Great financial skills or poor priorities decisions? Can both be mixed?

Many of those in our ranks have multiple deployments and what you see is the deployment money, as long as they manage their finances no problem - in those cases, they put their ass on the line so let them spend it the way they want without being judged as irresponsible....rather them spend it on a vehicle than on something illegal or on alcohol.

Now, for the naysayers.....ask any of my Soldiers and you will know that I am a huge proponent of compounding interest and always talk with Soldiers about investing in their future, you cannot get back missed time. And for your investment schedule SGT(P) (Join to see), you are doing outstanding with your investment plan! My primary vehicle is a 1989 Jeep Comanche!

They are either: (a) trustfund babies, (b) independently wealthy, (c) deployment SMEs, and/or (d) in debt up to their eyeballs. Dealer's choice. :)

Its all in how your credit looks. Some people have priorities that lie in material things, others prefer to invest. Weve all known that Soldier who went and got ripped off on a car. A good leader would always go with a Soldier when making a large purchase to help ensure he isn't getting screwed.

Most of these soldiers have no additional responsibilities...just live within your means. It is something we must ensure our young soldiers learn

The best vehicle to put your money in is an investment vehicle. Over the long run - so far - stocks have provided the best inflation adjusted returns for period of 15-20 years or more. Buy a used but dependable car and invest - Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.

Definitely sounds like you are financially wise...and disciplined. You sound like a good example for others.

Some people make bad money choices; that’s just how it is. From my experience, the Chain-of-Command tries to help soldiers make better choices, but they can only do so much and they themselves may not be a great source of financial knowledge. I know when I was at my last (Active Duty) unit, the Chain-of-Command mostly had to sign off on all big ticket purchases-or they tried to at any rate. I think it may have helped some people, I don’t know. It mattered little to me as I didn’t need a new house or car, but I wouldn’t like having to get financially counseled by my Chain-of-Command; especially since I was older and more financially experienced than most of the Chain, and on top of that I hold a finance degree from an accredited university. If I had to, I still would have have done it though.

I have seen soldiers--even young ones--who save every penny and waste nothing. The flip side is that, like you, I've seen conspicuous spending too; the new trucks, Mustangs, Evos, I even saw a 1LT get into an Aston Martin. That said, I don't have a complete picture of their financial situation to properly make judgements on how wise it is for them to buy such things.

Certainly some make bad or impulse decisions, if that's the case, then that's what they have to live with. Do consider however, since you cited cars as a prime example, that cars have been a mode of freedom of travel and expression for as long as there have been cars; this is especially true here in the US. Some probably view their ride as their outlet of expression...their hobby, and hobbies can be expensive. Still, I do think that one's car and/or hobbies, should fit into a budget that takes NEEDS into account ahead of WANTS.

You can only teach those willing to learn, so if someone is unwilling to learn to make solid financial decisions or do not have the discipline to follow through on those decisions, all you can do is sit back and let them do as they will.

A lot of dummies get back from deployment and just buy awesome rides, after like a year a ton of them are either given back or repoed and dudes are getting counseled for bad financial planning/management.

I was overseas for 3 years, 2 years in England and 1 year in Korea. I had one back base deployment while I was in England. If I was going somewhere I either hitched a ride, or I walked. I saved up 20K and bought a 2014 Nissan Frontier in cash, and I'll drive for another 5-8 years before I can see an upgrade to a different car/truck happening.
The First words I heard at my new base was "Typical Airman, buying Brand New Cars" What they didn't know was what I sacrificed to be able to afford the brand new car.

The most awkward one was this E-5 Seabee showed up on Adak with a low riding pink Cadillac. It could only go on 10% of the roads. Reminded me of the ride in "Escape from New York". Had bling before there was bling.

Can't really say much more than what my fellow leaders have said here. If the member is making their bills, living within their means. I wont judge them. I might counsel them (once) on how to that money might be better (subjective) invested. Like many of the other Senior folks, I am a buy it, pay it off as quickly as possible and drive it till the wheels fall off kind of guy myself.