Shutdown headlines don't have to derail your retirement plan. Here's the difference between a paycheck problem and a retirement problem, and three steps to take before September 30.

An inheritance transfers money. A legacy transfers values, habits, and opportunity. 

Most families with meaningful assets focus heavily on the first; who gets what, and how the taxes work. Far fewer have done the hard work of preparing the next generation to use what they’ll receive, or of communicating the priorities that shaped the plan. The result is well-documented: a substantial share of inherited wealth is gone within just two generations. 

Building lasting, inter-generational wealth isn’t just a legal and financial challenge. It’s a communication and preparation challenge.

Your TSP beneficiary designation overrides your will. It doesn't matter what your estate documents say — whoever is listed on Form TSP-3 receives those funds. And unlike an IRA, the TSP comes with its own set of inheritance rules that can catch even well-prepared families off guard.

For military members and federal employees, the TSP is often one of the largest assets in an estate. Getting the beneficiary designation right — and understanding how your heirs will be treated under TSP rules — is one of the most important (and most overlooked) steps in a complete financial plan.

In this post, we cover the most common TSP beneficiary mistakes, how TSP inheritance rules differ from IRA rules in ways that matter for your family, and what questions are worth taking to your financial planner before it's too late to course-correct.