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Personal Finance for Military, Veterans, and their Families
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The Military Wallet Podcast with Ryan Guina
Military & Veterans Benefits, Military Retirement, VA Disability Benefits,
The Military Wallet podcast is a weekly podcast that was created to bring the latest news and information in military and veterans benefits. This is the place to come for up to date information on current benefits programs for active duty members, retirees, members of the Guard and Reserves, veterans, and their family members. We cover topics such as military pay & benefits, military retirement pensions, VA disability claims, VA Loans, GI Bill, Thrift Savings Plan, and much more.
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Table of Contents Hale Koa Hotel – An Affordable Resort in Paradise Hale Koa Eligibility How Much Does It Cost? Rooms Hale Koa Restaurants and Bars Activities Get Out and About Getting There Several years ago, my family and I had an amazing vacation on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. We stayed at the Hale Koa, an Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) …
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2024 Thrift Savings Plan Contribution Limits and Rules – Deployed Contributions, Agency Match and More
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Table of Contents 2024 Thrift Savings Plan Contribution Limits Elective Deferral Limit: $23,000 Catch-up Contribution Limit: $7,500 Annual Addition Limit: $69,000 Explanation of Thrift Savings Plan Contribution Limits Current and Historic Thrift Savings Plan Contribution Limits Types of Thrift Savings Plan Contributions Regular Contributions (Elect…
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Many veterans who served after Sept.11, 2001, are eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. In this podcast, we walk you through Post-9/11 qualification and explain what it covers, including how to determine the maximum tuition rates and your basic allowance for housing (BAH). We also discuss how to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill. All you need to do is qualif…
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Table of Contents Overview of VA Disability Ratings How the VA Rates Multiple Disabilities Calculate Combined Disability Ratings Using VA Math VA Combined Rating Table How to Read the VA Combined Disability Table How Bilateral Disabilities Affect Your Rating Example Using the Bilateral Factor How to Increase Your VA Disability Rating If I asked you…
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Table of Contents Shades of Green – Military Resort at Walt Disney World Shades of Green Review – Affordable Luxury Shades of Green Eligibility Shades of Green Pricing Shades of Green Pricing Categories Shades of Green Room Rates – FY 2024 Shades of Green Room Rates – FY 2025 Shades of Green – Room Quality Shades of Green Resort Features & Amenitie…
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My wife and I recently took our daughters on a Disney vacation. What does this have to do with military benefits? Well, we saved a ton of money on our tickets with the Disney Armed Forces Salute discounted Park Hopper passes, and we also stayed at the Shades of Green Resort at Walt Disney World, one of four Armed Forces Recreation Centers around th…
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Life Insurance is one of the most important parts of your financial toolbox. It provides money to your family members when they need it the most. In today's podcast, we discuss life insurance as it pertains to military members, veterans, and their families. We discuss why you and your family members need life insurance, the types of life insurance,…
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FTC Disclosure: This article was sponsored by USAA. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own. Table of Contents Why You Need Life Insurance How Much Life Insurance Do You Need? Liabilities Income Replacement Final Expenses Education Do You Need to Insure a Non-Working Spouse? Should You Insure Your Children? Types of Life Insurance …
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How to Upgrade Your Military Discharge Characterization – Understanding the Discharge Review Board Process
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Your military discharge characterization (or rating) is important for many reasons. A high rating can open the door to various benefits, including the ability to qualify for government employment, reenlistment eligibility, and certain VA benefits. On the other hand, not having a high enough rating can impact your eligibility for certain benefits. T…
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Did you know it may be possible to upgrade your military discharge characterization? Today, our expert, a retired US Air Force Judge Advocate, walks us through the military Discharge Review Board Process and how to apply to have your discharge upgraded. Special attention is given to recent DoD guidance directing leniency for discharge upgrades for …
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Military members are frequently on the move. That's part of the gig, and part of the fun! In this podcast, we discuss how you can automate your finances so you don't have to worry about your money during a PCS, TDY, or deployment. Tips include automating your income, investments, expenses, paying bills, and tracking everything with free software. W…
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How would you improve TRICARE? TRICARE is the military medical care program. There are several different versions of TRICARE, which are made available to active duty, military retirees, members of the Reserve Component, and the family members of these respective groups. TRICARE has several different plans that cover the different groups of military…
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TRICARE is the military medical program, and is available to active duty, retirees, Guard / Reserve, and their family members. In today's podcast, we're doing a roundtable interview to discuss TRICARE - the good, the bad, and the ugly. In this episode we primarily focus on TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Reserve Select. We cover a lot of ground, includin…
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The Thrift Savings Plan is the government version of a 401k. It is used by military members, civil service workers, and other employees of government agencies. In today's podcast, we discuss Thrift Savings Plan contributions. Topics covered include the Traditional TSP, Roth TSP, annual contribution limits, catch-up contributions, making TSP contrib…
