What to do...Follow

The hubby is in the military and he's right at the 19 year mark. He can retire next year after doing his 20 years of active duty, with a pension for the rest of his life of roughly about $1,500 a month before taxes. There are also other benefits for being a military veteran such as the family will also be entitled to full medical, dental and vision benefits at a very low cost and there's the wonderful loan programs for buying a home. Sounds all good so far.

Here is the dilemma. Hubby may have the opportunity to continue his service for an additional 3 years. At the end of 23 years of service, the pension will be roughly $2,000 a month before taxes. Is that extra $500 a month worth the 3 additional years of active duty?

And this would be sea duty, meaning he's would be home maybe 95-100 days out of the year for the next 3 years. He could be working 12 hours a day straight for weeks on end. The paperwork he'll have to go through would be crushing and instead of just one boss he would have to answer to, it could be five bosses wanting conflicting things. And he'd be supervising some very immature people who have thus far demonstrated that they just don't care to be in the military and are looking for ways out.

After he retires, whether it's at 20 years or 23 years, he will be at a job that most likely will pay much more than the military ever did. I have a good career and I know that my income will not be anything to laugh at. I am not concerned about trying to find jobs where there are benefits because we will have the benefits from the military to fall back on.

Honest opinion, is the $500 a month worth 3 more years of crap work?

It sounds like it's beyond that. I'd measure the emotional toll for both of you, and see if it's something you both want to do. You have young children, so maybe it's worth more for him to have more of a regular schedule for a while, but maybe you have a use for that extra cash, like a college fund. Too personal a decision for a general opinion.

Here's a different spin. He's managed to live this long. Is there a possibility that he will get blown away over the next three years? If so, take the money and run without getting greedy.

There is also the question of: At what year does the pay increase again? If at year 26 or 27 he gets another $1000 a month, you will be breaching this subject yet again in three years. Do what you feel is right, though Bodhi does make a good point. Just make sure his decision is reversible.

Its not just the 1500, right? It is half his grades pay @ 20 years... correct me if I'm wrong. As that pay goes up so will his pension stuff.

Its nothing to balk at... my Grandfather has lived a good life on his retired 0-6 salary...

It sounds to me like he needs to decide. Most of the guys I know were pretty much sick of the military by the time their 20 came up. Not that they hated it, but different aspects frustrated them to the point that they were ready to head out. In one case, one of the guys was planning on staying in but orders came down for him to go on a remote tour, so that decided it for him.

Also, after 20 years of job security, entering the civilian world can be a bit scary. You've had a purpose and a career that you knew you weren't going to get layed off, dowsized, replaced, whatever. There was always that paycheck in the bank every two weeks and that uniform to put on every morning. It's a different mentality that you have to acclimate yourself to. I imagine after a little more time of thinking on it, your husband will make the right decision, whichever it is.

But if I were a betting man, I'd say he'll realize it's probably not worth another 3 years.

The way I read it, if he works the extra three years, his pension will go from $1500 to $2000 a month. The rest of his benefits won't change significantly.

There's definate arguments to be made in favor of the extra five hundred bucks, especially if you invest it now. But would I want to be away from my family for 70% of the year and work a difficult and unenjoyable job for those three years for it? Probably not. You can always find another source for $500, you can't make back three years away from your wife and children. That's disregarding the additional risk of military life in this day and age.

If I was single, loved the military, etc then I'd be all over that deal. If I was single and felt "meh" about the military I'd still strongly sucking it up for the financial rewards. But, in the situation as I understand it, I doubt the money would be worth it.

Highly unlikely. His job is NOT one of the ones the Navy uses for their adventure commercials. He still would be deployed on an aircraft carrier and there would still be risk overseas whenever he goes on liberty and he's off the boat.



I don't think so. Also, whenever my husband enters the civilian workforce, he intends to follow a career that is as different as possible from what he did in the Navy.



No, he is does not like what he's doing. He would be doing sea duty for the next 3 years. He is not satisifed with his current situation. Post retirement for him, job wise, is fairly well. He has some college education so he won't be stressing about starting at McDonald's as his first civilian job. His pension will cover about 85% of the mortgage payment. However, we will be debt-free, except for a mortgage. Location of where we want to be post-Navy will most likely be southern California. I have very strong family ties in San Diego and he knows I want to be close in location to them. He would prefer the mid-West to be near his dad, but I think we can compromise on living outside San Diego, but still within driving distance of my family, and we visit his father in Colorado every year.



And that's what my husband's position right now. He feels that the 20 years is more than enough to dedicate and he belives that quality of life for the family is more important. Myself, I have told him that the extra money is not worth it. With my career and job prospects and him being able to work in whatever civilian career he finds himself, financially we will be fine. I think his current command is leaning on him very hard to do the extra 3 years, and that is why my husband has somewhat been wavering. They've been parroting to him "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

It is a very personal decision. We had to make a similar one recently, actually. Hubby's being offered the highest allowable bonus to re-enlist for 2 years, which would mean one extra year. So, we could have a tax free 30,000 bucks (or so...don't remember the exact amount). However, all it took was three months back from Iraq for him to be stop-lossed and have his contract involuntarily extended. The money, to us, is not worth a third tour.

I was quite serious when I told him I would rather live in the roach-infested married student housing and have the car repossessed than have him back in Baghdad.