MilCom Founders Podcast, Episode 43: John Collins, Retired Army Sergeant Major and Author of Your Pay

Join host Rod Loges as he sits down with John Collins, a retired Army Sergeant Major who spent 28 years in special operations and turned his passion for financial education into a book for service members. John shares how a 15-minute hallway conversation changed his approach to money and why he went from teaching financial classes during deployments to writing Your Pay: Navigate Your Military Benefits and Take What's Yours.

In this episode:

• How a winding path from Boston University to Ranger Battalion to Special Forces shaped John's career
• The hallway conversation with a finance specialist that changed how John thought about investing
• Teaching financial literacy classes during deployments and watching it make an immediate difference
• Why John chose to write a book instead of continuing to teach 25 people at a time
• The four-year process from first draft during a deployment to publication
• How working with an editor through a chaplain's recommendation kept the book on track

Key takeaways:

• Genuine care for your people is the foundation of leadership; without it, no one follows for long
• Micromanagement usually signals a failure to invest in and trust the people you lead
• Financial stress pulls focus from the mission; removing it frees service members to do their jobs
• Starting imperfectly with investing is far better than waiting for the perfect plan
• Knowing where you stand financially and where you want to go creates a usable map for decision-making
• Always confirm that a financial advisor is a fiduciary before working with them

Guest: John Collins, Retired Army Sergeant Major, Author of Your Pay

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-h-collins
• Book: Your Pay: Navigate Your Military Benefits and Take What's Yours
  • Amazon:  https://a.co/d/02aCpQ5R
  • B&N:
    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/your-pay-john-collins/1150160718?ean=9798295838255 

John Collins is a retired Army Sergeant Major and longtime advocate for improving the financial readiness of America's service members. Across a twenty-eight-year career spent mostly in special operations, he saw firsthand how preparation and long-term discipline determine success, both on the battlefield and at home.

Born and raised in a small town in upstate New York, John enlisted in the Army after graduating from Boston University. He began his career in 3rd Ranger Battalion, initially serving in the demanding, albeit non-glamorous, role of Ammo Bearer. He went on to attend the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and complete the Special Forces Qualification Course ("Q" Course). Later in his career, he attended Stanford Graduate School of Business, further expanding his understanding of strategy, leadership, and decision-making.

Throughout his service, John recognized a troubling pattern: many highly capable military professionals lacked the financial education necessary to fully use the benefits they had earned. Poor financial outcomes were rarely the result of irresponsibility; more often, they stemmed from incomplete information and a broader education system that overlooks practical financial literacy. In some cases, that confusion created avoidable stress, strained relationships, and diminished focus during critical moments.

Motivated by a deep sense of duty, John dedicated himself to simplifying complex financial concepts into practical, actionable guidance for his fellow service members. His approach avoids jargon and theory in favor of clear explanations and real-world examples paired with disciplined frameworks that readers can immediately apply.

His book, Your Pay: Navigate Your Military Benefits and Take What's Yours, represents decades of service and mentorship distilled into one resource. John wrote it to be the guide he wished had existed earlier in his own career, one that equips military families with the clarity and confidence to build lasting financial strength.

John retired from the Army in 2025 and lives in Idaho with his wife and two sons.

Looking ahead: John is building a website to provide additional resources for military families and is exploring partnerships with organizations that support financial readiness for service members.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business founders. Each episode brings practical insights from successful veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Learn about the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund at milcomfounders.com