The Military Wallet Podcast

Once you’ve organized your finances and tackled debt, the next step is building long-term wealth through investing. But with so many options and strategies, it can be hard to know where to start.

In this episode of The Military Wallet, Ryan Guina sits down with Mike Hunsberger to introduce the fundamentals of investing — from brokerage accounts to employer-sponsored plans and the Thrift Savings Plan — and how to use them to achieve ...

Managing your money doesn’t have to be complicated — but without a clear plan, it’s easy to fall into debt, miss savings goals, or feel like you’re always behind financially.

In this episode of The Military Wallet, Ryan Guina sits down with Mike Hunsberger to break down the fundamentals of personal finance — starting with one of the most important skills you can build: budgeting.

From building an emergency fund to reducing debt and m...

Life insurance isn’t something most people want to think about — but for military families, having the right coverage can make the difference between financial security and long-term hardship.

In this episode of The Military Wallet, Ryan Guina sits down with Chad Armstrong to break down how life insurance fits into a complete financial plan — and what service members need to know about protecting their families both during and after...

Saving, and planning for your financial future can get complicated fast — but deployments add an entirely new layer of tax rules, benefits, and opportunities most service members don’t fully understand.

In this episode of The Military Wallet, Ryan Guina sits down with Mary Armstrong to break down the key financial and tax strategies every military member should know before, during, and after deployment.

From tax exemptions and IRS ex...

Many veterans believe the VA home loan is a one-time benefit — use it once and it’s gone forever. That’s one of the most common (and costly) VA loan myths.

In this episode of The Military Wallet, Ryan Guina is joined by Ryan Bell, a VA loan expert with more than 20 years of experience and a former Army National Guard member, to explain how the VA loan really works — and how veterans can use it multiple times over a lifetime.

They bre...

Leaving the military isn’t just a career change — it’s an identity shift. In this deeply personal episode of The Military Wallet, Ryan Guina sits down with Dane Gibson, an Army veteran turned realtor, property manager, and entrepreneur, to talk candidly about transition, addiction, mental health, faith, and finding purpose after service.

Dane shares his journey from active-duty field artillery to struggling through civilian life, ba...

Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest financial decisions most service members will ever make — and doing it with a VA loan adds an extra layer of complexity. In this episode of The Military Wallet, Ryan Guina sits down with Jared Reichel, Director of Agent Relations and a veteran himself, to reveal the real-world insights every military homebuyer and seller needs to know.

From choosing the right real estate agent to naviga...

Many veterans file VA disability claims believing the process is straightforward—only to be denied, underrated, or stuck in years of appeals. In this episode, Ryan Guina of The Military Wallet sits down with Chad Armstrong of ACE Veteran Consulting to unpack why so many VA disability claims fail and what veterans can do differently.

Chad shares his personal journey from National Guard service and combat deployments to a complex medi...

Military life makes taxes complicated — PCS moves, deployments, overseas assignments, and multi-state residency can quickly turn a “simple” tax return into a mess. In this episode of The Military Wallet, Ryan Guina is joined by Mary Armstrong, CPA and founder of Tax Talk Advisors, to break down one of the most powerful (and misunderstood) military tax strategies: choosing and maintaining the right state of legal residence.

Mary expl...

The VA loan process can feel confusing — especially when it comes to underwriting, one of the most important (and misunderstood) steps in getting approved for a home loan.

In this episode of The Military Wallet, Ryan Guina sits down with mortgage underwriter Zach Gunter to break down what underwriting really is, how it works, and what military homebuyers need to know to successfully navigate the VA loan process.

From timelines and co...

Getting pre-approved for a mortgage isn’t just a box to check — it’s one of the most important steps in the entire homebuying process, especially when using a VA loan. Without it, you could face delays, missed opportunities, or even lose out on your dream home.

In this episode of The Military Wallet, Ryan Guina sits down with Angie Sanders of Veterans United Home Loans to break down exactly how mortgage pre-approval works, why it ma...

Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make — and for military members, veterans, and surviving spouses, the VA loan offers powerful advantages that many don’t fully understand.

In this first full episode of The Military Wallet, Ryan Guina sits down with Craig Berry to break down everything you need to know about VA loans — from eligibility and benefits to common misconceptions and real-world strategies ...

My wife and I recently took our daughters on a Disney vacation. What does this have to do with military benefits? Well, we saved a ton of money on our tickets with the Disney Armed Forces Salute discounted Park Hopper passes, and we also stayed at the Shades of Green Resort at Walt Disney World, one of four Armed Forces Recreation Centers around the world. Shades of Green is actually a military resort, run by the Army. IN today's p...

Life Insurance is one of the most important parts of your financial toolbox. It provides money to your family members when they need it the most. In today's podcast, we discuss life insurance as it pertains to military members, veterans, and their families. We discuss why you and your family members need life insurance, the types of life insurance, where to buy it, how to find the best, deal, what to look out for to make sure you'r...

Did you know it may be possible to upgrade your military discharge characterization? Today, our expert, a retired US Air Force Judge Advocate, walks us through the military Discharge Review Board Process and how to apply to have your discharge upgraded. Special attention is given to recent DoD guidance directing leniency for discharge upgrades for veterans who have symptoms from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic B...

Military members are frequently on the move. That's part of the gig, and part of the fun! In this podcast, we discuss how you can automate your finances so you don't have to worry about your money during a PCS, TDY, or deployment. Tips include automating your income, investments, expenses, paying bills, and tracking everything with free software. We also cover how to avoid mistakes with automation and how to protect yourself while ...

TRICARE is the military medical program, and is available to active duty, retirees, Guard / Reserve, and their family members. In today's podcast, we're doing a roundtable interview to discuss TRICARE - the good, the bad, and the ugly. In this episode we primarily focus on TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Reserve Select. We cover a lot of ground, including some areas where TRICARE shines, some of the issues we've experienced, and some of ...

The Thrift Savings Plan is the government version of a 401k. It is used by military members, civil service workers, and other employees of government agencies. In today's podcast, we discuss Thrift Savings Plan contributions. Topics covered include the Traditional TSP, Roth TSP, annual contribution limits, catch-up contributions, making TSP contributions while deployed (including tax-exempt contributions), TSP contributions when yo...

Most military members know how active duty retirement works. But do you know how retirement works through the National Guard and Reserves? The Reserve retirement system is based on earning Retirement Points for your service. In this  Guard & Reserve Retirement Point Guide, we discuss what Points are, how to earn them, the minimum and maximum Points you can earn in a year, how to translate your active duty service time to Points...