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Re: military pay grade does a traditional IRA make good sens

I'd max out your TSP before putting one penny in an IRA (traditional or Roth). The choice between traditional and Roth will depend on your individual tax situation. In sum: max TSP first. Then IRA; then taxable. Your pay grade has nothing to do with it. What is the benefit of maxing TSP first? I ha...
by _james
Tue Mar 19, 2013 7:01 pm
 
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: military pay grade does a traditional IRA make good sense ??
Replies: 30
Views: 1262

Re: military pay grade does a traditional IRA make good sens

I'd max out your TSP before putting one penny in an IRA (traditional or Roth). The choice between traditional and Roth will depend on your individual tax situation. In sum: max TSP first. Then IRA; then taxable. Your pay grade has nothing to do with it. What is the benefit of maxing TSP first? I ha...
by _james
Tue Mar 19, 2013 12:41 am
 
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: military pay grade does a traditional IRA make good sense ??
Replies: 30
Views: 1262

Portfolio Review / Long Term Advice - 28yo [Military]

First of all, thanks to the advice here I became debt free 1 year ago. Four years ago my net worth was -$45k with $0 assets. I have since been following the portfolio allocation outlined in the book Unconventional Success. Emergency funds: 3 months ($8k) in a USAA bank savings account Debt: $0 - ful...
by _james
Mon Feb 11, 2013 5:02 am
 
Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
Topic: Portfolio Review / Long Term Advice - 28yo [Military]
Replies: 3
Views: 330

Re: Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free

mamster wrote:I love it when people come back with good news. Congratulations!

I haven't been debt free since I was 19! Feels good ! :D
by _james
Fri Dec 02, 2011 2:53 am
 
Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
Topic: Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free pay?
Replies: 19
Views: 1411

Re: Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free

Thanks to everyone here. I paid off my car and my 2011 IRA is maxed. :)
by _james
Thu Dec 01, 2011 3:37 pm
 
Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
Topic: Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free pay?
Replies: 19
Views: 1411

I had an Alienware back in 2005. It was very fast, however, it ran incredibly hot and the fan was annoying. Since then I've learned to only purchase laptops that have mobile processors. They have lower wattage and thus less heat. Also, laptops w/ less L2 cache on the processor tend of have much less...
by _james
Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:10 am
 
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dell Alienware Laptops: Worth it?
Replies: 62
Views: 5667

I don't mean to hijack this thread, however I have a stupid question. I understand the method behind TLH. But how do you keep them? Do you call the brokerage company and have them fax you a receipt of share cost at purhcase and share cost when it was sold? Then you just keep these in a filing cabine...
by _james
Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:53 pm
 
Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
Topic: TLH - Need Recommendations for Acceptable Swaps
Replies: 14
Views: 1263

You can do both, i.e. have the transportation office put your stuff into government storage and continue to collect BAH, and it's legal. Unless you are stationed overseas, like Germany or Korea, in which case housing allowance works differently. If you're insured through USAA, your insurance rate w...
by _james
Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:36 pm
 
Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
Topic: Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free pay?
Replies: 19
Views: 1411

For your age, you're definitely ahead of the curve. As other posters have mentioned, most of your peers have already spent that money or planning how to blow it as soon as they return stateside. Since you've already begun voluntarily investing for your retirement, you're definitely way beyond your ...
by _james
Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:22 am
 
Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
Topic: Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free pay?
Replies: 19
Views: 1411

As much as I do support those in the Military, I'm ex-Army here, I have always felt that there's way too much excessive wasteful spending in the Armed Forces. There's lots of ways to get extra money if no one is watching. The problem. . .sometimes, they do catch you. My neighbor is a Marine, gettin...
by _james
Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:42 am
 
Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
Topic: Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free pay?
Replies: 19
Views: 1411

I have everything in storage I acquired because I'm still receiving a housing allowance of $948/month. So techniquely the govt is paying for it, and then a lot more. I have all my things from my house in there, my dirt bike and my car. Also, my auto/renters insurance went down to $20/month because i...
by _james
Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:13 am
 
Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
Topic: Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free pay?
Replies: 19
Views: 1411

Re: Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free

Why invest into funds while carrying this car loan debt? I don't know the rate on it, but I would pay it off before putting extra funds into investments. It is 9.4% I just called them. Thanks for your reply, looks like I'll be sending my money to my auto loan. It's hard/frustrating to me because I ...
by _james
Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:22 am
 
Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
Topic: Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free pay?
Replies: 19
Views: 1411

Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free pay?

Single, no kids, 26 year olds, $50k/year salary, I am currently deployed making tax free pay. I keep putting money into my funds at vanguard and split them off in to a new fund once they reach the Vanguard $3000 minimum. I'm following the portfolio outlined in Unconventional Success. Emergency funds...
by _james
Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:48 am
 
Forum: Investing - Help with Personal Investments
Topic: Starting out, Currently Deployed, Where to put tax free pay?
Replies: 19
Views: 1411

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