2025 contribution limits are out!  In this episode, Spencer and Jamie discuss the newly announced IRS contribution limits for retirement accounts in 2025. They break down the changes for 401(k), TSP, and IRA accounts, explaining the limits for both standard and catch-up contributions, while also highlighting an important opportunity for military families with non-working spouses. &]:mt-2 list-disc space-y-2 pl-8"> What are the new 2025 contribution limits for 401(k) and TSP accounts? &]:mt-2 list-disc space-y-2 pl-8"> Increased by $500 to $23,500 for those under 50 What are the 2025 IRA contribution limits? &]:mt-2 list-disc space-y-2 pl-8"> Remains at $7,000 for traditional and Roth IRAs (under 50) Can non-working spouses contribute to an IRA? &]:mt-2 list-disc space-y-2 pl-8"> Yes, if married filing jointly Can contribute up to $7,000 to spouse's IRA Must have at least $14,000 in combined earned income as a couple What are catch-up contributions? &]:mt-2 list-disc space-y-2 pl-8"> Clarification that these are only for those over 50 Not meant for younger service members trying to "catch up" on contributions We encourage you to maximize these tax-advantaged retirement spaces when possible and gradually increase contributions over time! For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Do you still get a pension under the BRS? YES! We can't believe this myth and misinformation is still spreading around the military. Spencer and Jamie break down the three components of the military's Blended Retirement System (BRS) and address common misconceptions. They explain how the pension calculation works, discuss TSP matching benefits, and detail continuation pay options across different services. The hosts emphasize that servicemembers still receive a pension under BRS and highlight both the advantages and potential pitfalls of the system. Questions discussed: How is the pension calculated under BRS? What are the three main components of BRS? How does TSP matching work? What are the continuation pay rates across different services? Why did the DOD switch to BRS? Should you take the lump sum option? How can leaders help troops not miss continuation pay opportunities? Is the BRS lump sum retirement option a good idea? Resources mentioned: militarypay.defense.gov/blendedretirement Continuation Pay episode w/ Brandon Lovingier, The Enlisted Money Guy (Ep #128) Military Money: Pay and Pension app (free) on Apple's app store Nectarine's flat-rate financial advisors available for booking with 10% military discount using this link   For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

"I'll always be broke." "I can't build wealth with this salary." "I'm just a spender- I can't help it." In this episode, Jamie and Spencer discuss how adopting a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset can transform your approach to personal finance. Drawing from Carol Dweck's book "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success," they explore how changing your perspective from "I'm not good with money" to "I'm not good with money yet" can open up opportunities for financial growth and learning. Main Topics Covered: • Definition and differences between fixed mindset and growth mindset • How mindset affects financial behavior and decision-making • The power of labels in personal development • Common financial mindset traps in the military community • Ways to develop a growth mindset with money • The impact of mindset on relationships and money management Links We Discussed Today: Look for personal finance books on the Libby App (using free DOD MWR library) Carol Dweck's "Mindset" book See quick book summary on fs.blog or her TED talk "I Will Teach You to be Rich" by Ramit Sethi "The Simple Path to Wealth" by JL Collins "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki  Military One Source Personal Finance Club For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

This may surprise you! Want to experience an easier and simplified strategy for military credit cards? That's fine! We'd ask "why" you don't want more, but in today's episode we share which cards we'd recommend for listeners who reach out wanting smaller numbers.  Links: Ultimate Military Credit Cards course (free) Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR) Amex Gold Card Amex Platinum Amex Hilton Aspire Amex Platinum for Charles Schwab Chase Ink Business cards Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex FINRED's benefits page (official of Financial Readiness) For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

A new benefit for military families! How good is it? In fall of 2024, SecDef announced a new Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) for military families. In March 2025, you'll be able to sign up for it for the first time. It may give you a minor tax savings but also may complicate your situation a little. We break down the details of this pre-tax benefit, explaining how it works, who's eligible, and whether it's worth signing up for. Main topics and questions covered: What is the new Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA)? Who is eligible for the HCFSA? What can the HCFSA be used for? How much can be contributed to the HCFSA? How does the contribution process work? What are the tax benefits of the HCFSA? Are there any risks or downsides to the HCFSA? How does the "use it or lose it" rule apply? What are some potential use cases for the HCFSA? Is the HCFSA worth signing up for? How does the HCFSA compare to other military benefits? Where can listeners find more information about the HCFSA? Links Mentioned: FSAfeds HCFSA official page Eligible Expenses List FSAfeds app HCFSA calculator- how much tax savings would it be for you? Military One Source's info on HCFSA FINRED's benefits page (official of Financial Readiness) For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Did you know Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) will be a factor in your future that you may not be tracking?  If you have any traditional TSP or IRA money, you'll be required to take a portion of that money starting at 73 (as of 2024, scheduled to go up to 75), and that distribution will be taxable income. This can affect how to withdraw from accounts in retirement and how you decide to contribute to your accounts now. RMDs are also required for your beneficiaries on traditional IRAs you pass on (taxable income for them). While RMDs are required for some Roth IRAs for your beneficiaries as well, they're not taxed. (Inheritance tax is 2024 is $13,610,000. As long as you pass on less than that, no federal taxes. If it's all in a Roth IRA for example, no tax at all. If it's an inherited Traditional retirement account, your beneficiary owes taxes on the money as they withdraw funds per RMD schedule.) Today main takeaways: RMDs are important for you to understand They affect your beneficiaries who receive your accounts after you pass Understanding RMDs may affect how you choose Roth or Traditional investments now If you inherit an IRA, it's complicated but important to get right. Hiring some fee-only help (links below) may be a great idea. Links from today's episode: Military Financial Advisors Association (MFAA) Nectarine (includes 10% off military discount w/ this link) Military Tax Experts Alliance IRA RMD Calculator at Schwab (just one of many examples) IRA RMD Calculator at Vanguard (just one of many examples) Inherited IRA RMD Calculator For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

