Leading with Cents

Leading with Cents

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Leading with Cents episodes

  • 16: Don't Lose Your Shit!
    Don't lose your shit right now.  There is a lot going on in the market place and you might be tempted to do something.

    In this episode I cover:
    • Post COVID Market
    • Housing Market
    • Supply vs Demand for Goods
    • Vehicle Prices
    • Protecting Against Inflation

    • Connect with me:

      www.instagram.com/leadingwithcents
      www.instagram.com/timmemak
      [email protected]

      NEW!! Book your coaching session!!
      www.calendly.com/leadingwithcents
      28 min
    • 15: Don't Let Short Term Money become Long Term Problems
      "Those who get rich quick, usually are not rich long" - Somebody Somewhere

      So this is the time of the year where we see all the advertisements targeting your tax return or targeting your stimulus money from the government.
      Businesses know how much you received through stimulus and they know that a majority of the people in the United States received some sort of tax refund from the IRS.
      There are other cases that don’t apply to this time of the year exclusively, such as birthday money, graduation money, maybe you received an inheritance, or maybe you received a gift from a family member… who knows! How will you manage that money?

      Money Marching Order Review
      1. Head Count- Budget/Will/Life Insurance
      2. Helmet Emergency Fund- $1-2k
      3. Debt Assault and 5% Blended Retirement System Match
      4. Body Armor- 3-6 months E-Fund from Pay Stub Net Pay
      5. Pension Plus- 10% if in BRS and under 30, 15% if in BRS under 30, and 15% if not in BRS
      6. Save/Invest 10% into NON-retirement savings/investments
      7. Assess College Needs- GI BIll/529 Plans etc
      8. House Purchase using at least 5% down.

      9. Connect with me:
        www.instagram.com/timmemak
        www.instagram.com/leadingwithcents
        [email protected]
        21 min
      10. 14: MMO 8: Buying a Home- Buying a Home is NOT an Investment!
        This is the last Money Marching Order to be covered!
        MMO8: Buying a Home

        Why is this the last MMO?
        • Need emergency fund before buying a home
        • Have retirement automated
        • Have non-retirement savings automated

        • When to buy?
          • Stable duty assignment of >2 years 
          • Have down payment saved of at least 5%

          • How to buy?
            • VA Mortgage
              • Funding Fee at closing of 2.15%
              • No down payment required
              • Conventional Mortgage
                • Required at least 5% down payment
                • No funding fee (lower closing costs)
                • Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) if less than 20% down

                • How much should monthly payment be?
                  • 25-35% of take home pay OR no more than Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)

                  When NOT to buy?
                  • No down payment saved
                  • Unstable duty station (2 years or less)
                  • Right before deployment

                  • Connect with me:
                    www.linktree.com/timmemak
                    www.instagram.com/timmemak
                    https://www.veteransunited.com/va-loans/

                    40 min
                  • 13: MMO 7: College Planning- How to Fund College and How to Keep Costs Low
                    Planning for college can be A LOT to think about. In the video I break down a few different things.

                    Funding College (Where are we getting the money to go to college??)
                    1. GI Bill Benefits
                    2. Custodial Accounts (UTMA/UGMA)
                    3. 529 Savings Plan

                    Price of College (what can we do to get the price down for college?)
                    1. College choice (in-state vs private vs community college)
                    2. Tutoring to improve ACT/SAT Scores
                    3. Work while in college to offset living expenses
                    25 min
                  • 12: MMO #6- Save & Invest 10% of Income in Non Retirement Funds
                    "For every ten coins thou placest within thy purse take out for use but nine. Thy purse will start to fatten at once and its increasing weight will feel good in thy hand and bring satisfaction to they soul." - Richest Man in Babylon

                    We are SAVING NOW to build WEALTH and to avoid GOING INTO DEBT LATER!!!

                    In Money Marching Order 6, we are going to be investing 10% of your income into NON-retirement savings/investing. You will now be out of debt, have 3-6 month emergency fund, savings 10-15% for retirement, and now investing into NON-retirement.

                    In Money Marching Order 5 (Pension Plus) we are putting 10-15% of your income into retirement savings to cover the L O N G term. Now we want to put 10% into accounts for the short to midterm.

                    We want to invest that 10%:
                    • Savings Accounts for expenses 1-2 years away
                    • 2 years and more we want to have our money working for us!
                      • Index Funds (S&P500, NASDAQ, etc)
                      • Mutual Funds
                      • DO NOT RECOMMEND SINGLE STOCKS for more than 5% of total savings. 

