This is a guest post from Airman Mildollar, the brains behind the Military Dollar website, featuring simplified personal finance for military members. I was pretty lucky when I entered the military. I had friends who commissioned before me who warned me that it could take a while for your pay to start. Unfortunately, there are a lot more quirks about money in the military that nobody warned me. The situation is not going to get better if you ignore it. This is related to the .
Can You Live Off Military Retirement Pay?
Why did you join the military? Chances are the answer to that is quite complex. It likely includes a measure of having a desire to serve our country combined with the potential financial benefits of a military career. Succeeding in the military can be a very financially rewarding career path, and also brings the satisfaction of knowing that you have done your part to serve your country. As a military service member, there are numerous benefits beyond your paycheck that you can also enjoy. Sadly, many active duty service members and veterans fail to take full advantage of these benefits, and they are, in effect, losing out on important financial perks to their careers. The financial benefits of being in the military include many different categories. You can receive benefits in your taxes, to pay for your education, to cover housing expense and to help you save more effectively. Are you using these to the fullest extent? This guide will help you see all of these potential financial benefits at a glance, and dig a little deeper into how you can use them to make the most out of your military career.
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Military retirement pay is not subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes. The wrong image was included in the post, and there were some technical issues removing it. I believe it has been fixed. Thanks for pointing it out, and let me know if you are still seeing the wrong image. The opportunity to earn military retirement pay is one of the major benefits that comes with a military career. It’s a fabulous benefit. One thing that I do hear is that the retirement paycheck is actually significant smaller than the recipients had guesstimated before retirement. Since no one likes that sort of surprise, let’s do a little digging into what a retirement paycheck might work out. Because it is paid in arrears, the first military retirement paycheck will come the month following retirement. For example, if you retire on 1 February , you will get your first military retirement paycheck on 1 March The fact that it is just base pay, while often know, still surprises people when the actual math works out.
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Some of the advantages of making the military a career are what comes after, like the medical and dental benefits, the GI Bill that helps pay for your or your children’s education, and retirement pay. To retire from military service, a person must stay in the military for 20 or more years. You could also be medically retired in certain situations, typically if you are unable to perform your duties as an active duty military member due to injuries or illness received while on active duty. Active duty military members can retire after 20 years of active duty service. In exchange, they receive retirement pay for life. How much retirement pay a member receives is based on years of service and rank. Every member’s retirement pay differs to some degree based on length of service and rank. For the same E-8 who has 30 years of total active duty service, the retirement pay almost doubles. If you consider all the benefits for putting in 20 to 30 years of military service, most leave the service with a sense of pride in their military career. However, the tangible benefits are real. Veteran’s Administration benefits, access to military base stores, hotels, flights around the world, and other services offered at free or reduced prices compared to civilian rates. Veterans who live close to a military base also have access to some of the little things that can add significantly to retiree bottom lines. Access to the military base grocery store, convenience stores, gas stations, clothing, and appliance stores can save thousands of dollars per year.
High 36 Retirement System
Military retirees have one of the best pension plans in the US. Members who retire from the Guard or Reserves can also earn military retirement benefits, based on a point.
These benefits start at age 60, which is close to the traditional retirement age of It is not mqke stretch to say that military retirement is worth millions over the life of the retiree. Considering that one can begin receiving retirement benefits around age 40 and potentially receive the benefits for another 40 years or more, this is an extremely good deal.
But is it enough to live off retiremdnt the rest of your life? In his book and website, Doug discusses the steps he took to achieve financial independence — the point where he would no longer need to actively work to sustain his lifestyle. He and his wife saved and invested over the course of their careers, and even made dozens of mistakes along the way.
But by saving a high percentage of their income and living well within their means, they were able to reach the point where they could maintain a nice quality of life in Hawaii, no less! His story monsy inspirational and well worth reading. His book had a big impact on me and was one of the factors that lead retirrement my joining the Air National Guard after being out of the military for over 8 years.
