The Military Money Manual Podcast

In this Q&A episode, Jamie and Spencer answer listener Dustin's question from a Facebook message: "When you talk about savings rates, are you talking base pay only or do you include BAH and BAS in that percentage?" It's a nuanced question, but in general you should include all of your income when calculating your savings rate. But, the fact that you're even thinking about a complex topic like a savings rate means you are already way ahead in the financial game. If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast or just need some extra guidance and help with your military money, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email mmm@militarymoneymanual.com 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 at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3.

Justin, an Air Force captain, reached out to ask: "How do you organize your savings accounts?" Some ideas co-hosts Jamie and Spencer discuss are using separate accounts, bucket accounts, a spreadsheet, or an app like You Need a Budget (YNAB). Automate as much as you can and make your financial life as simple or complex as you need to. Simple is usually the best option. Q&A or "Question and Answer" episodes are shorter and designed to answer a single listener question. If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast or just need some extra guidance and help with your military money, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email mmm@militarymoneymanual.com 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 at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3.

In this episode Jamie and Spencer discuss Military Lending Act (MLA) benefits for military spouses. Military spouses enjoy the exact same benefits active duty military servicemembers do on American Express, Chase, Citi, and US Bank credit cards: the annual fees are waived on all the premium cards. Spencer and Jamie break down the best credit cards for military spouses including: The Platinum Card from American Express Chase Sapphire Reserve Card American Express Gold Card Best Hotel credit cards Best Airline credit cards Spencer offers a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting military annual fee waived credit cards for active duty, guard, reserve, and military spouses. The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card are all fee waived. Learn how to get yours in my 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 at 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 or email podcast@militarymoneymanual.com.

Rob Shaye is a Coast Guard reservist, Certified Financial Planner (CFP), and military travel hacker. He's passionate about financial education and helping military servicemembers make the best decisions with their money. Learn more about Robert Shaye's company Fireside Finances on his website. In this wide ranging episode, co-hosts Jamie and Spencer talk with Rob about a variety of topics including: The mistakes Rob made investing his lawn mowing money at 15 How Rob got into travel hacking Converting a Chase Marriott card to a Ritz Carlton card Rob's favorite card at the moment, the Paceline Card Getting military fee waivers as a Reservists and military spouse Maximizing the Amex Platinum $200 airline fee credit Bank account bonuses Where Rob goes for credit card news Recommended fiction and non-fiction books 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 at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve® in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3.

Jamie and Spencer attack how to budget your military paycheck. Ideas discussed on this episode include: Classic pen and paper budget Google Sheets and Excel spreadsheets Apps like Mint.com, You Need A Budget (YNAB), EveryDollar The Reverse Budget, or Anti-Budget (set a high savings rate and spend the rest) If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out my 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3.

Living paycheck to paycheck can be extremely stressful. It can negatively affect your mental, physical, spiritual, and financial health. Learn how to stop living paycheck to paycheck and to get out of the cycle of never having extra cash in your checking account. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out the 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3.

Morgan Housel's book the Psychology of Money is an excellent refresher of the core concepts of financial independence and personal finance. In this episode, Jamie and Spencer apply Housel's concepts of personal finance and investing to military life. The 3 main takeaways for today are: Save money for no reason at all. Play your own game. Better to be reasonable with a good enough plan, than rational with a plan you can't stick to. For a military specific personal finance book, check out the 5 star rated The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com.

Travelling in the military doesn't need to be painful! Know your Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) and benefits available to you. TSA PreCheck is free for military servicemembers. Military spouses can use the right credit card to get Global Entry and TSA PreCheck for free as well. With the right travel rewards cards, you can access airport lounges, upgrade your seat, upgrade your hotel room, and earn hotel perks like free breakfast, executive lounge access, and other free perks. Learn how to maximize your military paycheck in my new book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom available directly from me on my website or on Amazon. The book has dozens of 5 star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. It's available as a: Amazon Kindle Ebook Amazon Prime Hardcover Audible Audiobook If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads so other military servicemembers and spouses can find it.

Jamie and Spencer talk about a few of their favorite things in this episode. Learn how to maximize your military paycheck in my new book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom available directly from me on my website or on Amazon. The book has dozens of 5 star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. It's available as a: Amazon Kindle Ebook Amazon Prime Hardcover Audible Audiobook If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads so other military servicemembers and spouses can find it.

Learn how to maximize your military paycheck in my new book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom available directly from me on my website or on Amazon. The book has dozens of 5 star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. It's available as a: Amazon Kindle Ebook Amazon Prime Hardcover Audible Audiobook If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads so other military servicemembers and spouses can find it.