My spouse and I were not brilliant investors. We made the typical dumb mistakes of our 20s and 30s and we paid ridiculously large fees along the way to financial independence, but a high savings rate overcame all of those errors. Your FI journey will be better (and cheaper!) than ours, but the math is the same. ...
I’ve read several outstanding educational books this year about financial independence, and if I saved this post for December then it’d be four times as long. I’ll write this one now and follow up with another post later this year. As many of you know, I read a lot. No, seriously, A. Lot. I go through over a ...
Will your retirement plan stand up to long-term care needs? Do you have an estate plan in place? These are topics that few of us want to discuss. However, they are extremely important to your family's long-term stability. Today, we’ll discuss some important considerations for your long-term financial stability— ...
[This post is brought to you by Annabel Monroe. If you're interested in contributing at The-Military-Guide.com, please see our posting guidelines.] Alright, alright - I said easy steps and it’s true. The steps are simple enough, but it takes discipline and determination to get there. We are a dual active duty Air ...
The VA Loan Guaranty program was created during World War II to help military members veterans purchase a home. The program makes it easier for qualifying military members and veterans to purchase or refinance a home using a loan that is guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Since World War II, the VA ...
[This post is brought to you by Alecia D. Blair, M.S., AFC®. If you're interested in contributing at The-Military-Guide.com, please see our posting guidelines.] About six months after having my second child I found myself eager to return to work. It was summer in beautiful ...
Disclosure: This article is part of the Life Uninterrupted campaign sponsored by USAA. The #LifeUninterrupted campaign is designed to help future retirees learn how they can transition into retirement without worrying about financial interruptions. You can receive a free, no-obligation retirement review today by ...
The average funeral costs somewhere between $7,000 and $9,000 when accounting for all costs. Sadly, at some point in our lives, this will become relevant to all of us. However, as a military member or veteran, you are eligible for military burial benefits when you pass away. In some cases, your spouse or dependents ...
2018 was quite the turbulent year for the financial independence crowd, and it’s just going to get busier in 2019. Let me cover a few highlights from last year and then give a personal update. I’m here to reassure you that financial independence is sustainable and life is good. At the end of the post, I’ll share a ...
Here’s the latest information and tools to make your military Blended Retirement System decision-- and a new way to think about your career and your choices. [Note: I'm participating in Kate Horrell’s #BRSBlitz initiative. I’m not compensated by USAA for this campaign and you won’t see any FTC disclosures like ...
The 2019 VA Disability Compensation Rates are effective as of Dec. 1, 2018. If you receive VA disability pay, you will notice the increased amount in your first check in January 2019. There was a 2.8% increase from 2018, the largest such cost of living adjustment (COLA) since 2012. The government uses the same COLA ...
On Wednesday 28 November, the DoD BRS office held a teleconference. The numbers As of Monday 26 November, the unofficial opt-in numbers are: 307,213 307,207 active-duty total opted in 243,709 active duty 63,498 Reserve/Guard. This is out of roughly 1.6 million opt-in eligible servicemembers. ...
We're military veterans, not financial advisors. We're trying to share what we've learned and to pay it forward – but you have to make your own decisions.
What worked for us will probably work for you, but unfortunately, we can’t guarantee it. Let us know if something’s not working for you, and we’ll try to figure out a better way... Continue Reading...
Doug Nordman 
Ryan Guina 
Jes Naber