                      • Invest 10% in this step to cover future expenses:
                        • Cars
                        • Down payments
                        • Home Upgrades
                        • Vacations
                        • ANYTHING

                        • Connect with me:
                          www.instagram.com/timmemak
                          www.instagram.com/leadingwithcents
                          [email protected]


                          16 min
                        • 11: Combat Zone Tax Free TSP Benefits
                          Combat Zone Tax Exclusion (CZTE) TSP Benefits 

                          Roth while deployed:
                          "Tax free in, tax free out"

                          Contributions provide the opportunities to grow your TSP accounts through tax breaks and higher contribution limits
                           Contributions to Traditional or Roth TSP account is invested TAX-FREE Difference between Roth TSP and Traditional TSP in CZTE/DSA

                          Roth- Contributions AND their earnings are tax-free when you withdraw them
                          Traditional- Contributions are tax-free but their earnings ARE NOT tax-free when withdrawn

                          Contribution Increase
                          Total contribution limit goes up to $57,000

                          Max you can contribute to a Roth is $19,500 even in CZTE/DSA then must switch to Traditional

                          Connect with me:
                          www.instagram.com/timmemak
                          www.instagram.com/leadingwithcents

                          BRS Guide
                          https://militarypay.defense.gov/Portals/3/Documents/BlendedRetirementDocuments/A%20Guide%20to%20the%20Uniformed%20Services%20BRS%20December%202017.pdf?ver=2017-12-18-140805-343

                          11 min
                        • 10: Military Pension Plus Blended Retirement System
                          "The military pension gives people an excuse to not contribute toward their retirement, so when they do retire, they have nothing in their TSP."

                          Money Marching Order 4: Body Armor
                          3-6 Months of Net Pay from LES

                          Money Marching Order 5: Pension Plus
                          If in Blended Retirement System
                          - 30 y/o > Invest 10% into TSP
                          - 30 y/o< Invest 15% into TSP
                          If in Traditional Retirement System
                          - 15% into TSP

                          TSP Funds to invest in
                          70% in the Common Stock (C Fund)
                          20% in the Small Cap (S Fund)
                          10% in the International Fund (I Fund)
                          Stay away from Lifecycle and G/F Funds!!

                          Blended Retirement System
                          - Defined Benefit- 40% pension @ 20 yos
                          - Defined Contribution (match)- 5%
                          - Continuation Pay- Paid between 8-12 yos
                          - Lump Sum Option at retirement age

                          SEE my interview on About Face Podcast
                          https://youtu.be/JuJFpu9gQEs

                          Connect with me
                          www.instagram.com/timmemak

                          BRS Guide
                          https://militarypay.defense.gov/Portals/3/Documents/BlendedRetirementDocuments/A%20Guide%20to%20the%20Uniformed%20Services%20BRS%20December%202017.pdf?ver=2017-12-18-140805-343

                          22 min
                        • 9: When I Said ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
                          "That's when I drew the line in the sand and I said, enough is enough! That is when I started to snowball in the other direction."

                          We all have our story with finances.  We have all failed.  For every success story we have, we also have many more stories about how we did not succeed.

                          This is my story and when I decided to take responsibility and control of my financial picture.  There is still a lot of work to be done! 

                          Connect with me:
                          www.instagram.com/leadingwithcents
                          22 min
                        • 8: Battling Debt- Different Types of Consumer Debt to AVOID
                          Debt is the largest things holding people back from becoming successful financially.

                          Car loans, credit cards, and personal loans inhibit service members from saving money, putting away from retirement, and can put them into a revolving bad situation.

                          In this episode, Brian Brantley and I discuss the different kinds of debt and the traps surrounding our military personnel.

                          Connect with me:
                          www.instagram.com/leadingwithcents
                          www.instagram.com/timmemak
                          34 min
                        • 7: MMO #3- Debt Assault and Blended Retirement System Match
                          "While in the service, you are pawns of the government. We serve our nation against enemies foreign and domestic...when you decide to exit the military, either transition out or retire- the military is DONE with you."

                          In this episode we cover bad debt and how to pay off debt along with the Blended Retirement System match.

                          -Pay off debt using Debt Snowball (smallest to largest)
                          - Each car should not be more than 25% of your yearly income or no more than 3 months of pay
                          - If in Blended Retirement System, turn on your 5% match.
                          - Contribute into ROTH TSP 70% C Fund/20% S Fund/10% I Fund within your TSP
                          - Stay out of G Fund and Lifecycle Funds

                          Connect with me:
                          www.instagram.com/leadingwithcents
                          www.instagram.com/timmemak
                          25 min

                        About Leading with Cents

                        From the publisher's feed

                        Army Veteran, Tim McAndrew, leads you through many topics surrounding your life, personal finance, military personal finance, and leadership.