Active Military Driving $80K+ cars?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The military has tons of benefits, including college paid for for a kid, if one can stick it out in a safe, desk jockey job for awhile.

No, that's not exactly correct. It depends on if you have a GI plan and not everyone had one. My husband didn't And, if you are enlisted you generally don't have a degree so you need to use your college benefits for yourself. We are 100% on our own for college as a retiree enlisted family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re a dual income family spouse is military and we pay everything in cash- brand new cars houses etc and it’s family money.

The inside-the-beltway DCUM snobs can’t believe there is more than a smattering of family money in the military. They fail to grasp the demographics of kids attending the service academies and of families with flag-rank officers in 2-3-4 generations.

We are an enlisted family with no family money and single income. We paid off our house, pay cash for our cars. There are huge differences with that poster who are officers and enlisted but it still can easily be done, especially post retirement if you plan right and get trained in the right career field before retiring like my husband did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re a dual income family spouse is military and we pay everything in cash- brand new cars houses etc and it’s family money.

The inside-the-beltway DCUM snobs can’t believe there is more than a smattering of family money in the military. They fail to grasp the demographics of kids attending the service academies and of families with flag-rank officers in 2-3-4 generations.

Yeah, great look when your flag officer look more like the British aristocracy than the young men and women they lead.

Typical DCUM. What does this even mean^^^? My DH was an immigrant to this country and retired as an O-5 at 20 years. This meant nonstop moving for my family as I tried to balance a career in managing nonprofits.

It is incredibly difficult for traveling spouses to have successful careers and the ones that do, apparently are belittled on DCUM. Some how we aren’t deserving of financial success because “we” owe MORE than others think we deserve. I was luckily enough to work “remotely” before it was a right and tried to hirer other professional military spouses to pay forward my “leg up”. DH retired last year and I make more than his civilian salary, disability and retirement combined—working for nonprofits. How much does my family need to give to be deserving of “nice things.” We’ve given up our extended families, sacrificed untold amounts of weekends and holidays for service. Apparently we don’t deserve financial freedom.

Imagine what it's like for enlisted who make much less than your husband did and when they retire don't get much in retirement pay. If you can afford it, you are deserving of it. I drive an expensive car. It makes me happy. We paid cash. We'll pay cash for our next equally expensive car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re a dual income family spouse is military and we pay everything in cash- brand new cars houses etc and it’s family money.

The inside-the-beltway DCUM snobs can’t believe there is more than a smattering of family money in the military. They fail to grasp the demographics of kids attending the service academies and of families with flag-rank officers in 2-3-4 generations.

Yeah, great look when your flag officer look more like the British aristocracy than the young men and women they lead.

Typical DCUM. What does this even mean^^^? My DH was an immigrant to this country and retired as an O-5 at 20 years. This meant nonstop moving for my family as I tried to balance a career in managing nonprofits.

It is incredibly difficult for traveling spouses to have successful careers and the ones that do, apparently are belittled on DCUM. Some how we aren’t deserving of financial success because “we” owe MORE than others think we deserve. I was luckily enough to work “remotely” before it was a right and tried to hirer other professional military spouses to pay forward my “leg up”. DH retired last year and I make more than his civilian salary, disability and retirement combined—working for nonprofits. How much does my family need to give to be deserving of “nice things.” We’ve given up our extended families, sacrificed untold amounts of weekends and holidays for service. Apparently we don’t deserve financial freedom.

PP said that some officers are very wealthy and come from multiple generations of generals and admirals, and therefore have family wealth that allows them to afford expensive cars. That PP was essentially bragging about it. The different PP noted that it's a bad look for there to be an aristocratic class of wealthy generals that come from a "lineage" of generals and admirals. I don't understand why you're taking insult because your spouse retired as a staff officer. That back and forth has nothing to do with you, so not sure why you made it about you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re a dual income family spouse is military and we pay everything in cash- brand new cars houses etc and it’s family money.

The inside-the-beltway DCUM snobs can’t believe there is more than a smattering of family money in the military. They fail to grasp the demographics of kids attending the service academies and of families with flag-rank officers in 2-3-4 generations.

Yeah, great look when your flag officer look more like the British aristocracy than the young men and women they lead.

Typical DCUM. What does this even mean^^^? My DH was an immigrant to this country and retired as an O-5 at 20 years. This meant nonstop moving for my family as I tried to balance a career in managing nonprofits.

