TheNewGazmo

They pretty much fixed the flight pay issue a few years ago, although there were a few stragglers before I left the ANG that hadn't been 100% paid yet. I'm an IMA now and getting still getting flight pay.

I remember that. I believe that was one of the most terribly implemented bonus programs I've ever seen in my military career, but no; that was a different "bone-us". But... there's a new bonus on the table that is said to be eligible to members of the ARC. Whether that means TR/DSG or just AGR, I don't know. These things never seem to be adequately advertised and the people that should be knowledgeable, FSS, never seem to be knowledgeable. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-two-bonus-programs-aviators-2024/ Also, looks like there was a push to pay all Guard and Reservists the full ACIP (monthly flight pay). It passed in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act and the DoD was supposed to come up with a plan by 30 Sep 2022. Guess what - we're almost in March 2024 and still no plan. https://www.ngaus.org/newsroom/ngaus-dod-slow-rolling-will-congress-si-pay-parity As of last year, the Air Force was 2,000 pilots short of it's 21,000 pilot goal (13k RegAF and 8k ARC). They're 6% short active duty pilots and 15% short in the ARC. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2023/03/03/perennial-pilot-shortage-puts-air-force-in-precarious-position/ I think at this point, the DoD is just hoping for the next economic/world crisis to crumple the airline industry again. That's what solved their very similar issue in 2001 and I'm sure that's what kept them from POM'ing ACIP for the ARC into existence during COVID. "Bawahahaha.... we'll be good for at least another decade!"..... (major airlines hire 25,000 pilots in '22-23)...."Wait... what?!".

I'll take that as a NO. lol I ask because the RC ACIP debacle is still being slow-rolled by the DoD, all while the RC has a worse pilot retention rate than RegAF, but yet we never hear about it. On top of that, part-time RC pilots get no bonus love. Afterall, why would they? They don't fill leadership positions for RegAF.

Does anyone know if the ANG and/or AFRC is offering retention bonuses for TR's and DSG's under this new FY24 Experienced Aviator Retention Incentive (EARI) program?

The only reason why this is happening is because the T-Birds have been having a heck of a time filling cockpits over the past 3-4 years with experienced aviators. The Air Force decided to open it's doors to the Total Force. And oh by the way, Maj Clark went to the Academy and spent 13 years in the RegAF before joining the ANG in 2022. Hire a Guard-baby into the T-Birds and I'll be impressed.

ARPC is a burning train wreck. Apparently, the conversion to myFSS really backlogged them. It's absolutely horrendous, so I wouldn't be surprised if your reduce retirement application is that delayed. I was a full-timer for many years and was in the pipeline for SQ command at my Guard unit. Of course, life changed and I didn't really feel like sticking around. I had gotten strats on many, previous OPR's while I was there. All of a sudden, it's like pulling teeth. I guess you sometimes find out who the true "buds" are once you leave some place. It'd probably been different had I retired, but some people take offence if they think you're leaving for a "better deal" than their establishment. As far as the points thing goes, it was recommended to me by a previous IMA to make sure I submit my LES's or UTAP's calendar for PCARS credit. I can't really tell you if things update by themselves perfectly every time. I was find out as I go along, I guess. The HQ RIO website is pretty good when it comes to guidance on IMA processes. You just have to dig for it.

Thanks. Almost 4 months later and I'm basically settled into my IMA job. I even volunteered for a few months of MPA days to learn the job and get my face in there a bit. Some more things I've learned in the past few months. The old "I am alone" (IMA) joke, is real. Everything you do has to go through myFSS to HQ RIO. Pay, leave, personnel issues (OPR's, points, etc.). It's all on you. Every time you get paid, submit your LES for points because it doesn't happen automatically. Also, I did find my previous reduced retirement application in the new myFSS. It did carry over. That is a relief. Also, if anyone plans to do this - if you are coming due for an OPR, try to time your separation after your OPR is due and get your previous unit to complete it. Preferably before you tell them you're leaving. I can tell you by experience that no matter how long you've spent at your Guard unit (almost 20 years for me), the minute you leave, they will almost 100% not give a shit about you anymore. Life goes on without you. Trying to get them to put you on the front burner to get an OPR done that should have been done months before you left may not be an easy task. Nevermind trying to get a decent strat from them.... don't ask me how I know. It's been like pulling teeth. Had I still been there, my overdue OPR would be on the Wing King's slides every week and I wouldn't have heard the end of it. Now, I get questions like, "Are you trying to get promoted again?". Um..... Not your business anymore. Just do your job.

