Your pension covers a lot, but the TSP and Social Security fill in the rest. The choices here, like Roth or traditional and when to claim, are hard to undo.
Start with Roth in-plan conversions, then the combat zone strategy if you deploy.
Your rank, years, VA rating and state, worked out after tax.
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The TSP now lets you convert Traditional to Roth without leaving the plan. Your BRS match builds a hidden Traditional balance every year. Tax bracket math by rank, the four best conversion windows, in-plan vs. rollover comparison, and 5 costly mistakes to avoid.
Starting Jan 28, 2026, TSP allows Roth in-plan conversions. Combined with Combat Zone Tax Exclusion, a BRS member with Traditional money from earlier years can put $82,000 into tax-free accounts in one deployment year, potentially growing to $1.4M+ over 30 years. Complete strategy guide with infographics.
Your pension and VA never show up on a brokerage statement, so most retirees leave them out when they compare themselves to someone who only invests. Here's how to price them as a portfolio, with tables by rank and VA rating and a case study of a retired E-8 with 100% VA.
2026 is the first year BRS retirees can take the lump sum. The 50% option can reduce lifetime pension income by over $500,000. See the real math for E-7 and O-5 examples, the 6.46% discount rate, tax rules, and why most advisors say keep the annuity.
C Fund -4.98% in March, then +10.49% in April. Here's what military investors should (and shouldn't) do with their TSP when the market drops, including why panic-moving to the G Fund is usually the wrong call.
Yes, you collect both at full amounts. See 2026 benefit rates, the optimal claiming age for military retirees, how the Social Security Fairness Act helps, and the tax trap most retirees don't see coming.
See what you take home and the civilian salary it takes to match it.
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