Military Money Mentor – Financial Therapy for Military Servicemembers

Hey, I'm Spencer. My mission is to enrich military servicemembers and their families.

If you want to have a chat with me, I'd love to talk.

Find an appointment time below to book me for an hour.

In our 1 hour spent together, we can talk about a variety of money topics. It helps to have a wingman when talking about money. I'm happy to be that person for you. Topics for discussion can include:

• Anything related to your money and investments
• Keeping your investments low cost, automatic, diversified, and simple (LADS)
• Roth IRA vs Roth TSP vs Traditional IRA vs Traditional TSP questions
• USAA and Navy Federal Career Starter Loan questions
• Understanding your Thrift Savings Plan contributions and investments
• Financial independence
• Retiring early
• Exploring your silent money scripts
• Understand if you're over saving or over spending
• Military Lending Act and SCRA Credit Card Strategies
• Maximizing redemption of credit card points and miles
• Military Spouse Residency Relief Act (MSRRA) and SCRA state tax benefits

What you can expect from from me:

• To act in your best interests
• 100% confidential and private conversation
• I'll answer your burning money questions
• Advice tailored to your unique situation
• I'll send you a recap email afterwards with an actionable to-do list

Things I will never do during a call:

• No sales pitch
• No commissions
• No products pitched
• No recurring fees
• No indexed universal life insurance pitch
• No “infinite banking,” “tax loop holes,” or other BS
• No 1% assets under management fee

This is a simple transaction. You get 1 hour of my time on a call or video and I'll do some homework before the call. During that hour, I work only for you. I'll send you a follow up email summarizing what we talked about.

Most questions on achieving financial independence in the military I answer for free on the podcast or in my book. I give away most of the my content for free and I'm happy to do it. However, sometimes you need a bit more attention to your individual situation. That's why I make myself available in this one-on-one mentorship program.

Who is Spencer?

I've served my military money community for over a decade through this website, podcast, and book.

I wrote the book on early financial independence in the military: The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom.

The US Air Force Academy Association of Graduates liked The Military Money Manual so much they gave away a copy to every graduating cadet in the Class of 2023.

I've hosted the Military Money Manual Podcast for over three years and 130+ episodes.

I've walked the walk and talked the talk. You know those 10,000 hours you put in to become an expert in the field? I did it. I'm still learning every day, but I want to send what I've learned back to you.

I know what it means to serve in our US military. I served on active duty from 2010 to 2022 as a C-17 pilot in the US Air Force.

I deployed three times to support operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. I went on hundreds of TDYs and PCS'd 6 times to Texas, Washington, New Jersey, Abu Dhabi, and Hawai'i.

That's me sitting on top of the C-17, watching the South Korean Black Eagles Demonstration Team in Seoul, Korea.

I know how hectic active duty life can be. I know how hard it can be to confidently know that you're doing the right things with your money.

Who do you have to turn to for an accurate check on your finances? Chances are your parents don't understand what you're going through. Your friends might not either. It helps to have an independent third party who knows his stuff.

My goal is to help you achieve your financial goals. Don't have any goals? We can work on that too.

This is about dreams, hopes, desires. This is about freedom, lifestyle design, and building the life you want.

When I'm not nerding out about money, I enjoy walking my dog, hiking, triathlons, travel, good food, good friends, sci-fi, and philosophy.

Who is the ideal client?

• Active duty, Guard, or Reserve military servicemember
• Cadets or midshipmen about to commission, especially with Career Starter Loan questions
• Military families: either mil-to-mil or one active duty servicemember in the relationship.
• High income (>$100,000) or high net worth (>$500,000) military servicemembers.
• Military spouses with military money questions

I like working with military medical professionals, pilots, and dual-income couples. I believe that high-income and high-net-worth individuals can have an outsized impact for good on their world, community, and family.

My clients have included active duty Air Force JAGs, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) students, and Navy veterans.

What we can work on together:

The primary goal or outcome of financial therapy services is to provide you confidence, peace, and knowledge about your financial situation. Financial health is wealth.

I want to empower you to achieve financial independence. If there are behaviors you are seeking to change, we can work on that together.

• Conscious cash flow management – understand your income, expenses, paying yourself first
• Achieving your goals
• Optimizing your taxes while you serve on active duty
• Understanding the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
• Investment portfolio review
• Financial independence, early retirement
• Exploring your Money Scripts
• Debt freedom
• Life insurance
• “How am I doing” checks – compare net worth against peers
• Solutions based financial therapy

Most importantly, this is a one-on-one mentoring relationship. The program will tailor to what you want to work on, what you want to talk about, and what's most important to you.

To be perfectly clear: I don't have all the answers and I don't pretend to. Everything I think about money, investing, and building wealth is available for free on my website, podcast, and in my book (available for free at many libraries).

I believe in Low Cost, Automated, Diversified, and Simple investing (LADS method). I believe in buying and holding index funds, minimizing fees, minimizing taxes, keeping things simple, investing so you can sleep well at night, and doing the right thing.

How it Works

1. Schedule a time with me in the calendar above.
2. You'll fill out a quick questionnaire and I might ask some questions ahead of time to best serve you.
3. We'll meet on videoconference or phone call once for up to an hour.
4. After our call, I'll send you a recording of the call if you request it and a follow up email.

Frequently Asked Questions