Excellent, BigDawg, and pass him my congratulations!

Hey Nords, Update: Son just pinned on meritorious Cpl at the 19 month mark. Very proud. He is F/A-18 avionics at VMFAT-101 in San Diego. He is putting 20% into TSP. His plan is to go Embassy duty next year. I have never met a Marine who didn't thoroughly enjoy their time on Embassy duty. He wants to go Officer after that and retire at age 41 after 20 yrs and never work again.

Thanks Nords. I will head to down (three hour drive) to see my son in the next few weeks. Maybe I'll set up a lunch date with Rob and introduce him to my son.

Happy new year! -Big Dawg out

Your son has the persistence for a service academy! Tell him that he can e-mail me if he has any questions.

Better yet, he should talk to a retired Marine O-5 (USNA '90) who's just a few miles away from him in Norfolk: Rob Aeschbach at Norfolk Financial Advisor – Fee-Only Financial Planning For Military Families

I mean this seriously; Rob just started his CFP business and has been helping servicemembers with their finances for years as a volunteer at the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. He gives away a great NMCRS military-friendly budgeting spreadsheet. Our families hang out together at FinCons, and Rob was a big help when my daughter was squaring her own finances away in Norfolk during her training. He'll help your son with any questions about either finances or USNA. RobAeschbach@Gmail.com.

Nico's or Uncle's Fish Market. But you can get good fish at any of about 250 places on Oahu...

Best of luck to your daughter. My son is at NAS Oceana for F/A-18 AT training. He is putting his packages in for Naval Academy and Coast Guard Academy. I think that those are two good choices. I doubt if many Naval or Coast Guard Academy grads are homeless out in the world. He is driven and like your daughter has seen the success his parents have enjoyed. BTW, we watched Diner's, Drive ins and Dives last night. Hawaii addition. Can't wait to get back out there and eat at Pier 38.

Sounds like a great plan-- and every year when his pay goes up, he can try to boost his contributions!

My daughter is six months into her five-year obligation, and she's already talking about going to the Reserves after those five years. She's going to take it one obligation at a time and see how she feels, but until then she's saving as much as she can. She's spent over half of her life watching us parents enjoy financial independence, and she knows what a sweet deal it is...

I reread the first two chapters of your book last night. I bought an extra copy for my son. He is a LCpl in the Marines with less than 1 year in. He is putting 25% in TSP. My goal for him is to retire at 20 and not have to get a job. We'll see. Have a great holiday season Doug. --Big Dawg--