The Retirement Brief Covered Your Benefits. It Didn’t Cover Your Options.
Most career officers & senior NCOs retire with a strong pension and no real strategy for what surrounds it — survivor protection, income structure, tax exposure, and how it all fits together. That’s the gap US VetWealth was built to close.
We cover your situation and how we work. You decide if it’s the right fit. So do we.
Serving career military leaders since 2008.
Three Things Most Military Retirees Wish They’d Known Sooner
After conversations with hundreds of military families, these are the overlooked questions that come up every time.
SBP seems like the obvious choice. But six and a half percent for 30 years is a real number — I want to make sure I understand what I’m actually buying.
The Protection Gap
- SBP covers the pension only — VA disability doesn’t transfer to a spouse
- VGLI is a separate decision made during transition, as an option to replace SGLI at a higher cost
- Most families leave the retirement brief with coverage that hasn’t been fully examined
I’ve been putting money in the TSP for 20 years. It’s my largest account. I just don’t know how to turn it into income.
The Income Transition
- The TSP is a savings tool — not an income strategy
- Retirement requires reliable cash flow that doesn’t depend on market timing
- The shift from accumulation to distribution catches most military families unprepared
I’ve run billion-dollar operations. I don’t have a clear picture of what my own financial situation looks like.
The Readiness Gap
- Pension, VA disability, TSP, second career — often in separate places with no unified plan
- Most retirement savings are locked until 59½, creating a real liquidity gap during transition
- The question isn’t what you saved. It’s whether there’s a plan for the next 15 years.
Most Retirees Leave the Military at the Strongest Financial Position of Their Lives. Few Have a Plan for It.
Career military don’t look like the average American investor. They’re not working with a 401k, a mortgage, and some index funds. They have a pension, VA disability, a TSP they’ve been building for 20 years — and three decisions that all land at once at transition. The standard financial playbook wasn’t written for this picture. And most of the people giving advice don’t understand the difference.
I left the Army in 2008, during the financial crisis. I watched sharp, capable officers navigate one of the worst economic environments in a generation — and the ones who struggled weren’t careless. They just had the wrong map. That gap is what US VetWealth was built around. We’re living through another stretch of real uncertainty now. The need for the right map hasn’t gotten smaller.
I’m Scott Tucker. West Point graduate, OIF veteran. For 18 years I’ve worked exclusively with career military officers and senior NCOs on exactly these decisions — not managing their money, but making sure they understand what they’re deciding before the window closes.
We’re licensed insurance strategists. Our job is to give you the expertise, the products, and the coaching — so your pension, benefits, and post-military income work together to protect your family and fund the retirement you’ve earned.
Scott Tucker
Founder, US VetWealth
The War Chest Strategy™
SBP. TSP. Post-Military Income.
Three Decisions That Define the Next Chapter.
The War Chest Strategy is a structured framework for navigating the financial decisions most military retirees face and few are fully prepared for. We help you evaluate the tradeoffs — and build a plan that holds up.
Survivor Protection
Is SBP the Right Plan for Your Family?
SBP protects your spouse — but the cost structure, coverage limits, and lack of flexibility mean it deserves a closer look before you commit. An advanced life insurance strategy can provide the same protection with more control and, in many cases, better value.
Retirement Income
TSP & IRA at Retirement: What’s the Smarter Strategy?
Your TSP is a savings account — not an income plan. We help you evaluate rollover and protected income structures that create guaranteed cash flow you can count on like a paycheck, for life. A second pension you design instead of one the government controls.
Income & Legacy Strategy
Pension. VA Disability. Second Career. Do You Have a Plan for All Three?
Military retirees who build post-military income face a different set of challenges: tax exposure, market risk, family protection, and legacy. We help you build a strategy around what you’ve already built — protecting assets, managing income, creating a plan your family can count on.
Is This right for you?
Twenty Years of Service Earns You What Comes Next.
For the first time, you get to choose — how you spend your time, what you build with your money, and what you want the next chapter to look like. Whether that’s a second career, your own business, or something entirely your own — every option depends on getting the foundation right. SBP. TSP. Income protection. Those aren’t problems to solve. They’re the decisions that make everything else possible.
You’re in the right place if —
Probably not the right fit if —
Do Your Own Research. Everything You Need Is Here.
Five guides, interactive calculators, reference books, and a monthly field report — built specifically for career military leaders. No opt-in required to start.
Five Rank-Calibrated Guides
SBP, War Chest strategy, and TSP/income — each guide includes built-in calculators and decision tools. No email required.
Interactive CalculatorsRun Your Own Numbers
Three tools built around specific questions: SBP 30-year cost analysis, War Chest builder, and retirement income comparison.
