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 …
Would You Borrow at 1.8% and Invest at 10%? Why We Financed Our New Mazda 3
Would you borrow at 1.8% and invest in a guaranteed 10% investment? It seems like a silly question. It’s kind of like when USAA offered me a 3% cadet loan …
2015 Auto Insurance Rates for Military Personnel
Many of the major car insurance companies offer military servicemembers discounted rates. I run car insurance quotes every 2 years or so to see if I can get a better …
Buying a New 2015 Mazda 3: Getting a Better Price than TrueCar with Email
After driving used cars for all of my adult life, we decided to sell the 140,000 mile, 2002 Saturn L300 we’ve been driving for the past three years. We were …
Action Required: Changes Coming to Roth TSP January 2015
Update 8 Oct 2014: Another email received from DFAS. See below for email #2. It appears this only applies to Active Duty Air Force personnel. You will need to redo your …