How do you finance the life between possible early retirment and 59.5 years old when you can access you retirement accounts? A gap fund is one common approach. Today we discuss: What is a gap fund? Is it necessary? Where does it fall in priority order when saving for early retirement? How do you invest a gap fund? For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! Just e-mail us at [email protected] for the free promo code. If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Dependent care flexible spending account- is it even worth your time? (note: this is different than the HEALTHCARE FSA which was announced in Sept 2024- we have an episode coming out on that in a few weeks) Open season is coming up in mid-November to mid-December!  For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. We are publishing this episode now so you can think about it and prepare for open enrollment season coming up in mid November! A Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) allows up to $5,000 of pre-tax earnings per household, per year for eligible dependent care expenses. If you have dependents, you're married, your spouse is working or going to school, and you have dependent care expenses, the DCFSA may be for you. Highlights of today include: Basics of the DCFSA and what it can be used for How to decide if it's right for you Amount of contributions allowed and how to use it each calendar year How to enroll during the open season or after a qualifying life event Comparison to the existing tax credits and other childcare program/subsidies What types of dependent care expenses would apply   Links: EnlistedMoney.com http://enlistedmoney.com/ Brandon's DCFSA article https://enlistedmoney.com/dependent-care-flexible-spending-account-dcfsa/ FSA Feds https://fsafeds.com/explore/dcfsa FSA Feds Calculator https://fsafeds.com/support/savingscalculators/dcfsa Financial Readiness (FINRED) Resources https://finred.usalearning.gov/DCFSA Find a Personal Financial Counselor for Free Near You https://finred.usalearning.gov/pfcMap EnlistedMoneyGuy on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/enlistedmoneyguy/ Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

In this mailbag episode, Spencer and Jamie answer various listener questions about investing, credit cards, and military-specific financial topics. They provide insights on compound growth, TSP options, Roth vs. Traditional accounts, credit card strategies, and investment return estimates. Questions discussed: - Is there a benefit to combining multiple investment accounts? - Should I move out of TSP for lower fee investments? - How do I choose investments for a spouse's 401(k)? - Is contributing 6% to TSP good for an E4? - Are there ways around Amex family restrictions for credit card bonuses? - Are traditional reservists eligible for annual fee waived cards? - What are go-to cards for regular spending while stationed overseas? - How do I get out of Amex pop-up jail? - What happens to fee waivers after separating from active duty? - How should I estimate returns for my investment portfolio? Resources mentioned: - MLA (Military Lending Act) database - Chase Sapphire Reserve - Amex Platinum, Gold, and Green cards - Hilton Honors Aspire card - Vanguard funds (VTI, VXUS) - TSP funds (C, S, I) - Personal Capital (now Empower) - Kubera.com - Investor.gov compound interest calculator For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

$85,000 in debt and a brand new truck to a wealthy and generous life?! In this episode, Air Force officer Garrison shares his financial journey from $85,000 in debt to working towards financial independence. He discusses following Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps, buying a home in the military, running a crash pad rental business, and helping his Airmen with financial education. Spencer and Jamie explore Garrison's experiences with budgeting, investing, and balancing financial goals with personal passions like Disney vacations. Topics: Opting into the Blended Retirement System (BRS)? How did Garrison start his financial journey as a young officer? What sacrifices did Garrison make to pay off debt? Is buying a house in the military a good idea? How does Garrison's crash pad rental business work? How does Garrison help his Airmen with financial education? How does Garrison balance financial goals with personal spending? Resources mentioned: Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University (military discount) The Military Money Manual book TSP Course Spencer and Jamie created (promo code below) Monarch Money app Rich Dad Poor Dad book Our podcast episode about the Baby Steps   For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