I don't see why not. There are O-3 jobs out there, but honestly, unless you just pinned on, I'd apply to O-4 jobs.

I added a lot to my original post.

I went back through 10+ pages of archives here to see if there was a thread I could bring back from the dead. I couldn't find one so I'll make a new one. I just recently transferred from the ANG to an AFRC IMA job. This post and thread will be a place holder for more information when I have more time to sit down and write a novel of my experience with this process. Like anything military personnel/administrative related, it was a nightmare... so far. Hopefully it'll all be worth it. I've got my 20+ years already, but decided I didn't want to fly anymore or do the UTA thing anymore and didn't quite think it was a good idea to retire yet so I decided to try the IMA world. *****EDIT***** I'll start answering some of the questions below. I really had to seriously compare the pro's and con's since my brain was pretty much committed to retiring when I stumbled across the IMA vacancy, but my main reasons for staying in were: I've already been an O-5 for a bit over 3 years. I was one who was good going out as an O-4 and then I promoted to O-5. When I did the math, an O-6 collecting an ARC retirement in 2037 with 6,000 points was over $20k per year more than an O-5. Well beyond what I had imagined, so it was a big factor in my decision. The opportunity to promote to O-6 is a good possibility in the position I'm in. There are a couple of O-6 positions above me in the unit already. I also decided that I wanted to stay in and try something different before I pulled the plug. The ANG has it's advantages in that you can be a flyer for your whole career if you want and retire as a mission-ready line pilot, but a part of me felt I needed to try something else. Military flying wasn't doing much for me anymore and I felt I needed to put that phase of my life behind me. There's only 24 IDT and 12 AT plus MPA when made available (reduced retirement eligible). I really don't need military days to augment my airline schedule anymore as I am very senior in base/in seat, not commuting and loving life. With the amount I was having to participate in my Guard unit (the ops tempo just never seemed to let up), it was basically starting to hamper my ability to pick up open time and make more money at the company anyway. One 2-day premium pickup is worth more than a whole month of ANG pay. No UTA's. I was really done with the whole one weekend a month thing. I won't work weekends and the schedule is very flexible. I'll be the only reservist in the squadron (it's all AD) and the position is basically a deputy Sq/CC augmenting my AD counterpart. So, I figured I'd give it go. Worse comes to worse, I hate it and I pull the handle in a few years. No commitment. Still eligible for TRS healthcare as an IMA (A or B, not C). THE PROCESS (I may add to this little by little): 1. Find the position you want. You do this by going on the Reserve Vacancy site off vMPF. It's in the same area you can find the PERSTEMPO and PRDA links. Click on that and go to IMA vacancies. If you're a flyer, you'll pretty much be eligible to apply for Pilot IMA (11XX) and Operations Support (16XX) vacancies. Note that IMA positions are rank capped, so if you're an O-4 close to meeting your O-5 board, you probably won't get hired into an O-4 IMA position and probably don't want to because you will not be able to promote until you find an O-5 position. If you're already an O-5, you can sit in an O-5 IMA position until your MSD (not a bad deal). 2. Find an AFRC recruiter. I'd imagine this process is a lot easier if you're already AFRC. The recruiter can get you more info about the IMA position. If there is no POC listed on the vacancy announcement, they can get you this info. I'd advise you contact the hiring official via email or phone and discuss the position. If it's local, you may even want to show up for a meet and greet, which I believe goes a long way in showing your interest. Lots of people apply for these positions and many of them are not local. There are IMA positions all over the country. The recruiter will probably have you fill out a bunch of AFRC application-type paperwork to start a file on you. 3. If you're ANG, you'll need to get an AF 1288 drafted and routed through your Guard leadership. Your unit may have other local processes for a separation, but it'll go up through your CoC (up to TAG) for approval. This takes a while. It shouldn't, but it does because FSS manages the whole thing. For me, it took about two months. Once the AF 1288 comes back signed, it goes back to your recruiter. The recruiter will have to put a separation date on your AF 1288. Picking this date is very important as I will discuss in a bit in my take-aways and how I would have done things differently if people actually knew what they were doing and gave me the correct information during this process. If you explore the IMA world from the ANG, expect that this will be the first time everyone is doing this and in the end, you're the one who can get screwed if it's not done correctly. 