Episodes

Dissect your money stories, the traditions you've adapted from culture and your family of orgin to understand WHY you make the money decisions you make each month? What are money stories you tell yourself? Money is _____. Why...

Merry Christmas from the entire Military Money Manual team! What a year... We hit 250,000+ total downloads this year. Not bad for two pilots who didn't know how to podcast when we started. We're looking forward to helping eve...

Spencer and Jamie explain how to maximize TSP contributions under the Blended Retirement System (BRS), including calculating monthly contribution percentages and avoiding common mistakes that could result in missing matching ...

Biggest financial lessons from The Alamanc of Naval Ravikant 3 biggest decisions: where you live, who you're with, and what you do Does money make you happy? How to get rich Outsourcing 3 way to retire Cultivating wisdom Thin...

Tax advantages, confusing tax brackets, marginal vs effective tax rates, and more! Spencer and Jamie discuss how military service members benefit from unique tax advantages, including untaxed allowances and combat zone tax ex...

Spencer and Jamie address a listener question about where to save money for a house down payment, which leads to a broader discussion about short-term savings strategies based on different time horizons. Main Topics & Questio...

2025 contribution limits are out! In this episode, Spencer and Jamie discuss the newly announced IRS contribution limits for retirement accounts in 2025. They break down the changes for 401(k), TSP, and IRA accounts, explaini...

Do you still get a pension under the BRS? YES! We can't believe this myth and misinformation is still spreading around the military. Spencer and Jamie break down the three components of the military's Blended Retirement Syste...

"I'll always be broke." "I can't build wealth with this salary." "I'm just a spender- I can't help it." In this episode, Jamie and Spencer discuss how adopting a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset can transform your approa...

This may surprise you! Want to experience an easier and simplified strategy for military credit cards? That's fine! We'd ask "why" you don't want more, but in today's episode we share which cards we'd recommend for listeners ...

A new benefit for military families! How good is it? In fall of 2024, SecDef announced a new Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) for military families. In March 2025, you'll be able to sign up for it for the first ti...

Did you know Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) will be a factor in your future that you may not be tracking? If you have any traditional TSP or IRA money, you'll be required to take a portion of that money starting at 73 ...

How do you finance the life between possible early retirment and 59.5 years old when you can access you retirement accounts? A gap fund is one common approach. Today we discuss: What is a gap fund? Is it necessary? Where does...

Dependent care flexible spending account- is it even worth your time? (note: this is different than the HEALTHCARE FSA which was announced in Sept 2024- we have an episode coming out on that in a few weeks) Open season is com...

In this mailbag episode, Spencer and Jamie answer various listener questions about investing, credit cards, and military-specific financial topics. They provide insights on compound growth, TSP options, Roth vs. Traditional a...

$85,000 in debt and a brand new truck to a wealthy and generous life?! In this episode, Air Force officer Garrison shares his financial journey from $85,000 in debt to working towards financial independence. He discusses foll...

The May 2024 Military Family Financial Readiness study from Armed Forces Bank highlighted unique financial challenges military families faces due to the nature of their service. Today, Spencer and Jamie are joined by Tom McLe...

Enlisted Airmen with half a million dollars invested?! Meet Darren Thedieck, US Air Force E-7 who was recently featured by CNBC . and Stripes . We talk very practical tips with Darren about how he learned to save, where he sa...

What's the point of building wealth if you're not healthy enough to enjoy it? Today, Spencer and Jamie explore the connection between physical health and financial health. Although this is a slight diversion from our money-fo...

Does a simple Bogleheads style of investing work for military families? YES! The Bogleheads are followers of the philosophy of Vanguard founder John C. "Jack" Bogle. Live below your means Develop a workable plan Never bear t...

The L2070 lifecycle fund is available now in your TSP as of July 2024. If you were born after 2005, this will be your default fund you'll be automatically enrolled to contribute to. This is for those of you who'll reach retir...

Dave Ramsey's 7 baby steps have helped millions of families. Do they work for military families? Today, we discuss each of the 7 baby steps and how they can work for military families. Both Spencer and Jamie started on the Da...

It's okay to rent on active duty! You don't need to buy a house to build wealth. You can safely ignore the push from VA loan sellers, real estate agents, and mortgage brokers. In this episode of the MMM podcast, Spencer and J...

Listener Brian joins us today to share how he used annual-fee waived credit cards to save about $6,000 on his honeymoon by saving big on his flights and hotel. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards ...