I’m really big into saving and had a previous goal of 75K saved after my first 4 year contract because I thought 100K was being too eager. After the 2026 pay raise got passed and me doing another budget to account for the changes I’ll be on track to have 67K saved by the end of my 3rd year/ Dec 26’.
That also doesn’t include ANY gains for the year besides what I already have in my account. This also assumes I don’t save any money from my BAH even though the rentals in the area will likely save me between $500-$1000 a month while living alone.
I just wanted to share because it is possible with some help and discipline and being able to see it on paper is really exciting to me. Also to be clear, this is savings across TSP, Roth IRA, HYSA, and a brokerage account, not just a brokerage account.
19M E4 Current Savings (2 Years 2 Months in): $35,567.09
Budgeted Savings for 2026: $31,319.66
End of 2026: Roughly $67K with no gains or BAH savings included
Assumption for savings in 2027: $25K saved by the end of Oct 27’ (PCS Date)
$92K saved without gains or extra money saved from BAH
If I include the savings from BAH I’ll definitely hit the 100K mark but even without it I have confidence I can get 8K in gains within 2 years.
I think I might just hit 100K saved after one contract after all!
byu/Catchphrase9724 inMilitaryFinance
Posted by Catchphrase9724
2 Comments
Why is your PCS assumption so high?
Also: point of clarification; are you investing your IRA money or did you only deposit it in? Only reason I ask is it is not always known that that money should be invested in the account, not just sit there.
Also some random helpful tips I tell my new LTs: get on Experian and use their free car insurance broker to find the cheapest car insurance EVERY SIX MONTHS. It changes. I have been with 4 different insurances agencies in the past 4 years, paying less each policy begin.