Military Money Mentor Session: Inside a One-on-One Financial Coaching Call #248
A rare look inside a paid one-on-one money coaching session. Spencer talks with "Camden" (not his real name), a 22-year-old Naval Academy midshipman who's already worth $82K before commissioning. They cover the Career Starter loan arbitrage, an aggressive credit card strategy, and the math to hit millionaire status by 35, plus a reminder to enjoy your 20s along the way.
Book your own session: militarymoneymanual.com/mentor
Questions Asked:
- How are you funding your maxed-out Roth IRA?
- How are you investing your brokerage and Roth (which ETFs)?
- What's your current credit card stack?
- Does the Capital One SCRA fee waiver work for spouses?
- When should I start paying for a tracking app?
- When do I finally cash in my points?
- How do I get started with the TSP?
Topics Covered:
- Career Starter loan arbitrage: both loans ($72K at 0.75%) invested as a lump sum
- Portfolio basics: VOO, XLK, VGT, and avoiding fees
- Talking money with a partner and managing a spouse's cards
- Full credit card strategy: Amex Platinum, CSR, Delta, Hilton, double Marriott, Capital One SCRA quirks
- Best tracking apps: Travel Freely, CardPointers, Monarch Money
- Points philosophy: spend them, don't hoard them
- TSP setup: Lifecycle fund + Roth in myPay
- The millionaire math: 20% Roth TSP over 20 years = ~$1.5M plus pension
Resources:
- Mentor sessions: militarymoneymanual.com/mentor
- Apps: Travel Freely, CardPointers, Monarch Money
- Books: Money for Couples (Ramit Sethi), A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Malkiel)
Spencer and Jamie offer one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions. Get your personal military money and personal finance questions answered in a confidential coaching call. militarymoneymanual.com/mentor
Over 24,000 military servicemembers and military spouses have graduated from the 100% free, Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course available at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3
In the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course, you can learn how to apply for the most premium credit cards and get special military protections, such as waived annual fees, on elite cards.
Learn how active duty military, military spouses, and Guard and Reserves on 30+ day active orders can get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3
If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com.
If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual.