Books & ReferenceTwo Full-Length Books
The SBP vs. life insurance guide and the TSP rollover blueprint — case studies, real scenarios, and complete analysis. Free PDF download.
Monthly Field ReportThe War Chest Brief
Financial decisions, career moves, and post-military life — a monthly field report written for career officers and senior NCOs.
in their words
They Asked the Same Questions You’re Asking.
Officers and military families who wanted to understand the decision before they made it.
Founder of Blue Water Advisors
US VetWealth stands out as a current, relevant, and credible resource. It offers a unique alternative to ETAP’s broad advice, specializing in personalized financial strategies for SBP and TSP. Their approach ensures military retirees receive tailored guidance, aligning their retirement plans with individual financial objectives for a secure and well-planned future.
Founder of The Rosie Network
The key to financial peace of mind is education and finding advisors in your best interests. Scott represents that trust and professionalism to me. I’m fully assured that he handles my financial matters with integrity and expertise. It’s truly a privilege to have an advisor like him in your corner.
Space Force & Air Force Client Executive
US VetWealth is a gold mine for military retirees! Scott helped my family solve life insurance, long-term care, risk mitigation, distribution strategy, tax problems, and more. He encouraged me to proceed at my own pace, do my independent research, and bring my personal financial advisor into all the conversations so that everything was transparent!
From First Question to Final Plan.
We gather what we need to build a plan that actually fits your situation. Simple Process. Serious Strategy. Here’s how that goes.
Do Your Research
Start with the War Chest Library. Guides, calculators, and video walkthroughs built around the decisions military retirees actually face — SBP, TSP, income protection. Get oriented on your own terms before anyone starts talking strategy.
Have the Conversation
One call. No pitch. We walk through your pension, VA picture, TSP, and family situation — and map the decisions that actually matter for you. You leave with clarity on your options, not a product recommendation.
Build the Strategy
If the strategy fits, we design it together. We run the numbers, model the options, and implement a War Chest plan that covers the decisions you can’t undo — with full transparency on what it costs and why it works.
A Retirement Built the Way You Planned It.
You put in the work. Here’s what it looks like when your financial strategy matches that effort.
Your spouse is covered for life — without surrendering 6.5% of your pension every month for three decades.
Your TSP is positioned for income — not sitting in a lifecycle fund waiting for the wrong market year to arrive.
You have a tax-advantaged income source building in the background — designed for tax efficiency under current law.
Your family has a legacy — not just coverage that disappears when you do.
You know how your pension, VA disability, and private strategy fit together — and it reads as a complete plan, not a set of disconnected accounts.
You made the decisions in time to change course — not after the window closed.
Most Plans Do One Job. The War Chest Strategy Does Both.
A side-by-side look at the survivor protection and retirement income vehicles most career military leaders consider — and how the War Chest Strategy compares on the dimensions that matter most.
Survivor Benefit Plan
- Coverage Limit55% of pension max (structural cap)
- Premium6.5% of pension, lifetime
- Cash ValueNone
- Lifetime IncomeSurviving spouse only (55%)
- LegacyEnds with spouse
SGLI / VGLI
- Coverage Limit$500K max
- PremiumIncreases with age
- Cash ValueNone
- LegacyEnds at retiree’s death
Term Life
- Coverage Limit$500K – $2M+
- PremiumLevel for set term
- Cash ValueNone
- LegacyEnds at term
Whole Life
- Coverage Limit$50K – $350K
- PremiumLevel, lifetime
- Cash ValueYes — fixed, modest
- Lifetime AccessYes
- LegacyDeath benefit to heirs
Roth TSP / IRA
- AccountBalance only — no death benefit
- ContributionAnnual limits
- Index GrowthMarket exposure
- Lifetime AccessPenalty before 59½
- Lifetime IncomeDepends on balance + market
- LegacyAccount balance (taxable)
War Chest Strategy
- Coverage Limit$1M – $5M+ (underwriting)
- PremiumFlexible — you set the funding level
- Cash ValueYes — index-linked
- Index GrowthPrincipal protected from market loss
- Tax AccessPolicy loans at any age, tax-advantaged under current law*
- Lifetime AccessYes — any age, no penalty
- Lifetime IncomeYes — protected income for life
- Living Benefits / LTCVia rider†
- LegacyFlexible death benefit + cash value to heirs
*Tax-advantaged when the policy is structured and maintained properly. Policy loans and withdrawals can affect death benefit and may have tax consequences if the policy lapses or is surrendered. †Living benefits / long-term care available via rider; included on the products typically used in the War Chest Strategy. Rider availability and terms vary by carrier. Crediting methods may include cap rates, participation rates, or spreads depending on the contract and index strategy chosen. This comparison is illustrative only — no returns are projected or guaranteed. Actual results depend on the specific policy design, carrier, and individual circumstances.