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Fud

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Everything posted by Fud

  1. Fud
    RIP brother...his impact on my career through this site was outstanding. Him him!
  2. Fud
    The best thing to do is never pull from your Roth for any reason. Unemployment or an extreme emergency would be the only case where you should do this. I don't recommend this strategy either, and I understand you're not advocating for it. The emergency fund we use, again not for everyone, is a money market account. It is not there for intereste accrual, but for big, unintended expenses we incur. The other factor is that this fund is completely liquid, and can be accessed immediately.
  3. Fud
    First, congrats on having zero debt. I would max out your TSP (not sure if 20% is maxing it out because I don't do TSP), and start maxing out a Roth IRA ASAP. Compounding interest will be your friend in the not so distant future if your fund does well. I'm looking into switching my Roth to Vanguard instead of USAA, but that is a personal decision you'll have to make for yourself. I would come up with goals for savings as well. You would do well to have an emergency fund of at least 3 months pay. I hold this amount in a mutual fund that can be liquidated as needed, but not for less than $250.00 for an expense. Say the engine falls out of your car one day. Instead of paying for a warranty or protection plan, you can save that money and pay for a new engine. I would also save for a future home and have a car fund. I linked Dave Ramsey's site earlier in the thread (1st page maybe) with something about driving cars for free, so check that out. There are many things you can do with your money, but make your own goals and your own plans for the future. Dave Ramsey/Robert Kiosaki/any other wealth "guru" are not always right. I'd make it where you know enough about finance/investments so you know what you are doing, but not to where it drives you nuts when you see investment amounts fluxuate over time. My methods aren't perfect I'm sure, but I'm comfortable with my finances, and can't even begin to tell you how good that makes my "stay-at-home" wife feel while I'm away. I'm secure, she's secure, and the rug rats are taken care of.
  4. Fud
    The more I think about this, the less I'm sure about it in a sense. I just finished "American Sniper" which was an okay book about a phenomenal individual and patriot. Chris Kyle talks briefly about being offered a chance to join the "Best of the Best", which I believe is talking about Tier 1. This would involve Army, AF, Navy, Marines, and possibly other agencies.
  5. Fud
    I view credit cards kind of like crack cocaine. Not everyone gets addicted, but the majority of people do. Same thing as people who cannot handle alcohol. You need to show self control and pay down your credit card every month if you have one. That is how they were designed originally, and I think the credit card company should shut down your line of credit if you cannot pay, vice raising your limit when you have more of a balance on the card. I agree paying for everything in cash is awesome. When I bought my last car in cash a little over six months ago, the salesman was talking me through all the options of how to pay for it, asked me for my SSN so he could give me my credit score first to determine monthly payments. I smiled and told him that wouldn't be necessary and told him I'd write a check. I was at one of these "no haggle" places, which I hate with a passion, but they still went lower because I was paying for the car outright. The salesman could not believe I was doing this, and then asked me in disbelief how old I was. I was then able to tell him about this philosophy of investing. I hope I don't sound like I am being pious about this stuff to people who don't follow it, but it is an amazing feeling to pay for big ticket items immediately and let your money work for you. Another aside, Kelly has a black book as well as a blue book. This black book gives prices the dealers pay for their vehicles (not sticker price, not MSRP). You should never pay $1K over the invoice price for any vehicle you buy. Knowing this, most dealerships will try and tack on things like laser etching for $1K in addition to the price, and an overpriced warranty. If you have an emergency fund, you won't even need the extended warranty.
  6. Fud
    Don't be too sure about this statement. If there is one thing I know about SEALs, they usually have more bravado than most in their brothers in the other services. This had to have been a joint op from the get go (SEALS/160th SOAR/etc...). SF does not usually run their mouths about this type of thing as their training is different in that regard it seems. I'm not saying they aren't proud of what they do, but you rarely see these guys writing books about it. I finished a book about the 160th SOAR not too long ago while on leave, and it was fascinating. It was called "Nightstalkers" and exhibited capabilities from numerous conflicts past through present. Their humility was also noted, and can even be seen by the way their former members write their books (i.e. CWO4 (RET) Mike Durant). One significant difference in the Blackhawk Down raid is mentioned in the book in regards to one of the AH-6 "Little Bird" missions. When the pilot saw that some of his buddies were down, he landed his bird on a narrow street and sent his copilot to gather the wounded and pinned down personnel. With RPGs firing past him, and through a hail of gunfire, the pilot leveled his weapon, while simultaneously keeping his foot on the pedals. They rescued Rangers and Task Force Delta personnel that day, and were ordered specifically not to land. The sad part was that the pilot, on the way back to home station, was worried he was going to get NJP for disobeying a direct order. There were many other stories in that book, that were simply amazing. I heard most of what was found on those computers was pornography. All of UBL's credibility as a religious zealout went out the window for me at that point. I want to know what his buddies thought of him that brought them to the point of not wanting him at the SEAL reunions if there is anything factor besides this book. Something stinks and I hope that aspect of it comes out in the end. I hope he is a stand up guy, but it is very telling when people come out from the woodwork to try and discredit you en mass (i.e. Scott O'Grady, Sen. John Kerry).
