Brian, we have been very lucky with our choice of places to live where an enlisted pension goes a lot further.

No more deployments... One of the best things about being retired from military.

 

I met a couple of guys a while back that were army recruiters, both Master Sergeants. One was due to retire and said his pension would be
~ $8 - $9K per month. Is that realistic or BS? If not planning to live at Mara Largo that should be plenty.

 

That is not realistic. I retired 18 months ago as an E-9 and with 24+ years of service and I get around 1/2 that amount before taxes. A Master Seargent is two paygrades junior to that (E-7) just to put income into perspective (no offense Sous).

If they have a good claim with Veterans Affairs they can end up with some of their pension non-taxable or an additional check depending on their disability rating. Even if they max that out they won't get to $8K/month.

Either they have something in the works (or are hoping for the maximum possible) or they have not sat down and crunched the numbers yet.

Obviously I don't know their particular situation but from the outside looking in it seems more of a pipe dream without knowing all the facts. Just my opinion.

I had many friends that had delusions of grandeur when they retired and it was a rude awakening when they hit the retirement "window" and got a taste of what's really available on the outside when they started testing the market. The opportunities are there, just not always where you want them to be.

The military really does provide some good benefits (especially nowadays) and you don't realize how good you have it until it's gone.

Just my .02

 

Brian,
I assume that you get all of the VA medical coverage but don't know what it costs, if any. It is a huge money saver compared to the "outside". Especially if the powers in DC want to count it as income. My Social Security is taxed as regular income at ~25%. Already earned and paid taxes on it once already.

 

I love being re-taxed. My military income was from taxes collected by the government. Once they paid me I got taxed so they got some of it back. And I thought there was a law against double jeopardy. I guess it doesn't apply to taxes.

I do have VA coverage but it is not a quick process. As a retiree (and current federal employee) I do have access so some afforable care (health, vision, dental) for my family so I'm on those policies too. If I have something that's long-term and will require supplies/prescriptions over time I go through the VA but if it's something short-term (flu, new issue) I go to my civilian doctor down the road which is much quicker and convenient.

 

Not realistic at all, not one bit...

Even if they were receiving 100% disability from the VA it still wouldn't come up to $8K-$9K a month.

Heck, I wasn't making even close to that when I was active duty at 22 years of service, let alone retired.

No offense taken Brian, you are stating facts.

As Brian said, some people think that allowances and benefits are calculated into the retirement pension, but that is not the case.

As for the VA benefits, well you have seen the headlines in the news and the tales of how long things take. They are mostly true...

 

Congrats Sous


It's odd, like the first half of pedal travel is spongy, like the brakes need bled kinda feeling, then the last 1/3 is actual engagement. No grinding gears or grabby clutch. Good to hear it's easy for you. I've had to stab 4 clutches, unfortunately the 4x4 ones took about 4 times as long, I'm guessing the zf6 and transfer case isn't one I'd benchpress up in position

I'll try flushing the power steering/hydroboost Monday

 

Holy crap Sous, you retired already? Why did I think it was in another month? Anyhoo, big congrats!! Looking forward to following your adventures.

 

Thank you all for the well wishes. It is a bit of a leap of faith for us, but we have the opportunity and are going to give it a shot. I think it probably won't really set in until Tuesday morning after the holiday when I am not getting up to go to work.

 

I found retirement hard to get accustomed to...must have taken a couple of hours that first day for it to really sink in and adjust to it. Welcome to the club and hope you get many good years out of it.

 

Any plans as to when you guys will hit the road? I'd be chomping at the bit to get going, but I get over excited about road trips.

 

Not yet Byron. We were going to try and get out west the second week of June for a family reunion, but the trailer is not ready.

Since we only bought our new to us 5th wheel a couple weeks ago, have not really had the chance to make it our own.

We plan to get on the road a bit later in the summer though for sure, even if it is just around here in the mountains.

 

"Not realistic at all, not one bit..."

That is what I thought, after all they were recruiters.

 

Being a recruiter is a hard job, but they should never, never lie about the job or what it involves.

Every once in a while I will run into someone spouting BS. Sometimes I let it go, other times I provide a bit of feedback and call them on it.