It is incredibly difficult for traveling spouses to have successful careers and the ones that do, apparently are belittled on DCUM. Some how we aren’t deserving of financial success because “we” owe MORE than others think we deserve. I was luckily enough to work “remotely” before it was a right and tried to hirer other professional military spouses to pay forward my “leg up”. DH retired last year and I make more than his civilian salary, disability and retirement combined—working for nonprofits. How much does my family need to give to be deserving of “nice things.” We’ve given up our extended families, sacrificed untold amounts of weekends and holidays for service. Apparently we don’t deserve financial freedom.

You made your own choices. No one else is responsible for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re a dual income family spouse is military and we pay everything in cash- brand new cars houses etc and it’s family money.

The inside-the-beltway DCUM snobs can’t believe there is more than a smattering of family money in the military. They fail to grasp the demographics of kids attending the service academies and of families with flag-rank officers in 2-3-4 generations.

Yeah, great look when your flag officer look more like the British aristocracy than the young men and women they lead.

Typical DCUM. What does this even mean^^^? My DH was an immigrant to this country and retired as an O-5 at 20 years. This meant nonstop moving for my family as I tried to balance a career in managing nonprofits.

It is incredibly difficult for traveling spouses to have successful careers and the ones that do, apparently are belittled on DCUM. Some how we aren’t deserving of financial success because “we” owe MORE than others think we deserve. I was luckily enough to work “remotely” before it was a right and tried to hirer other professional military spouses to pay forward my “leg up”. DH retired last year and I make more than his civilian salary, disability and retirement combined—working for nonprofits. How much does my family need to give to be deserving of “nice things.” We’ve given up our extended families, sacrificed untold amounts of weekends and holidays for service. Apparently we don’t deserve financial freedom.

PP said that some officers are very wealthy and come from multiple generations of generals and admirals, and therefore have family wealth that allows them to afford expensive cars. That PP was essentially bragging about it. The different PP noted that it's a bad look for there to be an aristocratic class of wealthy generals that come from a "lineage" of generals and admirals. I don't understand why you're taking insult because your spouse retired as a staff officer. That back and forth has nothing to do with you, so not sure why you made it about you.

It's not that common. Most of us work hard and save.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re a dual income family spouse is military and we pay everything in cash- brand new cars houses etc and it’s family money.

The inside-the-beltway DCUM snobs can’t believe there is more than a smattering of family money in the military. They fail to grasp the demographics of kids attending the service academies and of families with flag-rank officers in 2-3-4 generations.

Yeah, great look when your flag officer look more like the British aristocracy than the young men and women they lead.

Typical DCUM. What does this even mean^^^? My DH was an immigrant to this country and retired as an O-5 at 20 years. This meant nonstop moving for my family as I tried to balance a career in managing nonprofits.

It is incredibly difficult for traveling spouses to have successful careers and the ones that do, apparently are belittled on DCUM. Some how we aren’t deserving of financial success because “we” owe MORE than others think we deserve. I was luckily enough to work “remotely” before it was a right and tried to hirer other professional military spouses to pay forward my “leg up”. DH retired last year and I make more than his civilian salary, disability and retirement combined—working for nonprofits. How much does my family need to give to be deserving of “nice things.” We’ve given up our extended families, sacrificed untold amounts of weekends and holidays for service. Apparently we don’t deserve financial freedom.

You made your own choices. No one else is responsible for them.

Well, it kind of is your responsibility as a taxpayer, assuming you want a military force made up of members who are capable, reasonable, intelligent, etc. (we can debate whether that’s being achieved on another thread ). We need strong recruitment incentives (e.g. early retirement, housing, health, education, tax benefits, etc).

Sticking to the OP’s question about a military family with multiple kids at a VA private. For higher ranking officers and retirees, luxury cars are very common - as noted by others, families enrolled at a private school probably have at least one GS-15 equivalent; often no student loans for the parents; could be working for a defense contractor for decent $$ (& no worries about the conundrum of high salaries w/terrible benefits - retirees & their families still have (comparatively) extremely low-cost healthcare; plenty of free/enormously-reduced college options for at least one kid via the GI Bill/Yellow Ribbon Program; housing benefits; various tax benefits; possibly an additional disability check; plus additional state-level benefits to gain more military retirees that accompany certain disability levels to include free college for all kids (in addition to their GI bill, which can now be used for grad school), real estate tax elimination, etc, etc, etc.