Military Saves Week 2017 may be at an end, but the year is just getting started.
As mentioned in a post from MSW2017, it is never too early to start saving, especially for retirement. However, don’t be discouraged if you didn’t start at 18 years old, or even 25, the important thing is to start now and keep going.
If you are an active duty servicemember or reservist and have served for less than 12 years (or for Reservists – have less than 4,320 points) as of January 1, 2018 you are eligible to switch to the new Blended Retirement System (BRS). The new BRS is comprised of matching contributions from the Department of Defense (DoD) to your Thrift Savings Plan and a 20-year retirement pay plan. The DoD has a website that houses all the information on the new BRS, including the opt-in course for those who may be considering changing to the new plan. No one will be automatically moved into the new plan. Only those who come into service after January 1, 2018 will automatically be placed into the new BRS.
Retirement savings has many components from tax-deferred accounts like TSP, 401K, and IRAs to after-tax accounts like the Roth TSP and Roth IRAs. MilitarySaves.org has general information and for TSP info you can check out www.TSP.gov.
If you will be making the decision of whether to opt-in to the new BRS inform yourself now, January 2018 will be here before we know it!