Got a quarterly statement from the Thrift Savings Plan (the government version of a 401k) yesterday and it tickled my fancy in ways my fancy has never been tickled before.
There was a good amount of information on there that seemed totally pointless. Like the section that told me if I was 62 years old (I’m only 28) and retired today, I could expect to withdraw $364/mo from it.
Woopdy-freaking-do.
But the very last section on the form made reading all the useless stuff worth it. The section was titled “Your total lifetime contributions”.
I frequently think about my retirement contributions.
- As a percentage of my income (10%)
- As a dollar amount out of each paycheck ($310)
- As an amount I hope to have in my TSP come retirement (millions)
But I don’t think I’ve ever considered exactly how much money I have put in to my TSP. According to this quarterly statement, I’ve invested a total of $28,122 over the last six years I’ve been working.
Here’s where things get sexy.
I’ve put $28,000 of my own money in to this account, but my total account balance is about $72,000 as of this writing.
That right there friends is why I freaking love my retirement accounts. My $28,000 investment has made for itself an additional $44,000 in gains. In the words of that kid who got drugged up at the dentist 
Since I don’t make a million dollars a year nor am I anticipating being gifted a million dollars, the only way for me to reach millionaire status is by investing diligently. Deciding to contribute to my 401k at 22 years old was probably one of the better decisions I’ve ever made. Hopefully it will continue to pay off handsomely for years to come.
Now go up your contributions!