Being able to earn military retirement benefits will have a huge impact on my financial future. Here is another example, this time of an enlisted couple who both retired from the military and had their story featured in CNN Money. This is not a bad sum of money for not retiirement any more work for the remainder of their lives! Even with their retirement pay and health benefits, there are some potential roadblocks to their plan not to work anymore.
The CNN Money article discusses how their retirement pay currently covers their fixed costs including their mortgage and other regular bills. Even something like taking a family vacation will need to be carefully planned. I think it may be possible for them to do it, but I imagine that after a while they will want to find some source of refirement to keep them occupied.
It may not be a traditional job, but it may mzke a part-time job or a hobby that provides them income. Their military retirement pay and benefits are giving them the option and freedom to decide whether or not they work.
This is also something that is worth repeating. Your military pension is extremely valuable because it gives you the opportunity to decide which type of retirenent you want to. Having that regular monthly cash flow should reduce the amount of money you need to earn afger the future, making it easier to take on the type of job you want to do, instead of being tied to taking the highest paying job.
So use this as an opportunity to take a job in a field that is rewarding. Military retirement is fairly generous compared to most civilian retirement plans, and can even be worth millions over the life of the retiree.
It does take a lot of planning and it requires the retiree to avoid taking on too much debt or too many ongoing financial obligations. Living on agter retirement pay becomes even too difficult if you have a mortgage, credit card debt, a car loan, student loan debt, and other regular payments. I many cases, a military pension is a great financial blessing, but it may not be enough to live on.
The key to being able to retire on your military pension is paying off as many loans and credit cards as possible before you officially retire from the military. Debt is the quickest way to tie up your future pension checks. But eliminating your debt gives you the opportunity to use your aftet for more important things, such as your regular living expenses, vacations, and other enjoyable activities.
Another important factor in military retirement is the addition of other sources of retirement funds, especially those which will be available to you later. You can open a TSP imlitary through your military pay unit or you can start your civilian retirement plan through a civilian k program or at noney investment firm. Full retirement age is 66, but you can begin receiving a reduced amount at age 62, or you can wait beyond age 66 and receive a larger payout.
And depending on when you served, your military service may impact your Social Security Benefits in a positive way. So that is something else to look forward to. With careful planning, you should be able to get to the point where your military retirement pay and other benefits will be enough to pay for your retirement.
It may not happen the day you leave the military. But with careful planning, you should be able to reach that point, especially when you are able to begin taking withdrawals from retirement accounts and when you begin receiving Social Security Benefits. Liked the article. The problem with MOST active duty military and military retirees is they live beyond their means and paycheck to paycheck.
Most people are spenders not savers and until they figure that they need to save for their future…they will continue millitary lifestyle of living for today. No amount of money can sustain a lifestyle if you spend more than you earn.
No debt. Thanks for the info! Very good info. A smart retiree bow look at his retirement income as, say, a house payment with utilities. Great info, but do you really want to militady another full time or part time job after years of serving your country? With the governments around the world destroying our money supply, inflation is certain. Rerirement your milifary is mak a lot less than what you thought. What if you learn to be an entrepreneur before you retire or separate?
Cash flow is what you should be seeking. This is the aim of the New Rich. Cooperation with your fellow man, your brother. Entrepreneurship is also about serving just returement in military service. Most financial planners and most people always talk about IRAs, ks, savings accounts, etc for your retirement.
That is how to make money after military retirement one asset class, Paper. There are many others like commodities gold,silver, oil, corn, etc real estate and businesses. Ti be really diversified you need all asset classes, not just paper. Cashflow from all these asset classes and when you retire there is no need to work for someone else, making them rich. That is a future to my liking.
Inflation and cost of living are mitigated with the annual COLA raise to retirement pay. My 35K this year will be slightly higher next year. When you fetirement that one couple as an example, you did refirement note if they were retired officers or enlisted. My enlisted retired pay retiremenf approx. Active duty military in the enlisted ranks for the most part, use food stamps, if the live on base, in sub-standard housing and still have to pay for it.
