Category Retirement
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Both IRAs and Roth IRAs are tax advantaged (vs. investing in a brokerage account). IRAs are tax-deffered (you get a tax write-off this year) but...
BLUF: To create your retirement target, you should plan to accumulate 25x - 33x times your annual cost of living, minus your after-tax retirement pay and disability, and then adjust...
Category Investing
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Finding the right mix of investment accounts can be confusing at first. Start with Goals in Mind, but Prioritize Retirement. Do these steps: 1. Start...
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Don’t panic! Selling after a drop in the stock market just locks in your losses. When the market drops, stocks go on sale. The stock...
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): If you are married and your spouse has no income (and you file taxes jointly), you can both still invest in IRAs or Roth IRAs....
BLUF: Here are my 7 steps to military investing. Get your TSP matching and eliminate consumer debts. Then, start small (1%) and buy Lifecycle funds (in TSP) or no-load, low-cost...
If you followed the steps in Part 1, you’ve already setup your MyPay to transfer some of your paychecks in your TSP! If you haven’t already completed these steps, you...
To start investing in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the first step is to setup your contributions in My Pay.
BLUF: The Rule of 72 is a quick way to estimate how long it takes to double your money. Divide 72 by your percentage return, and the result is the...
I am on a crusade to optimize my family’s finances. For years, I wasn’t very attentive to my finances, or how my few investments were performing. I took advice from...
BLUF: Aggressively cut investing fees, as even a 1% fee can cost you thousands of dollars (or more).
A low-cost index fund is the most sensible equity investment for the great majority of investors. By periodically investing in an index fund, the know-nothing investor can actually out-perform most...
BLUF: The Thrist Savings Plan (TSP) is an easy, low-fee way to invest. If you are enrolled in the Blended Retirement System (BRS), you are losing money if you don’t...
Category Thrift Savings Plan
If you followed the steps in Part 1, you’ve already setup your MyPay to transfer some of your paychecks in your TSP! If you haven’t already completed these steps, you...
To start investing in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the first step is to setup your contributions in My Pay.
BLUF: The Thrist Savings Plan (TSP) is an easy, low-fee way to invest. If you are enrolled in the Blended Retirement System (BRS), you are losing money if you don’t...
Category Books
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Value investors see stocks as “money machines” that churn out dividend payments. Buy stocks based on how much those dividend payments are worth to you...
BLUF: “Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way” by Tanja Hester is an early retirement book that starts with the human elements of retirement, but also provides excellent methods for...
BLUF: The book, “Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence” is a great overview of the “FIRE” movement (which focuses on Financial Independendence and Retiring Early).
Category FIRE
BLUF: The book, “Choose FI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence” is a great overview of the “FIRE” movement (which focuses on Financial Independendence and Retiring Early).
Category Debt
BLUF: Debt with high interest rates will kill your ability to invest. Use the debt snowball to pay down your debts faster before you start investing.
Category College
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): College is getting more expensive every year, but a degree opens many doors (especially after the military). Earn it for free while serving with Tuition...
I am on a crusade to optimize my family’s finances. For years, I wasn’t very attentive to my finances, or how my few investments were performing. I took advice from...
Category Tips
BLUF: The Rule of 72 is a quick way to estimate how long it takes to double your money. Divide 72 by your percentage return, and the result is the...
Category Simple
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): The Savings Deposit Program (SDP) allows deployed military members to get a guaranteed 10% annual return on their deployed pay (up to $10,000 total).
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): If you are married and your spouse has no income (and you file taxes jointly), you can both still invest in IRAs or Roth IRAs....
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): In the U.S., you pay a higher percentage of taxes the more money you make (see chart below). However, you don’t pay your highest tax...
If you followed the steps in Part 1, you’ve already setup your MyPay to transfer some of your paychecks in your TSP! If you haven’t already completed these steps, you...
To start investing in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the first step is to setup your contributions in My Pay.
Category Site News
My original Wordpress-based website imploded. However, this outage has given me some time to re-assess the content I was writing, and I’ve decided to re-write my previous posts to make...
Category Step-by-Step Investing series
BLUF: Here are my 7 steps to military investing. Get your TSP matching and eliminate consumer debts. Then, start small (1%) and buy Lifecycle funds (in TSP) or no-load, low-cost...
Category Investments
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Both IRAs and Roth IRAs are tax advantaged (vs. investing in a brokerage account). IRAs are tax-deffered (you get a tax write-off this year) but...
Category Value Investing
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Value investors see stocks as “money machines” that churn out dividend payments. Buy stocks based on how much those dividend payments are worth to you...
Category Real Estate
BLUF: A house can be a great investment… if you buy the right house. But, buying a house comes with risks, and military life adds to those risks. If you...
Category Taxes
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): You pay capital gains taxes on investment earnings/profits each year (but not in Roth IRA, IRA, 401K, or TSP). Long Term Capital Gains insurance are...
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): In the U.S., you pay a higher percentage of taxes the more money you make (see chart below). However, you don’t pay your highest tax...
Category Life Insurance
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Yes, if you have dependents (spouse/kids). If so, get enough level term life insurance to cover 10x your annual income before you retire/separate… preferably before...
Category Financial Planning
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Creating a financial plan for your family is a crucial step in creating and protecting future wealth. Without a plan, you can’t know whether you...
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): The TSP’s new mutual funds will add investing options, but with extra fees. Beware of these fees and other risks that come with these new...
Category TSP
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): It depends… but probably. Rolling over to an IRA and/or Roth IRA gives you flexibility. You can buy different investments and can even rollover funds...
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Finding the right mix of investment accounts can be confusing at first. Start with Goals in Mind, but Prioritize Retirement. Do these steps: 1. Start...
Category Military Benefits
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): The Savings Deposit Program (SDP) allows deployed military members to get a guaranteed 10% annual return on their deployed pay (up to $10,000 total).