The May 2024 Military Family Financial Readiness study from Armed Forces Bank highlighted unique financial challenges military families faces due to the nature of their service. Today, Spencer and Jamie are joined by Tom McLean and Jodi Vickery, hosts of the Militarily Speaking podcast, join us to discuss the financial challenges military families face, identifying good banking product, avoiding predatory "advisors," and common sources of financial information for our military families. Spoiler alert- the findings aren't really positive. We have so much work to do to continue securing the financial readiness of our troops! Links mentioned in today's show: Military Family Readiness Report  Military One Source Armed Forces Financial Guide (or free PDF copy) Annual Credit Report (free- the official government option) Armed Forces Bank's blog Armed Forces Bank Armed Forces Bank financial education resources Militarily Speaking podcast (or on Spotify) For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Enlisted Airmen with half a million dollars invested?! Meet Darren Thedieck, US Air Force E-7 who was recently featured by CNBC. and Stripes. We talk very practical tips with Darren about how he learned to save, where he saves, speicific ETFs we like, and handling his family's journey from debt to financial independence. How to handle debt Where to park my savings? How much am I actually paid? (Be sure to review your annual Personal Statement of Military Compensation) Handling financial conversations with a spouse Is 100% stocks ok? Retirement accounts vs taxable brokerage accounts Balancing saving goals vs enjoying life and traveling Links mentioned in today's show: Darren's Facebook page Darren's Facebook group, financial dream to reality Our Rich Journey YouTube Our Rich Journey Books mentioned: Stock Investing for Dummies Personal Finance For Dummies The Essays of Warren Buffet: Lessons for Corporate America Unshakeable by Tony Robbins Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

What's the point of building wealth if you're not healthy enough to enjoy it? Today, Spencer and Jamie explore the connection between physical health and financial health. Although this is a slight diversion from our money-focused podcast, we want to encourage you to keep both portions of wellness in balance as you grow towards a wealthy life that you can enjoy. Links mentioned in today's show: The Peter Attia Drive podcast Casper mattresses Vuori shorts Key takeaways: You have to be intentional about maintaining your health- it doesn't happen without intentional planning (just like growing your money!) Don't live inside the spreadsheet in an attempt to maximize savings and have a perfect budget if you won't even be healthy enough to play with your kids or go on vacation The bedrock of good health is sleep Little habits that you repeat over time build on themselves to make you healthier AND wealthier You can prioritize spending on your wellness and health (good mattresses, gym membership, quality food, good running shoes, etc.) Start working to increase your healthspan- the amount of your lifespan that you're actually healthy Being healthier will enable you to have more energy to excel at work and at home If you've been out of balance, let today be the day to ask for help For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Does a simple Bogleheads style of investing work for military families? YES!  The Bogleheads are followers of the philosophy of Vanguard founder John C. "Jack" Bogle.  Live below your means Develop a workable plan Never bear too much or too little risk Invest early and often Diversify Invest with simplicity Use index funds when possible Keep Costs Low Minimize taxes Stay the course By the way, you can also recreate a bogleheads' style portfolio in your TSP! We talk about it in the Confident TSP Investing course. Lifecycle funds basically build a simple, 3-fund portofilio for you. Check out the course info below. Links mentioned in today's show: The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle on Libby App or Amazon Bogleheads.org Bogleheads forums r/bogleheads on reddit Jeremy Schneider's two rules from Personal Finance Club- spend less than you earn & invest the difference  International vs US stock performance chart Nectarine's hourly financial advise Military Financial Advisors Association For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

The L2070 lifecycle fund is available now in your TSP as of July 2024. If you were born after 2005, this will be your default fund you'll be automatically enrolled to contribute to. This is for those of you who'll reach retirement age around the year 2070 (2068-2072 ish). We discuss what lifecycle funds are, what mix of C/S/I/F/G funds is in the L2070 fund, what actions are required from you to maximize your retirement savings, and how to avoid high-fee investments. Main take-aways from this great episode: No action is required for the average TSP participant. No need to go change anything based on this new fund option. Lifecycle funds are a very solid option as your begin your journey. And you have plenty of time to research and develop a different strategy if you want before the lifecycle fund starts shifting slowly towards more bonds. If you want to learn more about the TSP, visit militarymoneymanual.com/tsp for our great course! We also give the course away to any E-4 or below. Just e-mail us- [email protected] for the code. The TSP and the L2070 option is still very low cost (0.054%) and a great way to build wealth. If you need help, for a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Dave Ramsey's 7 baby steps have helped millions of families. Do they work for military families? Today, we discuss each of the 7 baby steps and how they can work for military families. Both Spencer and Jamie started on the Dave Ramsey plan. We highly recommend the Total Money Makeoever book (check your base library- many have it for free), Financial Peace University, and the Ramsey podcast or YouTube. Military families can get 50% off FPU too! If you need help, for a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