4. Once the 1288 is ready to go, the recruiter will submit it to HQ RIO/DET - X. Depending on what MAJCOM this IMA job falls under, that Detachment will vary. RIO/DET will review your application and send it to the hiring official after they review it. Keep in mind, you may have already had a hand-shake agreement that you have been hired into that position by the hiring official. If you haven't been hired, your application may just go into a pile with everyone else's. These IMA jobs may be a lot more popular than you may think so it is important to network and/or rush the unit. RIO/DET had my application for almost two months, which at the time, I was told was longer than usual, but apparently there was a hold up with their HARM reviewing my flying records. We're now at about the 4-1/2 cumulative month mark from when I began the process. 5. RIO/Det adds some things to your AF 1288 and will send the package back to your ANG unit's FSS. Your FSS will submit the separation package to ARPC. This happens through the new "myFSS" system, which at the moment, is a colossal train wreck (because vPC-GR was so broken, we had to change it, right?). Even though your 1288 got routed through your leadership for you to apply to get out of the ANG, your separation package will now be routing electronically through myFSS to your leadership again (at least through SQ and OG/CC's) for approval. Even though this should only take a few days, expect another month. 6. Once the package is signed by your leadership, FSS will submit it to ARPC. If there are any errors in your separation package, ARPC will kick it back (there were thanks to my FSS). This will delay the process more. 7. The ANG and Reserves like to play games with manpower numbers so depending on what time of year and what those numbers look like, they may not let you out until it's good for their PowerPoint presentations. Mine sat with a technician for three months. Depending on what separation date you put on your 1288, this could screw you. More about that below. 8. When my 1288 came back from RIO/Det earlier in the process, my FSS told me that once they submit the package to ARPC, it'd only be several weeks for an approval. Why I believed them, I don't know, but I did so when I chose my separation date, I picked one out ahead about a month. Well, the process took another six months. With each and every day that went by past my separation date, my separation was to be back-dated. The catch with this is that I could no longer do military duty with the ANG past this date and I could not do military duty with the AFRC yet prior to being gained, which meant I was pretty much in limbo. Depending on your points situation and your R/R date (which stays the same going from ANG to AFRC), you may back yourself into a corner getting your 50 points for a good year. Your 15 ANG membership points will be prorated based off your separation date. My recommendation is to set your separation date out further in the future and make sure you get 50 points for the year before you separate. I was already past my 20 year mark, but I'd still not want deal with not getting a good year. Also, if you are using Tricare Reserve Select, back-dating your separation will screw with that and DEERS as well because you may show a break in service for a while until the AFRC gains you (could be a week or more). Expect disrupted military email service, CAC certificate issues and you will come up "terminated" when they scan your CAC at the front gate. It will also not work at the commissary (but they let me shop anyway). I am also hearing "rumors" that approved reduced retirement applications that were done in vPC-GR are "lost in space" and especially so going from ANG to AFRC or vice-versa. I am in the process of trying to track mine down. It is no-where to be found in the new myFSS system and vPC-GR is gone. What is even sweeter is that ANG AROWS doesn't talk to AROWS-R and once you are separated from the ANG, you will no longer have access to your orders. So, it'd behoove you to download all of your orders from AROWS-ANG and store them somewhere safe (maybe multiple places) because you won't be able to get them. Ask me how I know. Of course, don't expect anyone to tell you this very valuable information at your unit or find it on any out-processing checklist (probably a good place for it). Luckily, I was able to talk my ANG FSS into downloading and emailing me all of my 200+ orders after I was separated. Don't expect the same treatment. More to follow....

