Married Naval Officer 3 Years to Retirement Wants to Make it Count
Below is an email I received from a prior enlisted naval officer deployed somewhere in the Middle East. He’s nearing retirement and looking to see how to maximize his investments …
Got a Security Clearance After 2000? Then Your Personal Data Was Probably Compromised in the OPM Data Hack
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced on July 9, 2015 that 21.5 million Social Security numbers along with other personal information has been stolen from government databases. The hacks …
Army LT Buying a House with USAA Cadet Loan
I received the email below from a prior-enlisted active duty Army officer who wants to use his USAA Career Starter Loan to buy a house. Way back in 2008 I …
Airman First Class (Air Force E-3) Wants to Start Investing
The following is a conversation I had with an Air Force Airman 1st Class (A1C or E-3) on Reddit Military Finance, a great resource for asking anonymous and difficult military …
3 Things Every New Military Recruit Must Do With Their Money
Enlisting in the military is usually the first real world job of many high school and college graduates. This is your chance to set yourself up for financial independence sooner …
How I Messed Up My $1000 Bet On Oil
This past December I was deployed to an undisclosed location in the Middle East, surrounded by all the glitz and gold that oceans of oil and natural gas can buy. Of course …
Refinancing an Auto Loan and Negotiating a Better Rate
When I purchased my new 2015 Mazda 3, the dealership advertised a 36 month 0% interest auto loan, with no payments in the first 90 days and nothing due at …
How I Got an 800+ Credit Score in My 20s
Credit scores are mostly useless pieces of financial trivia that most people should not worry about day to day. Unless you have an auto purchase, home purchase, or mortgage refinance coming …
Old vs. New Car Cost of Ownership: 2002 Saturn L300 vs. 2015 Mazda 3
One of my seven pieces of advice I think all new military members should follow is not buying a new car. I believe that keeping yourself from a car payment …
My 2014 Investment Performance: 10.41%
Happy New Year! 2014 continued the bull market trend we’ve seen since 2009. If only I had thrown my entire cadet loan into just the S&P 500. I definitely missed a …