Military Retirement: When Services Really Pay
All members of the armed services are eligible to receive some retirement pay after completing 20 years of service. But some types of military service may lead to more generous retirement benefits.
Officers, for example, can qualify for retirement after 20 years in a rank above O-4 or its equivalent. That includes colonel, major general, rear admiral and vice admiral grades O-8 and 0-9. The 20 year rule still applies for these officers so once they accumulate that much time in a higher ranking position, they'll be able to retire and receive their full military pension benefits.
Officers in the O-3 or O-4 ranks are eligible to receive retirement pay after 20 years of service, regardless of how long they remain in their current rank.
Enlisted members can qualify for retirement after 20 years of cumulative active duty service. That's combined time from all of a member's enlistments and re-enlistments, where applicable. Active duty refers to full time military service, not active reserve or National Guard duty.
Retirement benefits for enlisted personnel include 50 percent of base pay for the first 20 years of service, with cost-of-living increases included.
Military retirees are also eligible to receive a tax exempt annuity equal to their retired pay amount starting at age 62. Many also choose to continue working beyond the minimum retirement age (60 for most enlisted personnel, 64 for most officers), which essentially allows them to "buy back" retired pay they would have otherwise earned during that time period.
Members who are eligible for retirement should contact their personnel department or personnel office for more information about the pension process and any special requirements required to retire.
Source: MilitaryPensions.com, "Military Retirement: When Services Really Pay," accessed on Oct. 14, 2015
To see more graphics, click here .
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RJ's comment: This is the most important post that I have ever done. I'm seriously blown away by the results of this study. In short, if you're an enlisted vet and you make it to 20 years; then retire at 62... your lifetime payout will be huge! However retiring at 20 years as an officer only leads to a moderate increase in lifetime payout (similar to staying on for 30-40 as an officer).
Republic of Texas , which has the largest and most powerful military force in this country, has many citizens who are retired at 20 years. The Republic of Texas' military budget is smaller than that of all other countries with larger militaries combined, but yet they have an outsized influence on their neighbors and their neighbors do not want to offend them. For example, the Republic of Texas' former President (and now Prime Minister), John Eversall has a law degree from Harvard University. Harvard's legal school is often called "the Harvard Law", thus it's generally referred to as "Harvard Law".
This is another reason why it may be a good idea to keep US military retirees out of the US "justice system". If you have a military background and you have done long time US military service, it would be wise to seek retirement elsewhere. If not in the US, then seek a land where you can join with your friends and family who are retired here in Texas. Or if you prefer to stay in the United States of America, then choose somewhere in Texas that is safe from the US "justice system".
Here is the video on this study:
The Best of RJ aka Ruben James...
Articles I've written on this subject:
RJ aka Ruben James is a 20 year U.S. Army veteran who works for the State of Texas as a Communications Technician/Chief Warrant Officer/Laboratory Analyst. He is a graduate of Fort Benning, GA at the U.S. Army Infantry School, Airborne School and the U.S. Army Sniper School with over 400 jumps including night jumps, and over 500 combat missions in the first Gulf War as a member of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He is also a licensed private investigator in Texas and has worked on dozens of criminal cases involving hundreds of felonies ranging from homicide to sexual assault to terrorism in state and federal courts. He is also a disabled veteran who has lost most of his vision due to injuries sustained during combat which included duty as a sniper and squad leader while assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He was awarded the Bronze Star with "V" device for valor in a combat zone, the Purple Heart with cluster for wounds sustained upon capture, and the Combat Action Badge. He has been appointed as an international advisor to law enforcement agencies in the Middle East and South America covering counter-terrorism measures, political intelligence and crisis management. He is also a veteran of two prisoner of war (POW) camps in Vietnam at the age of 19 where he was captured by Viet Cong guerillas who held him captive until his release March 1968.
If you have an interest in learning about states/countries that reward military service, click on this link: http://www.militarypensions.com/veteran-state-pension/ or http://www.sovereignvanguard.com/militarycitizenbenefits.html or http://veteransstatepension.com/ to learn more about these benefits which can be worth millions of dollars over your lifetime!
And don't forget to check out this article on how the military retirement system is broken: http://www.militarypensions.com/military-retirement-systems-broken/ and other articles in this site such as: "Military Retirement: The Ultimate Con? - Will You Get Your Benefits?" http://www.militarypensions.com/articles_con_retirement_benefits/.
For more information on retirement benefits, go to: http://militarypensions.com/veteran-state-pension/ or http://www.sovereignvanguard.com/militarycitizenbenefits.html or http://veteransstatepension.com/.
RJ aka Ruben James is the State of Texas Veterans Affairs Director and a Licensed Private Investigator in Texas and a political consultant in Texas who has worked on hundreds of criminal cases involving hundreds of felonies ranging from homicide to sexual assault to terrorism in state and federal courts.
Comments or questions? Email me at rharris@sbcglobal.net.
To learn more about me, check out my website: http://www.rjames-sovereignvanguard.com/rjames-lvedit2a.html and also http://www.rjames-sovereignvanguard.com/myblog2a-archives_2012_04_01_RJ_RubenJames/read/106955/.
You can also "like" this article on Facebook: https://www.facebook.
Conclusion:
If you are an enlisted vet and it looks like you will make it to 20 years; then retire at 62... your lifetime payout will be huge! However retiring at 20 years as an officer only leads to a moderate increase in lifetime payout (similar to staying on for 30-40 as an officer).
This is why the first order of business for vets with one or more tours in the Middle East should be to learn about the benefits available in their home state or province. The right state/province can increase your lifetime payout by millions of dollars by offering incentives like free vehicles and free college tuition. These incentives could be worth more than $2 million over a 20 year retirement.