During my entire 24-year career in the United States Marine Corps, people questioned how I could give up my freedom and liberties.
They said it’s better to be able to quit their job whenever they like, travel where they want, or do as many drugs as they deem necessary.
For 24 years, I kept my head down, climbed the ranks, played the game, and became a “company man.”
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But one day, this all came to an end when I retired. At age 42, my military pension is $9,000 monthly, while my mortgage is only $1,700. I have enough money to live comfortably without working.
I played the standard game. People believe freedom is the ability to do whatever they want. However, freedom comes from not having to go to work to survive. That is the most vital element you must obtain before saying you’re free.
They would rather you focus on minor, destructive liberties because they need you to work at McDonald’s or Marriott. They distract you with politics, race wars, and high prices.
Who are “they?” They are the owners. They run this capitalist nation and need you to spend your money on rent, food, utilities, and luxury items. They want you to become consumers rather than producers.
The illusion of freedom. I have a young 18-year-old man in my neighborhood. He asked me to take him to the military recruiter to evaluate his options.
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He qualified for the service but decided to join. He chose to stay home with his parents so he could smoke weed and work as a waiter. This is the illusion of freedom.
The choice was already made for him, but he walked in a different direction. He wasn’t great at school, his parents had no money set aside for college, and there weren’t great opportunities in our part of Florida.
So he will spend the next 20 years as a waiter or bartender, struggling to pay rent and getting into heavy credit card debt. Don’t you see? This is what they wanted all along.
Getting ahead in life. Most people have one or two positive examples of how to live a great life. These mentors usually give their advice to the younger generation.
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However, 90% of the time, younger people would instead follow a different path under the illusion of freedom.
Someone may tell a first-year college student to live at home with their parents, but the freshman wants to live in the dorms. They walk away from college with $80,000 in student loan debts.
Another mentor may tell some to attend a community college for the first two years of school. However, the student would rather attend an expensive out-of-state college to get a liberal arts degree.
For my part, I recommend the military to almost every young person I know. The writing is on the wall if their parents don’t have $100,000 stashed away for college.
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The military allows young people to save money, travel, fund college, and learn a skill set. It allowed me to purchase four homes and retire early. It’s the best chance for most people to live a middle-class lifestyle.
But the military, college, and trade school require giving up some of your freedoms. They all have a set path to success; however, some are more defined than others. Let’s evaluate how to become successful in all three.
The military route. The military has the most defined but most accessible path to success. The day I joined the military, they gave me a book on how to travel from E-1 to E-9.
The book had all the job skills, professional courses, and qualifications I would need to become an E-9. After 20 years, I obtained the rank of E-9.
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The day-to-day operations were tough, but the overall path was extremely straightforward. As they told me on my first day, “Show up on time, in the right uniform, and they will promote you.”
The military requires the most discipline and gives you the least freedom. Most people cannot fathom joining the military because their parents were strict. However, with the right mindset, the military is quite fun.
The college path. I did not go to college. In fact, the military is paying me to obtain my four-year degree in business. I start class at Pensacola State College in three weeks.
However, the path to success as a college student is straightforward from a financial perspective. The most crucial part is avoiding student loan debt.
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Ideally, you would avoid taking student loans at all costs. You can do this by living at home, going to community college, or paying for school while you work.
If you get loans, stay home until you finish paying them off. You cannot try to live a life while having student loans hanging over your head.
Now that you have no loans, you start the grinding phase of life. The best part of the military is the pension system. As long as you grind along, the military is growing your pension for you.
As a civilian with a college education, you must understand that no one is coming to save you. You are your only retirement plan.
You can also work for a government entity that has a pension plan. They will pay less, so I recommend starting a side hustle to earn more income.
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Building a dividend portfolio is the best way to leverage being a civilian. Ultimately, dividends will set you free, so your top concern will be building this income stream.
The trade school route. I was an Air Traffic Control electronic technician in the Marines. I helped deploy and repair Air Traffic Control radios, weather equipment, radars, and navigational aids around the globe.
My job was very close to that of an electrician in the civilian world. The trade school route is similar to both a military career and a civilian lifestyle.
After trade school, you need to stay in your profession to get the best results. In this way, it is similar to the military.
However, as in the civilian world, you must build your own retirement plan. Again, I recommend retiring on dividends because it is the best way for the average person to obtain great wealth.
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Another good thing about the trade route is that you have a massive chance of owning your own business later in your career.
Before starting your own plumbing, electrician, contracting, or HVAC business, you’ll want to read books like “Rich Dad’s CashFlow Quadrant,” or “The Four-Hour Work Week.”
Most people don’t start a business; they start a job where they work for themselves. But the best way is for you to remove yourself from the equation. Start a business that runs itself while you are in Thailand or Japan.
Don’t throw your life away. If you are not on one of these plans, get on one now. I know the world gives you the illusion of freedom, but these choices are the reality that gives 95% of the population a chance at success.
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They want you to believe you can be a content creator, professional athlete, or famous musician. Hey, I’m all about following your dreams.
However, if it doesn’t work out, have a plan to fall back on one of these three paths. If you travel on one of these paths for 20 years, you’ll have much more freedom than you can imagine.
My network of friends consists of former military personnel. They are all living great lives because of their military service. We are all average people who have come from difficult living situations. We made it through hard work and following a set path.
Trade school students have a chance to always make side money. People always need electricians, plumbers, contractors, and HVAC technicians, and these trades will become even more vital moving forward.
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College graduates can obtain great wealth through the employment system. However, I caution the cohort from staying stagnant.
Military people have pensions, and tradespeople have practical applications on which to fall back. College people need to learn a skill outside of their profession that can generate extra income.
Basically, they need to find a way to make money while they sleep. Building a dividend portfolio is one way to create passive income. However, starting a business or creating content are great avenues to keep the income coming in 24 hours a day.
They all end the same way. All three paths end the same—in a blaze of glory. The military doesn’t really care about you after you hit 20 years.
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You can’t do the trades forever because of physical pain. Corporations and governments want to focus on younger people for whom they can pay less.
I have seen too many military people not have plans after 20 years. I know too many tradespeople who weren’t prepared for their backs to fail or their knees to crumble. Many of my college friends don’t have a retirement plan, even though they are in their 40s and 50s.
So, even if you are on these three paths, you must still sacrifice some of your freedom for the future. Few people want to think about tomorrow, but that is how you succeed.
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Conclusion. If your company gives you a $30,000 bonus, put it in an income-investing portfolio that pays 10% dividends. You’ll enjoy this money for the rest of your life.
If your boss at the plumbing company is selling her company, have the money ready to purchase it. When the military offers you a bonus to extend for another four years, take the money and invest it in a dividend ETF.
Don’t fall for the illusion of freedom. Working dead-end jobs, doing drugs, and playing video games is not a path to success. We all decompress differently but always stay on a path.
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You may need to take a year off or leave the military early because of injuries or family situations. But you can always have a plan.
I write this because I have seen too many young people following no plan. They are living a “free-form” lifestyle under the illusion of freedom.
True freedom comes from waking up on the first of the month with $11,000 in pensions and dividends. That’s what happened to me today.
I joined the military with $10 in my pocket. I married my wife in 2006, and my mom purchased our first mattress. Now, we own four homes and retired early. We simply followed the path before us until we were free. Good Luck!
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Disclosure: I am not a financial advisor or money manager, and any knowledge is given as guidance and not direct actionable investment advice. I am an Amazon Affiliate. Please research any investment vehicles that are being considered. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. All Right Reserved Military Family Investing
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