I put everything on the GTC when I am TDY, except the strip clubs. After the DEAMS debacle years ago, when some of us fools didn't get paid for deployments for MONTHS, I started using my GTC for everything. Why? The Air Force is not going to send me on a deployment away from my family, expect me to pay out of pocket, and then, due to a deficiency in a system (they most likely procured from the lowest bidder), not pay me for months. I remember when leadership in my unit at the time told us we had to pay off our GTC on our own without payment. I LOL'd at that one and said, "Yeah, you may as well just type that LOC up now.". Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

Pay your taxes now, and max contribute the Roth. Even in the 32% tax bracket, you are better off paying them now than later. People talk about living on 4%, but what if you want to pull out $300,000 of your millions one year to buy that custom 911 Turbo S you've always wanted? Do you want to pull out $300k or $450k to get $300k? Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

Bringing this back to life a bit as I have done a bit more reading on the "Secure Act 2.0". I haven't heard about changes at AAL, but has anyone working anywhere else heard if their company is now able to contribute to their Roth 401k? According to the Secure Act 2.0 changes, employer Roth 401k contributions are now allowed: Employers have long been able to make matching contributions to employees' Roth 401(k)s, but those matches have always been with pre-tax dollars. They had to go into a pre-tax account, like a traditional 401(k), and you have to pay taxes on the money when you withdraw it later on. That's still better than not getting a match at all, but it's not as convenient as a Roth match. The SECURE 2.0 Act now makes it possible for employers to make matching contributions to employees' Roth 401(k)s. Unlike many provisions of the new law, this went into effect immediately upon passage of the act. But it's important to recognize that it is optional. Employers may still elect to make pre-tax matches or they may not provide a company match at all. If you're unsure if Roth 401(k) matches are available to you, reach out to your employer for clarification. Even if it's not an option right now, it could be available to you in the future, so keep an eye out for any notifications you get about plan changes as well.

Was flying from PHL to TPA earlier in the week on an airline trip and heard a DAL flight report to ATC about a balloon they passed under by 3-4k feet near FLASK (Virginia area). They must have been in the high 20's or low 30's. Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

As Lord Ratner pointed out to me a few weeks ago in this thread, if your 401k is with Fidelity (AAL), you can open up BrokerageLink accounts for both your traditional and Roth 401k contributions, which are pretty much standard brokerage accounts linked to your 401k funds. Once you do this, you can have the system automatically transfer your (and company) contributions to the BrokerageLink accounts, and then the sky is the limit on what you can invest in. Pretty neat, actually. You are then free to invest in anything you want - ETF's, Index, mutual funds, and/or individual stocks. Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

The downside is that the income limits to a Roth IRA are $153,000 MAGI if you are single and $228,000 MAGI if you are married, so that will only go so far, especially if your spouse works, but it is better than nothing. That would be $255,700 before your standard deduction. That is why having the Roth 401k is such a great deal. No income limits. The tricky part is figuring out which investments are best suited for each of your accounts. That's what I am trying to figure out right now - how to build an index fund/ETF portfolio that takes advantage of both my taxed and non-taxed retirement accounts. There are a trazillion different funds to play with. Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

Sorry, I misspoke about FO's making that kind of money. Maybe at Purple, but not quite anywhere else. I quickly glanced at the "single" tax tables, which would put you into the 32% tax bracket at $182,100 - 231,250 in 2023. I wish I was single making that type of money, but that's besides the point. Married is $364,200 - 462,500. I max my Roth 401k. Most of the time, I teeter/totter on the Roth IRA limits depending on whether or not my wife is in the mood to be employed at any given time (Hehehe...). Lots of different scenarios can steer people people in different directions. I am not counting on Social Security being what it is today in 20 years. I hope noone else is here either. I fully expect the Fed's to cut the "5%" off of it at some point. This may effect how much you pull out of retirement. Instead of 3-4%, you may need 5-6%. You may choose to live on dividend income, which would be great to live on if they were tax free, built up in a Roth account. Of course, most of us airline people have the lucrative privilege to be faced with 1st world, 5% problems. Most of us are putting more money away in a retirement account than over 50% of the people in this country make in a year.

