Category: MISC
How much I make in the Military after 21 years
First, I want to say that my paycheck has come a long way since June 1999. I remember getting my first paycheck and it was like $400. Over the years, the government has attempted to close the gap between the civilian sector and the military. Let’s take a look at my total compensation page and…
Top 10 military benefits in 2020
As always, the best benefits of joining the US Military are loyalty, devotion to duty, and serving your Country. Those are the constant intangible benefits of joining. This list will focus on the tangible benefits (things that you can see). 1 Stability: 2020 is a hard year for the working class. Jobs are being shed…
My mom put her first money into the stock market!
My mom is the hardest working person I know (besides my wife). We did not have a lot growing up, but mom always worked her tail off to ensure we weren’t left in the cold. My mom never went to college, but I am proud to say she is a very successful person today. My…
My son and I created a college life/hack
Today, Our family drove to a nearby Tangiers Outlet. My son and his friend (both 14 years old) started talking about going to a local 4-year university here in town. The friend was adamant about staying in the dorms. He said there was great food, sports facilities, and big rooms. It sounded pretty cool from…
Money + Marriage
Money is one of the hardest aspects of marriage to control. We all want to be hyper-focused on saving and investing. However, especially in marriage with kids, all sorts of events happen that may derail our plans. The main point I am trying to convey is: Set realistic goals. Today, I was out on my…
Are you dating a Gold Digger?
No. Unless you are giving the other person significant wads of money just for showing up for the night, chances are you are not dating a gold digger. Anyone who thinks that they are dating a gold digger should search YouTube with the word “Sugar Baby”. My wife and I watched a video where a…
How I do my dividend investing
The way I do my dividend investing is a little unorthodox. First, I have a nice military pension coming my way when I retire. This gives me enough cushion to invest how I please. When you create your own plan, cater it to your specific needs. I have 4 distinct ways I invest in dividends…
What is your exit strategy (from job)?
Many of us love our day to day jobs. Many of us do not even remotely like our day to day jobs. But we are all in the same boat. At some point in our lives, we will have to stop working. But what will we do when we no longer work? That is why…
What I teach my kids about investing (+life)
Our kids are getting older and now is the perfect time for me to teach them what I have learned over the last year. It is never to early to learn about investing and life. Let’s hop right in: Be a good person: Before you can even think about relationships and investing, you need to…
Big City Spenders: Redux
I recently wrote an article (https://militaryfamilyinvesting.com/2020/07/27/big-city-spenders-vs-small-city-entrepreneurs/) about a big city couple who likes nice things versus a more grounded small city couple. The small city couple, making 50% less money per month, was able to invest 150% more money than their big-city counterparts. Now I want to look at some ways the Big City Spenders…
On your Financial Quest; be prepared to defend yourself
Kris and I were never very flashy people. We always wanted clean, cheap, reliable cars. Kris shopped around looking for the best deals on clothes and accessories. I always wore T-Shirts and flip flops. We never really stood out as people of money. We both grew up without much money, so we never saw the…
Big City Spenders vs. Small City Entrepreneurs
This is going to be a very interesting topic for me. I am from a big city, San Diego, California. However, I learned how to truly build wealth living in a small city. Maybe it is the fact that I have had less worries and more free time in small cities. Whatever the case is,…
Where you choose to live is EXTREMELY important.
I was born in San Diego, California in 1981. I lived there my whole life. I think the city is beautiful, fun, and exciting. I would never want to live there again, however. Joining the Marine Corps at 18 and leaving San Diego is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I…
How much should your wedding cost?
I will be the first to admit I have no clue how American weddings come to fruition. Kris and I did not have a wedding, even though we did have the money in the bank. Because we were in Helsinki, Finland, and on an extreme timeline, we got married in a courthouse in downtown Helsinki.…
Are you ready to get Married?
Wow, what a tough question. Being in the military for such a long time, I have seen a lot of marriages. Some people get married to get out of the barracks, some get a change of duty station orders, some are missing home, and some fall in love. Everyone is different. But how do you…
Our Retirement Plan as of June 2020?
As of today, this is our initial retirement plan. I say initial because this is just the plan for when I retire from the military in 2029 at age 48. I still plan on working for at least another 10-15 years. Heck, may as well make double-dip in the civilian workforce. Let’s take a look…
How do you envision your retirement?
It is important, now more than ever, to have a visual sense of what you want from retirement. This is before we actually start to come up with a specific monetary amount that we need to go into retirement. Some people plan for their retirement to be very quiet, and frugal. Others dream of boats…
The Stock Market ETF retirement
I have been watching a lot of ETF millionaires recently on YouTube. While I like their methods, I think there is room for this method along with some other ones to produce a truly diverse plan. But, let’s start at the beginning. ETF stands for Electronic Traded Funds. They are a good way to diversify…
Why a High Yield Savings Account?
Savings are the backbone of any well-balanced portfolio. Savings are there in case of emergencies and also for the purchasing of high ticket items. I love having multiple “normal” savings accounts, each loaded with $40-$60. These are for micro-emergencies or in case I over-invest for a month. High Yield Savings accounts (HYSA) are another thing…
Life Mission Statement
You know, I have never considered having a mission statement for our life before. However, I just finished writing about our investment mission statement and realized this wasn’t all-encompassing. Having a life mission statement is just as important. A lot of the military people I know say that their life mission statement is something like,…
