Military Guide

The Military Guide To Financial Independence

Lessons Learned (So Far) From a Money-Savvy Book Launch

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Now that my second book has hit the presses, we’re doing the promotion. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and my version of marketing looks an awful lot like “talking with hundreds of people while drinking coffee.” [This post is about writing and marketing. You can read about the creation of the book here and you can buy the book here.] The … [Read more...] about Lessons Learned (So Far) From a Money-Savvy Book Launch

From The Mail Buoy: “The Truth Behind Budgeting– It’s Not The Budget”

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A reader writes: “My spouse and I need a budget. What should we do? What type of budgeting do you recommend? I know it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ world, but how much is too much saving? It feels a little unsustainable at times but my wife and I make it work. We do love to get fancy and enjoy nice things but a lot of times the budget doesn’t … [Read more...] about From The Mail Buoy: “The Truth Behind Budgeting– It’s Not The Budget”

How I Planned 8 Months of Travel

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This post is brought to you by Mark Delaney at The Veteran Professional.  If you're interested in contributing at The-Military-Guide.com, please see our posting guidelines. My commander looked at my packet of paperwork to leave the military and saw that I was planning on signing out on terminal leave in December. When she asked me what my plans … [Read more...] about How I Planned 8 Months of Travel

“I’m 59.5 Years Old And Done Writing About *My* Money”

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We’re aging out. As many of you know from your research, 59.5 is the minimum age for starting optional withdrawals from an IRA. Nearly everyone worries about how they’ll tap their IRA for living expenses when they reach financial independence before 59.5.  (Although there are many penalty-free exceptions to this tax law.) I hit that dubious age … [Read more...] about “I’m 59.5 Years Old And Done Writing About *My* Money”

From The Mail Buoy: Hawaii Investment Rental Properties

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  A reader writes: Hello Doug. I really enjoyed your interviews and what you have to say about how you got to where you are now. I am looking into financial independence as well. I had a late start, so I feel it’s going to take a while for me to get there, and it may not even be early retirement by then. The reason I am contacting you is … [Read more...] about From The Mail Buoy: Hawaii Investment Rental Properties

USAA, Victory Capital, And Schwab: Now What?!?

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    USAA has sold its investment businesses to Victory Capital and Schwab.  Let's analyze how that's going to affect your plans for financial independence. The sale of the Asset Management Company includes USAA’s mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and 529 accounts. It closed in 2019 and Victory expects to finish moving the … [Read more...] about USAA, Victory Capital, And Schwab: Now What?!?

Fear And Despair In The Time Of Bear Markets

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Let’s discuss your plan for getting through a bear market and reaching financial independence. If you don’t have a plan, then by the end of this post you’ll know how to craft one. You’ll feel good about taking action and you’ll sleep better at night. You’ll cope with these situations every 5-10 years during all phases of your very long life. … [Read more...] about Fear And Despair In The Time Of Bear Markets

Slow Travel Is Wonderful, Yet We Still Had Challenges

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I’ve had a bunch of reader requests for our lessons learned from slow travel. I’ll mention parts of our trips during this post, and the “Related articles” section at the bottom will have more information about our destinations. All of our Facebook photos in those links are public, and they have location tags & captions. This post will focus … [Read more...] about Slow Travel Is Wonderful, Yet We Still Had Challenges

The “What’s Up Next?” Podcast: “Looking Out For Mom And Dad”

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  A few months ago I joined Doc G and Paul Thompson of the What’s Up Next? podcast for a panel discussion about a family financial problem: How do you look out for your parents when you don’t know anything about their finances or their wishes? Our panel included Cameron Huddleston, whose book “Mom And Dad, We Need to Talk” has … [Read more...] about The “What’s Up Next?” Podcast: “Looking Out For Mom And Dad”

Yet Another Decade In Review Post

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My spouse and I enjoyed a heck of a year. The end of 2019 marks 20 years of our financial independence and over 17 years of my military retirement. I’ve written about military personal finance for over 15 years and I hope I have a few decades left! And yeah, I empathize with my fellow math nerds who insist that 2019 isn’t the end of the decade. … [Read more...] about Yet Another Decade In Review Post