We do not live the life of Riely. Our pay is below the national average. This kind of lie reporting needs to stop and the truth needs to be told.
If you are going to make this kind of report, tell both sides Officer and enlisted and not just one side officers. The article discusses how they were motivated not only in their careers, but in their personal lives, by focusing on making rank, earning money, saving, investing, and learning.
There is no simple way to achieve an early retirement — it comes through hard work and sacrifice. I was enlisted while I was in the military and was never on food stamps, nor were any of the people that I knew. The military has made many increases in pay and benefits over the last decade or so, and very few people now qualify for food stamps, partly because of pay increases, but also partly because of a program called Family Supplemental Subsistence Allowance which is used to eliminate the need for military members to receive food stamps.
Enlisted members paying to live in substandard housing on base? In my experience, base housing has always been free as in no out of pocket expenses. Great reply. I have spent almost 22 years in the Army as an enlisted Soldier maje I can recall only two or three military families who were on food stamps throughout retirekent whole career. All of those families were very junior Soldiers who had unusually large families at a young age.
One correction. Base Housing has never been free because it costs members the value of their housing allowance for a given area. Members who live on post forfeit their basic housing allowance privatized aftre not. In fact years ago dual military couples took a double pay cut as both members had to forfeit their housing allowance BAQ. Wfter only the senior member loses the allowance when they live in government quarters. Thanks for the reply, tgarner.
You are very welcome and thank you for your service as. Everything we get in the military comes with a price that cannot always be measure using dollars and cents. If they mmoney over the allowed amount they have to pay out of pocket for the overage. Keep up the good work.
Why are we supporting such luxury retirement for retired military personnel? Many of militsry retirees have two homes purchased with housing allowance for homes rented out during their tours of dutytwo cars, beautiful furnishings, golf club memberships, lavish vacations with free almost housing on tto bases throughout the US and abroad, standby flights to almost anywhere in the world, inexpensive health insurance, privileges go military exchanges, etc.
I know of no other employment that offers such luxury benefits. The money spent for these benefits could well be spent in areas that could benefit all the citizens of the US. Eliza, someone sold you the economy size of Kool Aid, and you seem to have drunken deeply from it. Know what, though? For the amount of crap and for the dangerous, life-threatening situations I found myself and the crew in, I and we have earned every flipping cent.
The only people that have the nerve to say something like that is retirekent ones that sit and live in the US with all the freedom never have they went and fought for anything its just given to. Military people are special people and should get there retirement and so much mioitary for atfer service.
Thank you to all our troops!
🔥The Scary Truth About Military Retirement
Know what benefits you can collect, and when
We all know military benefits are pretty good. You get mess hall and PX privileges. You can take advantage of on-base housing and living subsidies, including medical care. And you get a pension amke an incredible pension! Maje servicemen and women can expect to get 50 percent of their base pay from their pensions after completing 20 years of service. Assume this soldier retires at age 43 with 20 years of service but with no increase in rank. Also assume that this soldier can also expect an annual three percent COLA after he or she retires. That, in short, is how much a military pension is worth. Now, of course, the civilian world is known for paying higher salaries. I can assure you that this is not a reasonable goal. But suppose you put in 10 years of service and then leave to pursue a higher-paying profession. This monthly savings figure is so much higher because so little time is available for the money to compound. The amount of money that has to be saved each month has nearly quadrupled, because the time frame for saving has been cut in half. It may seem as if your civilian counterparts are doing better financially, because they earn more money and can buy more things. They think they can do better financially in the civilian world. Agter looking at the actual numbers and using some basic assumptions, financial planning shows just how valuable a military pension can be. The safety and security a lifetime pension has to offer may be worth a lot more than you think. If you want to find out, how to make money after military retirement with a financial professional and do the math for your own situation.
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