  7. Fud
    Gearpig, I was going to send you a PM, but I'm sure others are curious. Is there a video out there of his briefing we could watch. I could sense by the OP on this thread that this briefing was special in a way. I can't wait to see it either, and I'm glad he isn't simply talking about suicide, but a context that so few of our leaders understand. They are trying to treat the symptoms and the end result of suicide as opposed to why one could get to that point in the first place.
  8. Fud
    This is the only area where I differ with the Dave Ramsey opinion of no credit. My wife and I use a few credit cards, but never maintain a balance. We have never been in any kind of debt and kept the card even after reading "Total Money Makeover". While I hate credit cards, mainly because the amounts do not show up immediately on the charge sheet, or immediately when you pay them off, I still see use for them. When we rented our current house, we were the top choice among five other couples because we had phenomenal credit scores. I rarely use the card, but do see some use for it. As for Vanguard, I'm going to be looking into them when I get back because their expense ratios are very low, and their return is higher. I've also started to look at different auto insurance carriers as well, although I was in a wreck not too long ago, and USAA had outstanding customer service. It also didn't hurt that I had accident forgiveness on my account either. I do have a question for people on the forum who use rental properties as an investment. Is it worth it? Do you make a lot of money with hardly any hassle, or is it a pain to be constantly fixing the house, evicting terrible tenants, etc? I've always been curious about this.
  9. Fud
    Agreed, I'm not seeing the benefit of attending this course in residence. I think you can learn a lot of things from resilience courses depending on who teaches them, but you could always be TDY in place and teach it via VTC.
  10. Fud
    Should they keep this on the downlow? Absolutely. I say this because of possible legal ramifications that can come from second guessing our troops in the field. While it is a different story, I remember reading a while back about Seals who were prosecuted for allegedly abusing a detainee. They were all acquitted, but their careers could be over [emphasis on "could"], but I don't know. I do remember hearing people criticizing the raid because they thought a woman had been killed in the compound, which is why I bring up the trial above. If the ROEs are shoot to kill even if you feel threatened, then the seals performing in Neptune Spear did the right thing. However, American public opinion could try and lambaste these guys for any collateral damage inflicted. The best thing to do is keep quiet about all of this stuff and let the administration give details as they see fit. Everyone is criticizing our president because he seems to be or is taking credit for the raid. I don't see what the big deal is here, because he is the one who gave the go ahead, and I applaud him for making the tough decision. He deserves part of the credit since he is in charge, but the timing was also right. While the operation would be great to hear about, I'd rather not subject anyone to being outed by such a book as this. The author more than likely signed an NDA and was aware of the consequences. I'm glad it's a good book, but I don't see the blowback from this being over for a while.
  11. Fud
    I chuckled when I read this.
  12. Fud
    Huge 2 on this one, which is why I'm keeping my Roth IRA. I might choose to use TSP come promotion time (~1K raise/mo) and live like I don't even have that money available while it is invested in mutual funds. I look at TSP kind of like social security. Seems like a great program, but if someone can arbitrarily dip into it then it is not something I want to do at all. Not overthinking it is the biggest key here. I am not a huge investment guy, and I let USAA handle the fine details on that. I've been investing the max amount for a few years, and don't look at it quite that often. When the market is down, my automatic transfers are buying more shares. When the market recovers, I see a big jump in the amount. USAA also has "Managed Money" accounts under their investment tools, but to start these funds you have to have at least $25-50K immediately ready to invest. I think this would be a great option for anyone going through involuntary separation/VSP/ACP when you get to that point. At this point, you have the best minds at the company working on your investments for you. There is alwas risk of loss, but in the end I think all of this is a win. Another thing I haven't seen mentioned as advice is individual stock trading. I've always seen that as a hobby and haven't made much money, nor have I seen anyone else do so. I just think its easier to go with mutual funds.
