Military Bottom Line

The Hazlewood Act is an incredible benefit offered to eligible veterans by the State of Texas. This program offers qualified Veterans, spouses, and dependent children with an education benefit of up to 150 hours of tuition exemption, including most fee charges, at public institutions of higher education in Texas. This does NOT include living expenses, books, or supply fees.   For more informa...

While some states don't charge income tax at all, others provide this as a military benefit. The state you pay income tax to is based on your home of record, not your residence.  Adjust your home of record before you join, or change your home of record while you're in to take advantage of this (be sure to consult a professional).  States that benefit military members with state income ta...

Chris is a transitioning US Army Captain, MBA candidate with Rice University, tech entrepreneur, podcaster, fitness professional and an all around wealth of knowledge! Chris was raised in the projects of Salisbury, Maryland. He joined the Army National Guard and completed the simultaneous membership program, commissioning via Army ROTC as a logistics officer. Throughout this episode Chris and I di...

In this episode:  I apologize and explain the unintended break from podcasting. I provide 5 unique ways to use your GI Bill for those that don't want to use it for the traditional means. View the YouTube video here   Subscribe to the Military Bottom Line YouTube Channel Follow Military Bottom Line on Instagram 

Evan is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and co-founder of VRB Labs. As a skilled high school athlete, he was recruited by West Point to play soccer. Upon graduating from the Academy with a 5 year obligation to the Army, he began his career as an artillery officer and quickly after successfully completed the Ranger pipeline. Evan speaks from his experience about his time in service, discu...

Brendan Aronson, Co-Founder of Paintru, is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, a former infantry officer, Wharton MBA graduate and now a veteran entrepreneur. Throughout this episode, Brendan and I discuss transitioning from the military, networking, entrepreneurship and how to ensure you're on a path that gives you fulfillment. Listen to Brendan's story and hear how he and his company...

In this episode I provide the audio from my top performing YouTube video on the Post 9/11 GI Bill. With over 63,000 views, this video has benefited many people and continues to receive positive feedback. Helpful Links View full video on YouTube Subscribe to the Military Bottom Line YouTube Channel   Follow Military Bottom Line on Instagram  

After high school Nick found himself on the typical college track as he pursued a career in nursing. However, during his junior year, he decided to forgo the nursing degree and his participation in ROTC. Nick enlisted in the Air Force in 2016 to further his education and to fulfill a lifelong desire. Since then he’s used TA, FAFSA, and some of his GI Bill to complete his Bachelor’s and continue wi...

Ep. 69 - On Service with Phil Back Phil is a Graduate of Dartmouth College, a Green Beret and currently enrolled in one of the Nation's top MBA/Law School programs following his transition from active duty. Phil’s interest in the military began when he participated in a West Point Summer Leadership Program during high school. He attended Dartmouth College where he joined the Army ROTC, commissioni...

Phillip enlisted in the Marines in 2008 following high school. He spent 5 years with the Marines, completing 3 tours, including deployments to Afghanistan, working with Security Forces. While he had transitioned out after his first contract to pursue a career in law enforcement, he found himself back in the military a few years later to pursue a dream of becoming a pilot. Because of his tattoos, h...

Zech enlisted in the Army following high school as an Apache mechanic and avionics technician. Zech believed he would complete 20 years in the military until he read a book that completely changed his mindset and his life. Despite being stationed in Hawaii when his mindset shifted, Zech decided it was time to start preparing for the transition. After several deployments, a close encounter with a k...

Kirielle enlisted in the Alaska Air National Guard in 2016 in the Intelligence field. Due to the geographic location of her unit, she has been able to remain on full time, Title 10 orders and quickly gain all the same benefits as if she were active duty in the big Air Force. Over the last 5 years Kirielle has completed her bachelor’s degree, deployed to defend the nation’s capital and is currently...

