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I’ve spent a lot of time debating myself on either paying down the mortgage or investing in taxable accounts with any leftover money (after having an emergency fund, saving for retirement, and 529’s). There are solid arguments on both sides and they are not always mathematical. I’m so torn on...

I was in the exact same position as you. Same service, same age, on the next E-9 board, and about the same retirement savings 2 years ago. I went with a modified COA 3 (work until 45). QoL is much better as a civilian, but I do mis being around Marines. My kids mean more tho. Congrats on...

Good advice from everyone. I'm going to hit the spreadsheets and try to estimate how much taxable I'd need to augment my military pension and pay conversion taxes for those 5 years. All of our money outside of emergency funds is in home equity, Roth or Traditional retirement accounts, or...

Thanks for all of the replies. I had never heard of a Roth conversion ladder. Basically, my taxable investments would only need to last five years while I was converting. Brilliant. I'll go back and take a look at this.

Good Morning, I'm 38 and DW is 42. We're getting to the point where we have "just enough" in our Tax Advantaged retirement accounts (401k, Roth IRA, etc.) according to most formulas. We currently save 15% for retirement. I want to keep saving in our Tax Advantaged accounts for a buffer...

The book is one of my all time favorites, and has provided me nothing but value. Nothing like a reporter that trashes good people after they pass...

Just take the time to develop the granularity of your own goals. I've spent a lot of time working on mine, and I won't need numbers near that big. They wouldn't hurt though;-)

Coffee seems to be a key factor for most of us. If you're a runner, then you know what a coffee buzz feels like after your post workout high.

That's a great way to look at it. I've tried to quantify what my pension would be worth one day, but it doesn't matter since I can't cash it out.

Great video.

Great thread. I actually created my own spreadsheet for calculating social security when I was unable to download the SSA's tool. All I have to do is update the index factors and inflation adjusted numbers that the SSA provides each year. It feels good to "know" where you stand, even though...

Thanks for the replies and the warm welcome. We'll certainly be on the lookout for lifestyle inflation. Ain't nobody got time for that. Retiring from the military will definitely be a change, but I'm looking forward to it like you mentioned. I'm dreaming of the day that I can hold down a...

Thanks for the advice, panacea. A 30 year mortgage is definitely an option, but 15 year is the objective. Whatever is best for our kids education, and makes financial sense, will win.

Hello everyone. I’ve been reading this forum for a couple of weeks and have enjoyed reading the stories. Here is mine. I’m 36, DW is 40, and we have two young children. I’m in the military and she also works. Our combined income is ~125K per year and our expenses are around ~72k per year. The...