It's okay to rent on active duty! You don't need to buy a house to build wealth. You can safely ignore the push from VA loan sellers, real estate agents, and mortgage brokers. In this episode of the MMM podcast, Spencer and Jamie challenge the common belief that buying a house is essential for building wealth, especially for active duty military personnel. We explore why renting might be a smarter financial decision for those who move frequently, and debunk popular myths about homeownership. We discuss the hidden costs and risks of real estate investment, including unexpected repairs, market fluctuations, and the impact on lifestyle flexibility. The episode also touches on the misconceptions surrounding real estate as a passive income source and the true nature of home equity. Whether you're an active duty service member considering buying a home or simply curious about alternative wealth-building strategies, this episode offers valuable insights to help you make informed financial decisions. Join us as we examine why renting might be the better option for many and how you can build wealth without relying on real estate. For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Listener Brian joins us today to share how he used annual-fee waived credit cards to save about $6,000 on his honeymoon by saving big on his flights and hotel. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course for FREE at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Big take-aways: If you're expecting a big expense, open a new credit card like we recommend to easily meet your minimum spend requirements for your welcome offer The perfect military travel hacking redemption can be hard to do unless you have a very flexible schedule How to research big redemptions and balance hotels vs flight redemption options including using transferable points to partner airlines For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

New officer's guide to personal finance! In this episode, Spencer and Jamie share all the financial advice they'd share with a new officer in their unit. You CAN become rich on active duty as a military officer! If you're an enlisted servicemember, go check out episode #131 covering all the personal finance advice for an enlisted member. Topics include: Career starter loans Tracking your expenses Balancing enjoying your new life with keeping expenses down Buy a car (use the lemon lot to look for a ~$10,000 used car) Focus on easy plans to focus on learning your job and being the best officer you can be. Learning to be an officer and do your job well is your #1 priority for now. Emergency funds Picking the right bank without fees Starting your credit history (pay off your card every month!) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Insurance Real estate investing Security and two-factor authentication Total stock market index fund options Spencer mentioned: VTSAX at Vanguard or VTI (ETF version) FZROX at Fidelity SWTSX at Schwab or SCHB (ETF version) Links mentioned: Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom by Spencer Reese Episode 9 on Career Starter Loans Monarch Money YNAB Wise For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