  13. Fud
    Oh no, it was gently used. I never buy new cars. Added link about car payments below on Dave's site. I might be accused of being a fanboy on this stuff, but I love it. https://www.daveramsey.com/media/flash/elearning/drive-free/player.html I had never heard of this. Thank you for sharing the info. However, I understand TSP to be taxed upon removal of funds. Taxes keep increasing, so I like the Roth IRA option of paying now and not paying taxes when you remove it. I'm not sure if this is entirely accurate in regards to TSP since I haven't looked into this option thoroughly.
  14. Fud
    My wife and I follow Dave Ramsey's style of money management and are very secure in doing so over the years. We have a nice amount saved up, a great budget which allows us to live comfortably, yet save a lot of money towards our future. That said, I'm not banking on the military retirement should the benefits not be there, or should I choose to separate before 20. Rental houses can be a tricky investment, as well as prescious metals. I don't do either of those because I have seen relatives and my current landlord handle multiple houses and have no time off. The possibility of having terrible tenants rent your place is high, and you will likely have a lot of work to do on your weekends. A solution to managing it yourself would be to have a company do that for you. It's not to say you cannot make some extra money, but it's not for me. One of the other things we do is open up money market accounts to save larger amounts of money towards our emergency fund, car fund, and house fund. I'm not planning on buying a house while in the military and just saving money into the house fund. My goal will be to have enough to pay for a a portion or the entire house (~150-200K) after retirement. Following this plan allowed me to pay for a car in cash recently, and it was a great feeling walking away from the dealer owning the car outright with zero debt. This style is not for everyone, but I like it because it makes my wife feel secure while I am away working, and when we need to make purchases that are large. I'm willing to answer any serious questions, but I'm not a big investment guy other than my IRA and my kids' education funds. I do most of my investing through USAA and they are great. I have also heard wonderful things about Vanguard, and am looking towards moving my Roth IRA in that direction relatively soon. I laughed at this, but have found this to be very true when talking about investments with friends/family. I never bring up the subject, just like I don't like talking about religion, politics, because it's pointless. However, I don't mind mentioning the Dave Ramsey stuff to others. You'll find that most folks have no savings of any kind, which is pretty scary. There isn't a lot of financial accountability among our populace, much less our government but I don't want to digress.
  15. Fud
    The TTP handbook link made me want to vomit when I read "Shake your moneymaker" on page six. I hate the faction of the military that is for this type of stuff. I'm all for community service, but I'm calling BS on the hours reported. We had a guy in one of my former squadrons claim a certain number of community service hours for an annual award. When you broke it down, he would have had to volunteer 4+ hours everyday of the year.
  16. Fud

    Airshows & Death

    Fud replied to LJDRVR's topic in Squadron Bar

    I'm liking all of the quotes in this thread. The Mike Rowe quote is by far my favorite, and I'm posting an article by Malcolm Gladwell below. https://gladwell.com/1996/1996_01_22_a_blowup.htm Seeing an airshow now, especially the USAF Thunderbirds is pretty lame. I always enjoyed the USN Blue Angels simply because they flew lower the last time I saw them and they had a swagger the others did not. I think we live in a world where risk aversion has taken over, and it is evident in everything I read today. Chris Kyle, of American Sniper fame, complained about his Navy SEAL leadership being incapable of making a decision during battle. The same is true for ORM and how important some commanders make this. We should carefully weigh the risks, then be decisive.
  17. Fud
    Did Touro/TUI/Trident change its name again?