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The Guard and Reserve retirement system differs greatly from the active duty retirement system. Instead of rewarding servicemembers with retirement pay based on the number of years served, Guard and Reserve members are awarded Points based on their service. The more Retirement Points one earns, the larger the retirement pay. Understanding the Guard…
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Most military members know how active duty retirement works. But do you know how retirement works through the National Guard and Reserves? The Reserve retirement system is based on earning Retirement Points for your service. In this Guard & Reserve Retirement Point Guide, we discuss what Points are, how to earn them, the minimum and maximum Points …
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Did you know that many military veterans don’t want to file a service-connected disability claim with the VA when they separate from active duty? There are many reasons for this, but some of them aren’t based on facts. Today we’re going to cover 12 VA Disability Claim Myths and the facts you need to know when filing a VA service-connected disabilit…
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Many veterans don’t want to file a VA disability claim when they leave the military. There are many misconceptions about filing for VA disability compensation, what happens when the VA reviews your claim, and how it will affect veterans going forward. In this article, we will discuss some myths surrounding VA benefits claims and why it’s a good ide…
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The Survivor Benefit Plan provides a continued source of income for survivors of military retirees. If a military retiree elects to buy into the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), his spouse or other eligible survivor will be eligible to receive 55% of the retiree’s retirement pay after the retiree passes away. This can provide ongoing income and stabili…
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My family and I just returned from an amazing family vacation on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, where we stayed at the Hale Koa, an Armed Forces Recreation Center located in the Waikiki Beach area of Honolulu. The Hale Koa is one of four Armed Forces Recreation Centers around the world run by the Army. AFRCs are resorts that were built for the milita…
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How Long Should You Keep Military Records? Forever. Yourmilitary records are important for a variety of reasons. In thisepisode, we discuss why you need to keep excellent copies of yourmilitary records to ensure you have access to your military andveterans benefits. Simply put, no system is perfect, whether it beat the organizational level or natio…
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Did you know that military veterans who join the Civil Service or other Federal agencies are eligible to buy back their military time and apply it to their federal time? Doing so helps them earn leave at a faster rate, vest their TSP contributions more quickly, and even retire earlier. Want to learn more? Then stick around for our interview with Ed…
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Did you know the Post-9/11 GI Bill can be transferred to your spouse or children? This podcast discusses how to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to pay for your spouse or children's education. We tell you how to transfer your GI Bill benefits, and why you should do this as soon as possible. And don't worry - you can change your mind at any time w…
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Have you ever thought about starting a business? If you are like many military veterans, the answer is yes! Military veterans make good entrepreneurs for a variety of reasons. But they may have a disadvantage - they often don't know where to start. Let me introduce you to Todd Conner, a military veteran and the founder of Bunker Labs, an incubator …
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Health care is a topic most military members don't have to think much about while they are serving. Their health care needs are taken care of them and their families so they can concentrate on their duties. But things change quickly once you remove your uniform for the last time. In this podcast, we cover the various health care options for militar…
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In this podcast, I discuss the military to civilian transition, and some of the areas I struggled with during my transition. I dive right into my story, where I discuss some of the struggles I went through during the transition into the civilian sector, and how I would handle things differently if I were to make the transition again. Hopefully you …
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Can you get out of the military early? More importantly, should you get out of the military early? This question is addressed on many levels. Topics covered include how to get out of the military early, the impact an early separation could have on your future, and why staying in the military for ht duration of your contract is almost always he righ…
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Is the military still a good career option? The military is currently in the middle of the largest drawdown since the end of the Cold War. And unfortunately, some servicemembers are being laid off. One listener wants to know if now is a good time to join the military, or should he do something else for a career? In this episode, we're going to disc…
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The Post-9/11 GI Bill is one of the most valuable veterans benefits available, and it's also very easy to use! In this podcast, we walk you through the process of qualifying for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and what the benefit covers, including how to determine the maximum tuition rates, and your BAH or housing allowance. We also discuss how to actually …
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The 2015 Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission Recommendations were just released at the end of January, 2015. The MCRMC is a 9-person Panel that was charged with examining military and veterans benefits with the goal of making recommendations to Congress. They came back with a 300 page report and 15 core recommendations, in…
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