New enlisted servicemember's guide to personal finance! In this episode, Spencer and Jamie share all the financial advice they'd share with a new enlisted troop in their unit. It is possible to accumulate and save while on active duty as an enlisted service member! If you're an officer, go check out episode #132 covering all the personal finance advice for a new officer! Topics include: Money mindset Banking Tracking spending Debit vs Credit Emergency Fund Keeping up with the Joneses Prioritizing what matters to you Temporary sacrifices bring long-term gain Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Roth IRAs SGLI and insurance Account security/two-factor authentication Why you shouldn't buy a house while on active duty For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Links mentioned in today's show: The Confident TSP Investing Course (free for E-4 and below- just send us an e-mail for a promo code!) Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom by Spencer Reese Monarch Money YNAB Wise Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Taxes can be complicated. Military families have a number of unique concerns when thinking about their taxes- which state(s) to file in, how to withhold taxes, how a gig economy or side hustle affects the plan, how to handle rental property, etc. Today's main points include: Common tax problems for military families Important tax implications for families with a rental property or side hustle Warning signs when looking at financial advisors Filing in multiple states Filing wholly on your own or wholly through a CPA are not your only options For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Links mentioned in today's show: PIM Tax Services MFAA- Military Financial Advisors Association Military Tax Experts Alliance MQFP search Nectarine service for financial advisor hourly meeting MilTax via Military One Source Paul Allen on LinkedIn Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Real-estate returns, disability insurance, time-blocking techniques, and more! Erik Baskin is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Air Force veteran. He's a fee-only, fiduciary financial planner and entrepreneur.    Main points: Separating from the military and lessons learned during the transition Military veteran entrepreneurship Knowing if real estate investing is good for you IUL policies- the math doesn't work out Why it's good to invest at all-time highs Holding onto too much cash Links: BaskinFP.com https://www.baskinfp.com/ BLUFfinance Podcast https://www.baskinfp.com/podcast Personal Finance Club Detailed Review of IUL Math https://www.personalfinanceclub.com/is-iul-a-scam-yes/ Just Keep Buying book by Nick Maggiulli https://www.amazon.com/Just-Keep-Buying-Proven-wealth/dp/0857199250 Erik Baskin on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikbaskin/ Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Confused about continuation pay? Join the club. Unfortunately, too many servicemembers and their leaders are confused about the continuation pay benefit in the BRS. In today's episode with Brandon Lovingier, ChFC®, MQFP® aka The Enlisted Money Guy™, we share all you need to know to understand the benefit. For active duty, it's currently: 2.5 times your monthly base pay in either a lump sum or up to 4 equal, annual payments.  For example, a monthly base pay of $4,252 x 2.5 = $10,630 bonus or $8,684 monthly base pay x 2.5 = $21,710 bonus (pre-tax) Other important points from the episode: When am I eligible for continuation pay? Does it come automatically? Does the program vary by service? How does the payment come to me? Does it reduce my pension? What is the service commitment after taking the bonus? Does it impact my eligibility for other bonuses like a re-enlistment bonus or aviation bonus?  Links discussed: EnlistedMoney.com http://enlistedmoney.com/ Brandon's Continuation Pay article https://enlistedmoney.com/continuation-pay-benefits/ Air Force link (CAC restricted) Financial Readiness flyer on Continuation Pay https://finred.usalearning.gov/assets/downloads/FINRED-ContinuationPay-FS.pdf EnlistedMoneyGuy on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/enlistedmoneyguy/   Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call!   12% annualized return in my TSP??   Take an inside look at Spencer's actual TSP numbers to show exactly how quickly your account can grow once you start contributing to your TSP and then eventually maxing it out.   Spencer and Jamie both got off to a slow start and didn't max out their TSP accounts right away. But now, compounding interest is taking off and the future is looking bright. It's ok to not max it out right away. You don't need to get it right every time, every year. Find a strategy that works, back-test your plan, and contribute automatically.    Bottom line- investing in the TSP is a long-term win for you!   PortfolioVisualizer.com https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/ Compound Interest Calculator on Investor.gov https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator A Random Walk Down Wall Street book https://www.amazon.com/Random-Walk-Down-Wall-Street/dp/0393330338 The Little Book of Common Sense Investing https://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Common-Sense-Investing/dp/0470102101 The Simple Path to Wealth by J.L. Collins https://jlcollinsnh.com/books/  Personal Finance Club's chart of average stock market returns https://www.personalfinanceclub.com/heres-why-the-sp-500-doesnt-return-10-per-year/ Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you're an E-4 or below, e-mail us at [email protected], and we'll send you a promo code to use for a FREE course. If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. You can easily explore flight upgrades on your TDY travel flights. It's 100% legitimate and in line with government regulations and JTR. After using government contract flights and booking on your GTC in DTS, you can check your upgrade options.     On this flight, Jamie was able to see United upgrades on an 8-hour flight for only 20,000 United miles or ~$1300 each way. He was able to transfer credit card points instantly to his United account. 40,000 points for round trip, lie-flight, first class experience is a great redemption!     You can easily earn well over 40,000 points with the welcome offer of just ONE annual-fee waived credit cards for military servicemembers AND their spouse. Remember, you can EACH get your OWN account and each enjoy the benefits.  Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Finance advise doesn't have to be confusing and depressing. Most of the "financial advisors" are actual salesmen. (Check out the 4 types of financial advisors.)   So how does a military family find good help? Well Jeremy Schneider of Personal Finance Club (@personalfinanceclub on Instagram), Shane, and Vivi, the minds behind Personal Finance Club, have a new product called Nectarine.   Nectarine provides one hour, no strings attached appointments with advisors for a flat fee- no subscription costs or recurring charges. You can book one hour and stop, or schedule more time.    And one of our favorite parts about it- they even have a military filter to help you find an advisor that understands the unique challenges of military life.   At certain times in your life, getting some professional help could literally change the trajectory of your life.   The 2 Rules of Jeremy's Personal Finance Club: Spend less than you make Invest early and often (This is not an ad or paid episode- we're just fans of what the Nectarine team is doing.) Links: helloNectarine.com  Nectarine on Instagram  Personal Finance Club on Instagram  Our podcast episode #57 where we talked with Jeremy Schneider  Military Financial Advisors Association (MFAA) Our podcast episode with Sean Gillespie about MFAA Personal Finance Club's courses (use code "militarymoney" for $20 off!)    - How to Money Like a Millionaire    - Build Wealth by Investing in Index Funds Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. How to maximize your GI Bill, save using 529 accounts, and explore the Yellow Ribbon program? Kate Horrell tells us all about it in this episode where we discuss: 529s are more flexible than most people realize (transfer to other family member, transfer $35,000 to a Roth IRA, other uses than just college) Scholarship awards allow you to take money out of the 529 (up to the amount of the scholarship) No one's ever been mad about having too much money saved in a 529 In general, you can buy into a 529 from any state (doesn't have to be your state of legal residence or where you child may go to college one day) 529 Prepaid Plans are also available but not as good of a fit for most families When might you have "enough" saved for college? Yellow Ribbon program only applies to a semester where you're using GI Bill benefits. You can't use Yellow Ribbon benefits without using the GI Bill. Remember, you can't be great at the big financial decisions like college if you've never done it before.   Ways to prepare for college decisions: Transfer your GI bill as soon as you can Evaluate which benefits are tied to an individual and which can be transferred around Look for scholarships Consider a 529 for your children after your basic needs are met Research Yellow Ribbon program options Consider working with Kate for 1-on-1 coaching the maximize your college options   Links: KateHorrell.com Kate's Military Family's Confidently Prepared Life Binder Yellow Ribbon program Find a participating school for Yellow Ribbon program Coaching with Kate Horrell Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Military families can earn 1 million points without annual fees?!   You're not going to earn a lot of points from spending. You need to focus on earning welcome bonuses. We'll teach out how in the free Ultimate Military Credit Cards course.   Main points today: How to earn 1,000,000 credit card points without annual fees    1. Greatest bang for your buck comes from welcome bonuses    2. Referral bonuses    3. Spending category maximazation    Value of 1 million points: $10,000 minimum, $11,000 cashout value, or $20,000+ when you transfer to a travel partner.   Ways to maximize your points earning: 1. Use welcome bonuses more than spending for points 2. Use transferable points (like American Express) more than specific airline or hotel cards 3. Earn towards a specific redemption goal    For example, if a business card offers $750 back after spending $6,000 in 3 months, that's 12.5% effective cash back! Or even better, you can pair with CSR and use at points in travel portal 18% cash back. To take it one step further, you can transfer to Hyatt or United, for example, and earn 2 cents and 25% cash back.   Another example: Amex Platinum 150,000 offer, and you spend all $8,000 requirement on airfare. That's 5 pts per dollar (extra 40,000 points), 190,000 points earned for $8,000 spent = 47.5% effective cash back rate! Even an 80,000 point offer after $6,000 spend would be 13% effective rate... way better than the average cash back card.   You can refer your spouse or friends (details in episode 26)    Keep earning your points easy with 3 simple rules we use-  1. Gold card for dining and groceries 4x (not Platinum's 1 point per dollar) 2. Amex Platinum for flights (5 pts per dollar) 3. Chase Sapphire Reserve for travel and hotels (3 pts per dollar) Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

