This post was sponsored by USAA as part of the military personal finance bloggers #BRSBlitz education campaign. #BRSBlitz Final Days As we countdown the final days to the end of BRS enrollment period of 2018, it’s been a far different year than I originally expected when the BRS was first rolled out a few years […]
With Valentine’s Day this past week, most people’s focus was on hearts and flowers as they considered ways to show their love. It’s too bad that estate planning and life insurance — arguably the most appropriate gifts for a loved one when you really think about it — will not even remotely enter the mind […]
Sometimes in the world of personal finance, the focus can become solely concentrated on the “finance” part and neglect the “personal” dimension. I’m going to be starting a series of posts on most Fridays to delve into what that “personal” side often entails and will be using some of my own personal experiences with my […]
It has been a year of challenges and change for me. My absence from this blog since May has been due to some major personal trials. In early March 2017, my wife experienced an acute health crisis followed by multiple medical complications that then led to her being hospitalized most of this year until she […]
Want to be a Blue Star Family hero? You can be by helping to add your one-of-a-kind, valuable perspective in the Blue Star Families annual survey. What Is Blue Star Families Survey All About? Blue Star Families (BSF) is a special organization that grew up out of a grassroots effort in 2009 of several military […]
This post about military pay originally appeared as a guest post on The Military Guide on March 2nd so I’m reposting with permission here for my readers. Ever Wondered Just How Much All Your Military Pay and Benefits Add Up To? For any servicemembers who are transitioning out of the military or perhaps daydreaming about […]
Blended Retirement System Lump Sum Calculator One of the major new parts of the Blended Retirement System (BRS) is the ability to take either 25% or 50% of the discounted lump sum value of the servicemember’s pension at the time of retirement. While the DoD is planning to release an overall BRS calculator at some point, […]
As the rollout for the Blended Retirement System implementation continues, amplifying details continue to be released for some of the specifics of BRS implementation. On January 27th of this year, DoD released the policy memorandum that will implement BRS guidance including some of the major updates from the 2017 NDAA that modified some of the original […]
As part of the MCRMC report back in 2015 that advocated what we now know as the Blended Retirement System (BRS), the commission also recommended creation of more military financial education opportunities. This was to not only help servicemembers understand the new BRS, but also to help combat the troubling challenge of financial illiteracy that […]
As the DoD ramps up education efforts on the new Blended Retirement System (BRS), take the time to educate yourself on its specific provisions. Here are some helpful graphics and explanations to help you determine the best choice for your military career. Legacy Retirement System Under the Legacy Retirement System, which we often call the […]