 There's been a lot of talk recently about possible changes to the military retirement system. One common theme mentioned is service members' contribution to their retirement through the Thrift Savings Plan or TSP. The Thrift Savings Plan is a retirement savings and investment plan for federal government employees. It operates much like civilian 401K plans where service members contribute to the plan on a monthly basis and that money is invested in stocks, bonds and government securities. The money you invest in TSP is subject to gains and losses like any other retirement fund, but you have the ability to choose how much risk you are willing to take on. You don't have to wait for changes to the retirement system to use TSP to help secure your financial future. To learn more about the Thrift Savings Plan and how it can factor into your long-term retirement plans, visit the TSP website.