  18. Fud
    I don't think you will ever see this type of mentoring since commanders and OSI are looking for any reason to nail you from the get go. I go with the saying "innocent until accused". You will continue to be questioned even when you lawyer up. The best thing you can do is exercise your constitutional rights. When you are being read your rights under Article 31, you are suspected of a crime, and you need to DEMAND to have a legal representative present when you are questioned. If either individual (Commander/OSI) continues questioning you, respectfully ask to leave unless you are being detained. The last resort should be to remain silent, and all questioning should cease IAW MC&L. The only question you should ask at all is what you are suspected of doing. Huge Fucking 2 If after you are read your rights, document all interactions with your commander and anyone else in the supervisory chain of command. If they are unprofessional, write an MFR and retain for your day in court (if it comes to that). I hate it when commanders do this. I had a guy in my former unit who was charged with rape. He had consensual sex with this girl multiple times beforehand, but turned her down one night at a party for someone prettier. The girl had nothing happen to her, while the military member was under investigation for 18 months. Upon being exonerated of the rape charge, the squadron commander gave him an LOR for drinking the night before duty. I wrote a character statement for him confirming that the military member had only three beers, and was given a ride home because he felt a slight buzz. This guy's career was wrecked simply for being under investigation. Again, "innocent until accused". I wish someone would come along and save him like Robin Olds did for the tanker pilot who was nearly taken to court martial for breaking ROEs, even though he saved an F-4 pilot's life.
  19. Fud
    Dupe, It really depends on your ADC, but most of them are overworked and do not have time to concentrate on your particular case until days before. This will be the case with a civilian military defense counsel, but they are usually more versed in the UCMJ than an ADC is. Rule of thumb should be, if you ever find yourself needing a lawyer, you need to hire the best one you can. You may be out 30-50K for a GCM, but it will be worth it when your are found innocent of all the charges. Basically, you need people who know the UCMJ but no longer belong to the military in any way. This allows them to fight much harder for your case. The powers that be in this case want a conviction so it will appear they are doing something about the death of other military personnel. While the PIC is ini charge, I highly doubt he did anything negligent to lead to the loss of life that caused this debacle in the first place. If Axle is found guilty, he will have a felony conviction on his record for life, and this will usually be followed by a dismissal (=dishonorable discharge) and possible jail time. I'm not sure which article of the UCMJ he violated, but each article carries a maximum sentence. If you look at someone like Michael Waddington or GSL Attorneys, you will see rock solid representation along with results. Most of their cases these days deal with sexual assault, and I'm sure they would get a favorable verdict for Axle. I wish him the best, and hope the results are published in the Air Force Crimes, especially if he is innocent.
  20. Fud
    Separating in Lieu of Court Martial is not considered a felony conviction, but it is basically the same discharge rate considering it is a dismissal. If Jared wants to call me, I'll be up for a few more hours. I am OCONUS tomorrow and cannot be reached after that. He needs to hire a civilian lawyer. His ADC, no matter how good she is, cannot give him a fair shake against the government. Tell him to PM me, and I'll give him my phone number to tell him why.
  21. Fud
    I'm going to quote myself again, and someone who knows him please pass this along. He's being hung out to dry, as we all know, and needs top notch folks to save his career, his family, and his pension if he decides to stay in.
  22. Fud
    I don't know Axle or what his defense team consists of but for the love of God, please tell me he has a civilian military defense attorney. This stinks from all sides and he needs someone who can defend him in a court martial, yet not belong to the military. https://www.ucmjdefense.com/ https://www.gslattorneys.com/representative-cases.asp I recommend both of these firms, and please pass this along to him.
  23. Fud
    FYI, I didn't check the links below for your situation specifically, but this should get you started. I would start by agreeing with above postings that you need to treat your wife very well, and be amicable about everything. I would recommend sitting down with her and trying to reasonably discuss mediation, and the usual attorney's fees associated with divorce (~25%) of whatever you end up getting, plus fees on top. That is unless the attorney charges a flat rate for each stage of the divorce instead of by the hour. By the hour attorneys are usually better in some instances, because they are more experienced than others, but that is not always the case. Best of luck. https://www.airforcetimes.com/community/ask_lawyer/offduty-askthelawyer-050211/ https://usmilitary.about.com/od/divorce/Military_Divorce_Separation_Issues.htm https://www.military.com/money/retirement/military-retirement/understanding-divorce-in-the-military.html
  24. Fud
    Make your Squadron PTL eligible to give PFTs again instead of having it be someone from a different unit.
  25. Fud
    One has to realize that almost every commander is chosen because they drink the blue Kool Aid or have already sold their soul (or both). The commander should be doing this for his guys, but I rarely see it happen in my community as well. I think some bases (Canon, Minot) should have guaranteed follow-on assignments in hotter/sexier locations. This would incentivize the assignments process, and more people might do a remote 1-2 year tour in these locations with options of being flight commanders/execs for a 3rd year at the end.
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