Whether you’re planning to retire from the military or you’re already retired, you can gain the insights you need about financial planning for military Veterans with AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC (AWM&T) helping you explore your investment options.
As an active-duty member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, or Coast Guard, you have several investment options available to you that the general public can’t access—military benefits with more opportunities to build your wealth for retirement with military financial planning.
As a Veteran, your retirement savings in the Uniformed Services Retirement System or the Blended Retirement System don’t have to be the extent of your retirement plan. Dive deeper into financial planning for military Veterans to find additional investment options that can help you continue building your nest egg for the retirement you’ve earned.
Key Investment Opportunities for Financial Planning for Military Veterans
Military financial planners understand the benefits you have when transitioning from the military and can help you maximize those benefits for retirement. Here are some investment options military financial planning can introduce to you.
Individual Retirement Accounts
If you’re preparing to separate from military service or you already have, consider rolling over your retirement savings from your Final Pay Plan or Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) to an individual retirement account (IRA) or Roth IRA. If you opened an IRA while still on active duty, even better.
Your new civilian employer may offer employees access to IRAs. If not, you can open one yourself. You can contribute up to $7,000 each year, or a total of $8,000 with the $1,000 catch-up add-on if you’re aged 50 or older.
You can choose the traditional IRA, where you can invest pre-tax dollars (lowering your taxable income) and take a tax deduction. Please keep in mind that your withdrawals will be taxed at the current tax rate, which may be higher than it is today. Alternatively, you can choose the Roth IRA, which takes after-tax contributions. With the latter option, your money grows and can be withdrawn tax-free.
Real Estate
As a Veteran, you can access VA Loans to purchase a home and provide stability for your family as you focus on building wealth. You can get a VA Loan from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs through a bank or mortgage company. These loans don’t require a down payment, have low interest rates and limited closing costs, and don’t require mortgage insurance.
Financial planning for military Veterans can also allow you to pursue other types of real estate investing to diversify your investments and hedge against volatile markets and inflation.
Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds, and Exchange-Traded Funds
Depending on your risk tolerance, financial planning for military Veterans can help you find securities to invest in outside of assets in your retirement accounts. These investment options can diversify your portfolio and provide you with growth and income.
Annuities
Annuities are insurance-like products that can provide you with a guaranteed income in retirement, similar to a pension. This makes them a potentially useful investment vehicle for Veterans seeking financial stability.
That said, there are certain risks you want to consider while engaging in financial planning as a military Veteran: the insurer may become insolvent, inflation might outpace your annuity, your money might be tied up, and you could pass away before receiving future payments.
High-Yield Savings Accounts
It’s crucial to build an emergency fund, so starting a savings account should be part of your saving and investing duties after you leave the military. You can take advantage of the elevated rate of a high-yield savings account to earn interest on your money.
Certificates of Deposit
Certificates are low-risk investments that can offer a fairly predictable return. Banks offer certificates with fixed interest rates and maturity dates.
Before making any significant investment decisions, consider working with a professional who has extensive experience with financial planning for military Veterans, such as the financial planners at AWM&T.
Find Your Military Financial Planner
AWM&T exclusively serves military families just like yours. We’re here to deliver the wealth management solutions and the specialized financial advice you need and deserve. To get in touch, call 1-910-307-3500 or click here to speak to a professional. Or learn more about us and your options on our website.
About Us
AWM&T was created in 2012 to meet the financial needs of military families. We provide experienced, trustworthy, long-range financial planning, investment management, and trust administration services to support financial independence and security. We aim to be the premier provider of fiduciary services by always working for AAFMAA Members’ best interests.
We are proud to share the mission, vision, and values of AAFMAA, our parent company, consistently building on AAFMAA’s rich history and tradition to provide Members with a source of compassion, trust, and protection. Through AAFMAA’s long-standing legacy and our financial expertise, AWM&T is honored to provide personalized wealth management services to military families across generations.
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