Service and Wealth

Ah, yes, the American Dream: a house in the suburbs, picket fence, and a shiny new car in the driveway. But is it your dream? Clever and aggressive marketing from a young age certainly has convinced you that to be somebody you need to drive a nice car. Yet the reality is that everyone else in the world is so focused on themselves, they don't even care, much less notice, what you drive. In essence,...

Our 4-part series on investing comes to a close. At this point you are confident enough to start investing, and also have the outlines of a basic strategy to make it easy and worry-free. In this week's episode, you'll learn that there are a few things you need to do to make sure that the computers, banks, and brokerages do what you want them to do with your money. Investing 401 Managing Your...

It's time to put it all together and make your first investments: Investing 301 explains how to put the lid on our buy box, and walks us through the process and decisions and mindset for each step of our process. From escaping the quicksand of worthless cash savings accounts to defeating "analysis paralysis" and eventually getting to the point of getting off the sidelines and getting in the game,...

Investing 201 is the second in a 4-part Podcast series recorded to help you build an investment strategy and portfolio specifically tailored to you, yet still built on core fundamentals. Last week in Investing 101, you learned some basic fundamentals to get started -- which is kind of like knowing just enough to be dangerous. You learned three basic rules to follow for building a "b...

Before you start investing in the stock market now that you have some cash and your first brokerage account, you need to build a strategy -- and your confidence. So long as you have the right timeframe and mindset, you can trust yourself to make the right investment decisions and start taking action. Investing 101 is the first in a 4-part Podcast series we're launching to help you build a strategy...

Finally saving money, but it's all just sitting there in a USAA Checking Account? Can't tell which dollar is for bills and which is for savings? Unsure with what steps to take next to start investing? Now that you're armed with the knowledge of what your target savings rate should be, how you can achieve that target (40%!) with budgeting, and how you can fit your lifestyle into that budget by smas...

This week we bring our story full circle and explain how following the Military 40:40:20 Rule for budgeting that you learned in our first episode can with a simple financial plan achieve Financial Freedom in just a single 20-year working (military OR combination military + civilian) career. You'll learn how how you can secure a $2.5 million Thrift Savings Plan balance for retirement at a cost of o...

This week we discuss why saving "3 to 6 months of your salary" for an Emergency Savings Fund makes zero sense in the military -- or for just about anyone for that matter. We explain how income replacement is just one reason to have emergency savings, but that if you have guaranteed employment in the military, this doesn't apply. You'll learn that the three main functions of Emergency Savings...

This week we discuss why the traditional "Retirement Savings Waterfall" is bogus in the military, since service members aren't even eligible for all the accounts recommended. We simplify the waterfall and describe the Military Savings Order of Operation, which helps you: 1. Fund your Emergency Savings 2. Secure a multi-million dollar retirement account 3. Free cash flow to save for other goals you...

In our first episode we lay out a plan to help you get a jump on building wealth and saving towards a multi-million dollar retirement. We explain why conventional advice don't work, why you should never "max out" your TSP, and why saving 15% for retirement will never be enough. Listen and learn the four unconventional tactics of: 1. The "Correct" Savings Rate 2. Optimize Retirement vs. N...