Aloha Army, Hello ER

[Ponchai]

Hi,
As of midnight tonight I will be officially retired after 21.5 years of active duty. I've enjoyed reading the posts here and have learned a lot from you all, especially Nords. My profile is posted below. Has anyone looked at the "income for life" model as a means of turning investments into cash flow?

Thanks,
Ponchai

Male

Honolulu

Hawaii
Occupation
LTC, USA (Ret)
Retirement Year
2011
Interests
Swimming, Outrigger Canoe Paddling, SUP, Hiking
Biography
Retired Army Aviator, ER'd at age 42.

U.S. Military Academy '91
UH-1, OH-58A/C, AH-64 Qualified

Pension will be about $40K/year in 2011 with a CPI COLA.

ER portfolio broken down by percentage of total: 12% Thrift Savings Plan L2030; 13% Target Date Fund Roth/Trad IRAs; 36% Vanguard Target Date Fund for long-term goals; 26% Vanguard Target Date Fund for mid-term goals; 8% CD to fund near-term goals, 5% Cash to fund short term travel and adventure.

Own a 2-bedroom condo near Diamond Head in Honolulu with 30 year 4.625% mortgage. Will rent it out while away on my travels. Plan to take a year off to hike part of the Appalachian Trail and learn to sail yachts in Sydney, Australia. May go to grad school overseas on my own dime, then return to Hawaii for more school using the GI Bill.

As a military retiree I pay about $240/year for TRICARE health insurance with very small copays.

Single and looking...Aloha!

 

[Arnie]

Congratulations and enjoy!

 

[JBmadera]

awesome and thank you for your service!

 

[nun]

Congratulations....retired in HI.....I'm jealous. Retired at 42 with a COLA pension and those excellent medical benefits, that's a great deal. Will you continue to fly? I'm having Magnum PI flashbacks.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Congratulations, thank you for your service, and enjoy the sweet future you've planned for!

 

[Nords]

E komo mai, Ponchai, and glad to be of help!

Man. I can't believe '91 is already retiring.

Sounds like you have some great ER plans. If you happen to jot down your AAR observations on surprises and lessons learned then it'd make a great contribution to the book's next edition-- and a bunch of guest-blogger posts.

So... what kind of SUP do you own and where do you surf? What paddling club are you with?

 

[av8er]

Congrats on ER! Fellow Army Aviator and USMA grad here, hoping to be in a similar situation as you in a few years. Enjoy your well deserved retirement.

 

[JPatrick]

Congrats and thanks for your service.
My resume is really close to yours except I departed with 22 years, flew different aircraft, and did the grad school on active duty.
Regardless, it's all good and that COLA'd pension will give you a world of flexibility in what you chose to do.

 

[nun]

Congrats and thanks for your service.
My resume is really close to yours except I departed with 22 years, flew different aircraft, and did the grad school on active duty.
Regardless, it's all good and that COLA'd pension will give you a world of flexibility in what you chose to do.

I agree, the COLA'd pension is a great benefit and going to grad school is icing on the cake.

I'm 5 years away from ER. By then I'll have 15 years as a state employee and when I turn 55 I'll get a $25k a year pension and be able to continue the no deductible, low co-pay, state health insurance paying only $100 a month. Combine the pension with monthly rental income and my expenses are covered without me needing to take funds from my IRAs or SS. I wish I had that military education benefit though.

 

[Ponchai]

Hi Nords,
I'd be happy to contribute anything I learn during this transition. I had an 11foot NSP SUP board that I usually put in at Kaimana, but I'm selling everything since I'll be traveling light for a few years until I return to Hawaii. Going to grad school next year in Thailand if the plans work out.

I paddle with Lokahi...black and white boats at the Diamond Head end of the Alawai Canal. Paddling was the best thing I did since coming to Hawaii. Made lots of great friends (mostly civilian) and got in great shape. I will pick it up again when I return.

 

[Nords]

Thanks!

I don't know if you've already read the Kaderli's book, but grad school in Thailand sounds like a great time.

I still haven't made the time to fit SUP or paddling into my routine. The longer I'm ER'd the busier it gets...

 

[bssc]

Congratulations and enjoy