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“The first $100,000 is a bitch, but you gotta do it. I don’t care what you have to do—if it means walking everywhere and not eating anything that wasn’t purchased with a coupon, find a way to get your hands on $100,000. After that, you can ease off the gas a little bit.”
Charlie Munger
How long does it take to save $100,000 in the US military? For an enlisted service member with a good savings rate, it might be faster than you think, and not that much longer than the military officer's race to $100k.
After about 6 years, a typical enlisted service member, enlisting with $0 in debt could save $100,000 of net worth, with a 25% savings rate.
Let's assume you enlisted right out of high school and you contribute 25% of your base pay to the Roth Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). If you start this savings plan from the first month you join the military, you should be able to save $100,000 before the end of their 7th year of service.
| End of Year | Rank (pay cell) | Annual base pay | Effective federal tax rate | Her Roth TSP (25%) | BRS agency contributions | Year-end balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E-1 to E-2 | $29,906 | 4.7% | $7,476 | $255 | $8,060 |
| 2 | E-3 (under 2) | $33,874 | 5.4% | $8,469 | $339 | $18,064 |
| 3 | E-3 (over 2) | $37,642 | 6.0% | $9,410 | $1,882 | $31,672 |
| 4 | E-4 (over 3) | $44,342 | 6.8% | $11,085 | $2,217 | $48,741 |
| 5 | E-4 (over 4) | $47,527 | 7.0% | $11,882 | $2,376 | $68,515 |
| 6 | E-5 (over 4) | $52,294 | 7.4% | $13,073 | $2,615 | $91,762 |
| 7 | E-5 (over 6) | $55,542 | 7.6% | $13,886 | $2,777 | $118,351 |
She crosses $100,000 at 6.3 years of service — about 15 months behind the officer, on roughly half the paycheck.
Enlisted Military Millionaire
Final balance at 20 years
$999,505
Total money in
$413K
Market growth
$586K
Assumes enlisting under the Blended Retirement System; promotion to E-2 at 6 months, E-3 at 18 months, E-4 at 3 years, E-5 at 5, E-6 at 10, E-7 at 15, E-8 at 18; 25% of base pay invested in her Roth TSP monthly plus BRS agency contributions; 10% annual return compounded monthly; 2026 pay table with 2% annual raises. No bonuses, deployments, or breaks in contributions. Hypothetical illustration for education, not a projection or advice.
If you continue to contribute 25% of your base pay to your Roth TSP, you should be able to retire from the military with a million dollar net worth and the 40% military pension.
| Year | Rank (pay cell) | Base pay | Eff. tax rate | Her Roth TSP (25%) | Agency | Year-end balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E-1 to E-2 | $29,906 | 4.7% | $7,476 | $255 | $8,060 |
| 2 | E-3 (under 2) | $33,874 | 5.4% | $8,469 | $339 | $18,064 |
| 3 | E-3 (over 2) | $37,642 | 6.0% | $9,410 | $1,882 | $31,672 |
| 4 | E-4 (over 3) | $44,342 | 6.8% | $11,085 | $2,217 | $48,741 |
| 5 | E-4 (over 4) | $47,527 | 7.0% | $11,882 | $2,376 | $68,515 |
| 6 | E-5 (over 4) | $52,294 | 7.4% | $13,073 | $2,615 | $91,762 |
| 7 | E-5 (over 6) | $55,542 | 7.6% | $13,886 | $2,777 | $118,351 |
| 8 | E-5 (over 6) | $56,653 | 7.6% | $14,163 | $2,833 | $147,948 |
| 9 | E-5 (over 8) | $60,458 | 7.8% | $15,114 | $3,023 | $181,697 |
| 10 | E-5 (over 8) | $61,667 | 7.8% | $15,417 | $3,083 | $219,200 |
| 11 | E-6 (over 10) | $69,629 | 8.2% | $17,407 | $3,481 | $262,949 |
| 12 | E-6 (over 10) | $71,022 | 8.2% | $17,755 | $3,551 | $311,511 |
| 13 | E-6 (over 12) | $76,764 | 8.4% | $19,191 | $3,838 | $366,728 |
| 14 | E-6 (over 12) | $78,299 | 8.4% | $19,575 | $3,915 | $427,949 |
| 15 | E-6 (over 14) | $81,243 | 8.5% | $20,311 | $4,062 | $496,215 |
| 16 | E-7 (over 14) | $94,238 | 9.4% | $23,559 | $4,712 | $575,381 |
| 17 | E-7 (over 16) | $98,857 | 9.7% | $24,714 | $4,943 | $663,912 |
| 18 | E-7 (over 16) | $100,834 | 9.7% | $25,209 | $5,042 | $761,916 |
| 19 | E-8 (over 18) | $116,733 | 11.2% | $29,183 | $5,837 | $874,705 |
| 20 | E-8 (over 18) | $119,068 | 11.2% | $29,767 | $5,953 | $999,505 |
Milestones: $100,000 at 6.3 years of service, $250,000 at 10.8 years, $500,000 at 15.1 years. She finishes her 20-year career at $999,505 — $495 short of millionaire status, which one more month of contributions and growth immediately fixes. Her entire career of saving 25% fits inside the Roth TSP; she never hits the contribution limit.
Where the $999,505 came from: $346,648 of her own contributions, $66,734 of government money, and $586,123 of market growth. The market contributed more than she and the government put in combined.
Enlisted assumptions: Enlists under the Blended Retirement System. Promotes to E-2 at 6 months, E-3 at 18 months, E-4 at 3 years, E-5 at 5, E-6 at 10, E-7 at 15, and E-8 at 18. Contributes 25% of base pay to her Roth TSP every month.