An E-4 with over $50,000 in savings in one tour?!   Devin is an E-4 in the USMC who shares tips about military life, budgeting, and saving money on social media. He's done a superb job of transparently showing how a young, enlisted servicemember can cut costs and save for their future. He also challenges the mindset that you don't make enough to save anything and shares how he combats peer pressure and how his sidehustle income provided extra savings opportunities.   Plus, as a bonus, Devin allowed us to deep-dive into a discussion of why he chose the TSP lifecycle fund he is currently in, and why that might not be the best fund for his situaiton.   Follow Devin on: TikTok  Instagram  YouTube  Kdraggerz.com   For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Our TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! Again, free for E-4 and below- just e-mail us at [email protected] if you're an E-4 or below for the promo code! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Highlights of this episode include: How to ensure spouse feels like they're contributing financially, even as a stay-at-home spouse Setting goals as a spouse Does a stay-at-home spouse need life insurance coverage?  Both spouses can contribute to their Roth IRA (if married filing jointly) How are you treating yourself financially? How to resolve differences in financial goals and communicate better as a couple How to move on from financial mistakes How a spouse can take the lead on family finances to help throughout the seasons of military life Links we mentioned today: Our first epsiode # 55 with Colleen Salchow ACFPE and FINRA scholarship for military spouses to earn AFC  3 things great marriages do with money, episode #107  Salchowcoaching.com Colleen on LinkedIn Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you're an E-4 or below, e-mail us at [email protected], and we'll send you a promo code to use for a FREE course. If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Want help refining your strategy for military credit cards? For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. American Express recently updated the requirements for earning a welcome bonus by adding family language restrictions to their cards. Learn all about what a "family" is and how to adjust your strategy for annual-fee waived cards for military servicemembers and their spouse! Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you're an E-4 or bleow, e-mail us at [email protected] for the free promo code. If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Spouse residency rules can sometimes feel very confusing. But today, Kate Horrell helps understand the rules and requirements regarding which state servicemembers and their spouses can use for tax filing purposes. We cover things like: What is the SCRA? What is the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act? What have the recent laws changed regarding military taxes? How does my home of record impact my state taxes? How do spouses actually have more protection in this area that the servicemember does? How does a servicemember's non-military pay get taxed? The Military Spouse Residency Relief Act (MSRRA) is not a standalone law. It actually updates SCRA. The SCRA was also further amneded under the Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022 which stated: "For any taxable year of marriage, a servicemember AND the spouse of such servicemember may elect to use for purposes of taxation, regardless of the date on which the marriage of the servicemember and the spouse occured, any of the following:     (a) The residence or domicile of the servicemember    (b) The residence or domicile of the spouse    (c) The permanent duty station of the servicemember" View the full text of the law here. Read more about these laws on Kate's webiste and her awesome Confidently Prepared Life Binder (avaialble as a fillable PDF too!). KateHorrell.com has a lot of great info on military life, pay, benefits, and college and helpful checklists, and she's a great friend of the show. For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

