Archives for January 2016

One Last Post Before The Pro Bowl Presented By USAA

Author: Doug Nordman Last Updated: June 11, 2019 Leave a Comment

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Short bonus post today: the runup to the Pro Bowl continues. Thursday's pre-game event was "Marine For A Day" up at Kaneohe. I can't show it any better than this NFL player getting to try on a set of explosive ordnance disposal gear: NFL #ProBowl players get to experience a day in the life of a Marine on base today. #SaluteToService … [Read more...] about One Last Post Before The Pro Bowl Presented By USAA

The Pro Bowl Presented By USAA

Author: Doug Nordman Last Updated: June 11, 2019 2 Comments

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[Note: my condolences and sympathies to those of you digging out from Winter Storm Jonas. I grew up in Pittsburgh and was incarcerated at Annapolis for four winters, so I know how it feels. It's why I live in Hawaii now. There's a very good reason that the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the Hawaii Visitors & Conventions Bureau work so hard at … [Read more...] about The Pro Bowl Presented By USAA

I’m Goin’ To The Pro Bowl With USAA!

If you're at the Pro Bowl events next week, please stop by and say hello. I'm the 5'10" 190-pound middle-aged balding ponytailed surfer dude who'll probably be wearing sunglasses, surf shorts, & t-shirt. And SPF50 sunscreen in the middle of winter because, you know, Hawaii. Most of the tickets to the pre-game events were handed out to … [Read more...] about I’m Goin’ To The Pro Bowl With USAA!

Military Retirement Journal – Pre-Separation Counseling Checklist

Author: Forrest Baumhover Last Updated: June 27, 2018 Leave a Comment

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This is the second in my series of retirement journal blog posts. Although this post isn't an update on my personal situation, I wanted to cover something that I have been thinking about since I wrote my last post--what TAP looks like now--or at least the pre-separation counseling portion. If you know people who went through TAP 'a few years … [Read more...] about Military Retirement Journal – Pre-Separation Counseling Checklist

Sanctuary In The Reserves: Only On Active Duty

Author: Doug Nordman Last Updated: October 9, 2020 55 Comments

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I'm getting a lot of sanctuary e-mail, and it's partly because some of today's Reserve and National Guard servicemembers are approaching 6574 points-- nearly 18 years of service. Here's three questions from readers wondering whether they can claim sanctuary. (Spoiler: No.) Question #1: I currently have 30 years of service (13 active and … [Read more...] about Sanctuary In The Reserves: Only On Active Duty

Reserve Retirement: Time In Rank And High-Three Pay

Author: Doug Nordman Last Updated: December 16, 2019 65 Comments

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I've written many posts about military retirement, and the system is hugely complicated. (See the related links at the end of this post.) Instead of trying to cover all of that in a humongous 20,000-word post, I've written a big-picture pillar post plus a bunch of shorter posts about specific reader questions. Today's post covers Reserve and … [Read more...] about Reserve Retirement: Time In Rank And High-Three Pay

How Many Years Does It Take To Become Financially Independent?

Author: Doug Nordman Last Updated: July 20, 2018 23 Comments

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When Are You Financially Independent? Financial independence comes from two factors-- having (1) enough assets to support (2) your expenses. Most of us would prefer to focus on the first factor. We'd like to get our assets by earning a high salary (ideally for very little work), being a brilliant investor, or inheriting a windfall. (Or "Plan D": … [Read more...] about How Many Years Does It Take To Become Financially Independent?