
FRTIB’s budget does not come from congressional appropriations. Instead, its operations are funded through fees charged to participants. Kaplan says that means money the organization does not spend is money it does not have to take from participant accounts.
For each of the past five years, he says FRTIB spends less than 90% of its budget.
Kaplan says that approach reflects the organization’s broader goal: responsibly managing participants’ resources while helping them build the savings they need to eventually retire with dignity.