Aloha, e komo mai!
We’re here to help you with your journey to financial independence. For free.
(Disclosure: there are no sponsors or affiliate links here. All of my writing & speaking revenue is donated to military-friendly charities. You can buy the books if you want to– and thank you!– but I recommend exploring them at your military base library or local public library.)
The Military Guide started as an idea and grew into this website, the book, “The Military Guide To Financial Independence And Retirement“ (published in 2011), and a second book, Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence, released in 2020.
Today, there’s a few hundred articles here about reaching financial independence and living a rich life – all without sacrificing your dreams. I have another couple hundred blog posts over at TheMilitaryWallet– some of them are linked from here– and a few at ESIMoney.
These pages can help you learn more about the site. If you want to learn more about Financial Independence, then keep reading and we’ll guide you through the site!
- About the Website and the books
- About the Book – The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement
- About the Book – Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence
(By the way, if you’re with the media then you probably want the “For the media” tab.)
How to Reach Financial Independence!
If you’re seeking the first step on your path to financial independence, then learn more about the financial myths of retirement.
Financial independence happens when you have enough savings to support your lifestyle. If you have a big lifestyle then you’ll need lots of savings! If you live a simple & frugal life then you can become financially independent with less savings. The short answer: save as much as you can, and start as soon as you can. You can be financially independent in as little as five years, but most people take 10-20 years.
It all starts with tracking your spending. All you need to do for a few months is to learn where every dollar goes. Track it with pen & paper, on a smartphone, or in any other way that works for you. You don’t have to change your spending, and you certainly don’t have to criticize yourself. Just watch the numbers.
After you’ve gathered a few months of data, look back on your expenses. Are you spending the money on the things that bring value to you? Are you wasting money on things that you don’t care about? What do you want to change? Can you cut out the waste? Or are you willing to keep working for the years as you’ll need to pay for those things?
Take control. Once you align your spending with your values, then you’re on the path to financial independence.
Next, you can read about retirement budgeting and start thinking about how much you’ll spend. Once you’ve put together a retirement budget you can determine how much you’ll need.
Now you have the basic tools. If you want to dig into the details then scan the Recommended Reading list.
When you’re financially independent, then you can retire early or keep working– the choice is yours! This post can help you decide when you should stop working.
You can stay in the military (because you enjoy it and feel challenged & fulfilled by what you do) or you can leave active duty for the Reserves or National Guard. No worries about what happens after that– you’ll have no trouble figuring out what to do all day. You’re responsible for your own entertainment, and it might take more time management skills than you would expect.
The Book That Started it All:
The Military Guide To Financial Independence And Retirement
Financial Independence is a lot easier if you’ll be collecting a military retirement, but you can do it without one. Over 60 military servicemembers and veterans contributed to the book, and only a few of us have a pension.
I wrote “The Military Guide To Financial Independence And Retirement” with the help of over 60 servicemembers, veterans, and families. (They shared their stories and did a lot of proofreading.) It’s shown thousands of people how to use their military skills to reach financial independence and retire on their terms. Reaching financial independence is simple, but it does require effort. You can do it without a military retirement, and most families reach it in 10-20 years.
All of my writing revenue is donated to military charities. (I wrote this book to help military families, not to profit from you.) I’m financially independent and I enjoy paying it forward.
Learn more about the book – The Military Guide To Financial Independence & Retirement
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The New Book:
Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence
“How Will Your Kids Reach Financial Independence?”
That’s the question Doug Nordman and his spouse heard at so many personal-finance meetups and conferences. They finally asked their daughter, Carol Pittner: “What do you remember about us teaching you to manage your money?”
Carol lit up with her stories, and now they’re sharing them with your family.
Carol and Doug show you how to motivate your kids to manage their money and help you validate your kids’ feelings about money, talk through their mistakes, and think of better ways to manage their money the next time. Later you’ll help them find their own motivations to earn, save, and invest.
This is not just another parenting manual or child-development textbook. Doug and Carol share their stories in a back-and-forth narrative that helps you see how your kids might perceive your parenting. They show you what worked for them (and what didn’t) and they’ll give you many ideas to try with your family.
How You Can Help
When you’re finished with the book then you can pass it on or donate it to your local library. Let me know if you give it to a library so that I can let others know, or you can post the information there yourself!
Please network the book: “Like” the Facebook page or follow @TheMilitaryGuid on Twitter.
I’ve been retired for over a decade, yet every day I still run out of time before I’ve run out of things that I want to do. One of my daily pleasures is writing about the stories and wisdom of military members and their families who are becoming financially independent. We’re collecting material for the next edition of the book, and if you contribute then you can help determine what military charities will benefit from the royalties.
(By the way, if you’re with the media then you probably want the “For the media” tab.)
Please tell me your stories!
Military Financial Independence 
I don’t know if you’re still active here, but thank you for sharing! For us young bucks, the military still doesn’t make it a point to show us how important investing is. We appreciate your efforts!