That's about in line with my thinking, which is why I max Roth 401k contributions regardless of my income. I will have taxed 401k earnings as well against employer contributions. Yes, 2023 max 401k limits are $66,000 total and $73,500 over 50 years old. As a 5th year narrow-body FO, I am on the way to hitting about $52k total contributions, and I don't really kill myself either. Most CA's are easily hitting that $66k if they are under 50 yo. Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

What's the consensus of the Roth 401k? I always read that the more you make, the less the Roth makes sense. Most of us, especially those of us without Active Duty tax-bennies and/or airline flying, easily end up in the 24-37% tax brackets. Even new FO's are going to find themselves in the 32% tax bracket in no time. Of course, I am no CPA; just a former tanker pilot so take my public math with a grain of salt, but if you take the tax advantage now, you can save 32% on your $22,500 contributions per year. That is $7,200. Of course, that is income that is taxed, so that ends up being $4,896 that you can put somewhere else - Trad IRA, HSA, 529k, etc. $22,500 per year for 25 years at 8% interest (without dividends) is $1.75M. A 4% distribution of that is $70,000. Given most of us will be collecting a pension and taking distributions from a retirement account of some sort, we will at least be in the 24% tax bracket upon retirement (why do you think this bracket is the widest of them all?). Who knows what tax brackets will be in 15-20 years either. The big question is tax up front or tax later? Since I am planning on multiple sources of retirement income (pension and possibly Roth and Traditional retirement accounts), I would prefer to have a Roth account that can grow tax-free for long after I am pushing up daisies so my greedy little children can reap the bennies of my fiscal responsibility. [emoji3] thoughts? Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

Yes. They don't want to highlight that we shot down a $200 amateur radio hobby club balloon out of the sky with a $500k 9x. Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

This is the risk you take clearing a heavy aircraft for takeoff while a heavy aircraft is on a 2-mile final. You have a 45 second window to get a jet off the ground and it takes 30+ seconds to get from the hold short line and around the horn to line up on center line before pushing the throttles up. They went around because they knew they were too close. This is a foul on ATC's part, but knowing that this has become a trend, we, the pilots, need to be more cognizant about this stuff. It isn't the tower controller is going to die in a collision.

Our "DNIF coverage," which has never really been a big problem, has always been to grab the nearest full-timer. If that didn't work, the sortie would cancel. Not really a common event. We would definitely not lean on DSG's to the point we would make them live within a certain distance. Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

Just did this. Wow. That opened up a whole new world. Gonna be a steep learning curve with this. Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

I rebalanced the entire account yesterday with those proportions I mentioned above, and no, I don't have a CFP. Trying to learn this junk on my own. I also have an investment account at AAL, which will obviously be the breadwinner. I've only been here for just about 5 years, with 19 to go, and I am on target to hit near $60k contributions to that this year alone. My investment summary for that one is attached. I will get at least an O-5 retirement at 58-59 years old at somewhere around 5,500 points. I may have the opportunity to promote again in an IMA position and I will probably start leaning in that direction since that extra $1k per month in annuity is probably worth $500k plus in the bank. Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk

What fund is best for the TSP? I don't contribute to mine anymore, but between my civ and mil accounts, I've got a bit over $100k that sits in there. I never wanted to go through the hassle of rolling into another account. I kind of forgot about it, and having just looked at it, both my civ and mil accounts are 100% L 2040. Both have had a 3.78% rate of return this year. The S fund seems to have done quite well in comparison. I was very stupid when it came to investments early in life so 100% of my mil is traditional 401k and about 47% of my civ is Roth (after I realized how stupid I was not taking advantage of the Roth). EDIT: I will kind of answer my own question. Looks like 60% C, 20% S and 20% I works for long term investment, so we'll see how that works out. Sent from my SM-F721U using Tapatalk