For a limited time, Spencer is offering one-on-one Military Money Coaching sessions! Get your personal military money and investing questions answered in a confidential coaching call. High-income, high net worth, or dual military couples, this episode was made for you!  While not all of our audience will directly relate to today's topics, we hope that it will at least give you things to think about, topics to become aware of, and ideas of what your wealthy future holds for you.   Tax planning, wealth protection, and investment fees are 3 areas that WILL move the needle for you and do have a big impact on your financial journey.   Today's topics include:    - Taxes Backdoor Roth when your income is too high to contribute to a Roth directly Non-deductible IRA contributions Capital loss harvesting Donor Advised Funds (DAF) Donation batching Roth conversions - Wealth protection and umbrella insurance  - Generously giving and estate tax planning - Investment fees    It's ok to ask for help if you're situation is getting more complex. We recommend checking out the Military Financial Advisors Association (MFAA) if you need help or don't feel comfortable doing DIY investments anymore (or even if you just need a sanity check on your planning).   If you're looking for a Donor Advised Fund, Jamie uses DAFFY- you can check them out here (his referral link for an extra $25). Spencer uses Vanguard Charitable's DAF.   Doctors and medical professionals: check out the White Coast Investor site.   Books we discussed today: Die with Zero The Almanac of Naval Ravikant Four Thousand Weeks Strangers in Paradise by James Grubman From Strength to Strength Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

New (and positive) I Fund changes coming to your TSP in 2024! The I Fund update during 2024 will include more emerging markets, increasing and diversifying your international exposure.    This is a positive change. In this episode we explain the benefits of the change, what it means for you, and what action is required on your part to take advantage of it.    It now represents 90% of non-US market cap now.   Best way to take advantage of this? Automatic contributions to your TSP each month! When you start in the TSP, you're automatically enrolled in the latest life cycle fund (currently L2065) which includes some L fund.   We encourage you to not succumb to home-country bias and think you don't need any international exposure. There 50% of the world's economy outside of the US you might miss out on without international investments. We talk about this topic and more in our Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp and learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! (If you're an E-4 or below, just shoot us an e-mail at [email protected] for the promo code!) If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Roth limits? IRA limits? TSP limits? We get this question often: "How much can I contribute to my Roth each year?" There are several DIFFERENT limits at play here and lumping them all as "Roth" isn't quite correct. Public Service Announcement: Roth IRA is not the same as Roth TSP. You can contribute your maximum to your Roth IRA and still the maximum to your Roth TSP. Or you can do traditional. Bottom line- IRA and TSP limits are NOT the same. IRAs are not the same as employer-sponsored retirement accounts like a TSP or 401k. In 2024, that means up to $7,000 (per spouse if married filing jointly) PLUS up to $23,000 in your TSP (plus up to $23,000 more in your spouse's TSP or 401k)! Document your retirement contributions carefully on your taxes. Your TSP contributions are captured on your LES. Your IRA contributions are reported separately on your tax preparation software. Do not combine your TSP and IRA contributions and think you over-contributed and owe a penalty! Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Want elite status with Hertz for free? Want to skip the line at the rental car counter? Want a free upgrade? Easy! As a military servicemember or spouse, you get top-tier credit cards with amazing benefits like this with no annual fee. Today we discuss: What is Hertz President's Circle? How do military servicemembers and spouses get this elite status for free? How do you maximize Hertz President's Circle benefit on your next TDY or vacation? Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

In this episode, Jamie transparently shows how he profited over $14,000 from his last PCS by doing a full PPM (Personally Procured Move). The government will pay you 100% of the amount they would pay a contractor to ship your HHG. It's not easy, but you can earn a lot of money with this strategy. We talk through the pros and cons of handling yourself, what a DITY/PPM means, exactly how the reimbursement works, and what it means to my taxes. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

The DoD now allows up to $500 for a CONUS move and up to $2,000 for an OCONUS move for one pet per household. This benefit begins for any PCS effective dates of 1 January 2024 or later. We discuss exceptions, mil-to-mil benefits, documentation requirements, and more! Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Today, Spencer talks with Zac Hood, founder of TravelFreely.com and CashFreely.net and their amazing apps that are free! We personally use these apps to find the best offers on cash-back credit cards and travel cards. Zach's apps even monitor your Chase 5/24 status, recommend which card to get next and when, and track your annual fees (while accounting for the Military Lending Act waivers on credit card annual fees for military servicemembers and their spouses). The apps are secure with no bank information or login info exchanged. On today's episode, we discuss: Having a mindset of gratitude while traveling free on points and miles Tracking credit cards with an app, not a spreadsheet with TravelFreely and CashFreely How to find secret cash-back card offers and how to know which cards' welcome offer is the best value for you Find Zac free apps and web-based software at militarymoneymanual.com/freely. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops