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of a guest this week. I want to take the opportunity to share a little bit more of my story and discuss how to make the most out of the military when the military seems to be failing to give you what you want. Tune in to find out how I made the most of my contract when I found out I was in a non-deployable unit. Pick your own challenge and stay uncomfortable. Helpf...

Tim joined the Air Force immediately following high school in 2008. After boot camp, he found himself working as a cybercommunications technician. Tim admits to making some major mistakes early on but turned his life around with goals of financial freedom. Using his military benefits (TA, Montgomery GI Bill, Post 911 GI Bill, AF COOL), he obtained his Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and Master’s degrees,...

After graduating from West Point, Pete commissioned as an infantry officer. Midway through his first deployment to Afghanistan, Pete left to initiate his pursuit of becoming a Green Beret. Following 10 years of service, Pete is now actively pursuing his medical degree. In this episode, Pete shares his experiences including time spent as an infantry platoon leader, special forces selection, and his...

After attending the United State Naval Academy, Sean commissioned in the United States Marine Corps as an infantry officer. Sean did a total of 9 years in the military and has recently transitioned out to start his own business. Throughout this episode, we talk about Sean's experiences, motives for joining AND leaving, transition process and much more! We also discuss a very unique transition oppo...

Naaman has been in the Army for 12 years now and up until recently, has expected and planned on finishing out his 20 years of active duty to obtain a military retirement. What ultimately changed the course of Naaman's career was being stationed overseas during a global pandemic! While Naaman begin using his downtime by playing Call of Duty with his friends, he quickly realized the time he was wast...

Tamario Spivey currently serves active duty in the US Navy aboard submarines. During this episode, Tamario and I discuss his career to this point - to include how he is getting a commission BEFORE graduating with his bachelor's degree. We also talk about balancing side hustles while going back and forth between shore duty and ship duty. Don't miss hearing Tamario's story about the first time he su...

Daniel Doty enlisted in the US Army after dropping out of college to be an infantryman. Dan reenlisted in order to achieve his goal of completing a deployment to Afghanistan, but ultimately decided he did not want to remain in the military for 20 years. After 5 years, Dan left active duty with a seamless transition by taking advantage of the Career Skills Program (CSP) and used his last few months...

Yesenia is a first generation American who emigrated from Panama as a child with her parents. After getting involved in Air Force JROTC in high school, Yesenia enlisted in the Air Force. In this episode, Yesenia and I discuss her four years in the military, why she got out and her lengthy transition process. We focus primarily on her transition because like many of us, it took her time, trial and...

Matt Kilby commissioned in the US Navy by means of attending the United States Naval Academy. After graduating, Matt volunteered to be an officer on submarines. During this episode, Matt talks about what submarine life is like, some of his experiences and the thought processes that took him down each fork in the road. After completing his active duty obligation, Matt stayed in the reserves on a no...

As a part of the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP), Kamil participated in his school’s ROTC program in addition to simultaneously joining the Army National Guard. While he started his first semester by taking out student loans, he finished the remainder of his degree for free. Kamil enlisted as infantry and was commissioned as an Air Defense Artillery Officer with 3 years of active duty experi...

Have you ever wondered what it's like for a married couple to BOTH be in the military? Well, you're about to find out!  Dan and Corina Wynn are both active duty US Army Officers and are about 10 years into their careers. While they met in college, they have both been very successful in their military careers, raising a family, and running outside businesses in their free time. Find out how th...

Mark enlisted in the National Guard in 2014 as an engineer after losing his football scholarship. It didn't take long for Mark's performance to be recognized and the awards to start stacking up. Because of Mark's performance, many of his leaders encouraged him to try out for Special Forces. Mark has now been in SF for over 14 months and continues to perform at a high level in his military career....

In this weeks episode I sit down with two active duty US Marine Corps Recruiters, Sgt Slossar and Sgt Fellmy, to hear their stories and also discuss common barriers young men and women run into when trying to join. Their unique stories can be used to give anyone a better look inside the Marine Corps. In addition, we discuss the recruiting process and common barriers to entry that may limit young m...