It's tax season! Start collecting your 1099s, W-2s, and charitable donations. Whether you do your own taxes or not, you'll need all the documentation ready to go.    Most military families should be able to do their own taxes via MilTax from MilitaryOneSource, especially if you have W-2 income only with a simple tax situation. The software is FREE, our favorite one, and what we've personally used when our situations were more simple. Once you start having multiple rental properties, side hustles, or are having to pay taxes, it's probably worth $400 or so to hire a CPA.   We also discuss tax planning for military families, what that means, and how to reduce your tax bill and withholdings smartly. If you like getting a big refund each spring, but you're living paycheck-to-paycheck, we discuss why you might want to change that strategy too. Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Are you stressed about money? Do you have a lot of debt? What are you general feelings about money and your future? In this episode we cover the top 3 things to do with your money this year. No, there's no gimmicks or get-rich-quick schemes. Just simple and easy-to-follow, pracitical advice: Clarify your goals Add a little bit more to your retirement accounts Automate your financial life Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE!  If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5-star rated book, The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

What is the MFAA or who is it? How do I find a good financial advisor who has my best interests in mind and understand the uniqueness of military families' finances? When is the right time to see a Cerified Financial Planner?  In this episode with Sean Gillespie from the Military Financial Advisors Association (MFAA). Sean began his second career as a finanical advisor in 2013 after 20 years of active duty Navy service. After practicing solo for 5 years, he partnered up to found Redeployment Wealth Strategies, a fee-only financial planning investment firm that specialized in serving military service members and their families.  In this episode we discuss: What is The Military Financial Advisors Assosiciation (MFAA)? What does MQFP mean? (Military Qualified Financial Planner) What is a fee-only planner? Why is the term “fiduciary” important? When does a more complicated situation drive outside expertise or help? Our new TSP course is live! Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Can you boil down all the best financial advice into a perfect list of 10 items that all work for our military listeners? Ramit Sethi's book "I Will Teach You to be Rich" is one that we reference often. In this episode, we review Ramit's 10 Money Rules, how they fit into our personal investing philosophies, and how military servicemembers can apply them to their lives. Ramit's style encourages his readers and podcast listeners to enjoy life while saving money without being overly extreme. Sometimes we get into an obession about saving money that we get too out of balance. What do you think of the 10 money rules? Any you particularly relate to or don't agree with at all? Let us know via e-mail or Instagram. Our NEW course is out! Confident TSP Investor course is on sale now. For every course purchased, we'll donate one to an E-4 and below! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Managing day to day finances, having little to no debt, and controlling spending are three of the top ways for couples to build wealth together. Today Spencer and Jamie are talking about a paper entitled "Financial Management Practices of Couples with Great Marriages" published in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues. Our NEW course is out! Confident TSP Investor course is on sale now. For every course purchased, we'll donate one to an E-4 and below! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

What percent should you contribute each month to your TSP in 2024? If you are under the Blended Retirement System (BRS), you want to make sure that you contribute at least 5% every month and don't max out your TSP too early.  In this episode, we cover: 2024 TSP contribution limits Strategies for maximizing your contributions under the BRS Ways to increase your contributions this year if you are not able to max your contributions yet Find the 2024 military TSP BRS matching contribution maximizing charts, based on the 2024 military pay raise and TSP contribution limit moving up to $23,000 at militarymoneymanual.com/military-tsp-match-max/ Our NEW course is out! Confident TSP Investor course is on sale now. For every course purchased, we'll donate one to an E-4 and below! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Learn about generational wealth, Coast FIRE, saving for your kids' future, and learning to enjoy life after years of frugal living, in this episode with Andy Hill from marriagekidsandmoney.com, live from FINCON 2023 in New Orleans. Check out Andy's new course "Make My Kid a Millionaire" Andy's YouTube Andy's Podcast Andy Hill is the award-winning family finance coach behind Marriage Kids and Money - a platform dedicated to helping families build wealth and happiness.  Andy's advice and personal finance experience have been featured in major media outlets like CNBC, Forbes, MarketWatch, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and NBC News. With millions of podcast downloads and video views, Andy’s message of family financial empowerment has resonated with listeners, readers and viewers across the world. Our NEW course is out! Confident TSP Investor course is on sale now. For every course purchased, we'll donate one to an E-4 and below! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

Our new course is out! The Confident TSP Investing Course is on SALE now at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp. Listen to the episode for special promo code for $50 off through the end of 2023! Plus for every course sold, we'll donate one to an E-4 and below. We created this course to consolidate all the information we've put out there over the years and to give you confidence in your investing decisions. The TSP is one of greatest wealth-building tools for military families. We remember being new and overwhelmed with all the options and decisions. So we created this course to make it easy to understand your options and make confident decisions for your future. militarymoneymanual.com/tsp- $50 off through 2023 with the promo code mentioned in the episode! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.

If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email [email protected]. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops.