NUKE moms

New Adventures - One of the things they discussed during INDOC with my son was TSP. Be sure your sailor has his beneficiaries set up on it and that you know who those are. I am not for certain, I believe there are some other bonuses that are being paid out that were not available when my son joined. But as for the "Nuke" bonus, I believe a portion is paid after they complete A school, and then the remainder is not paid out until after they complete Prototype. If for any reason they do not complete Prototype or they are re-rated, they will have to pay back the first portion of their bonus. I believe they will garnish it from their paycheck - so it really is not money for them to spend, in my opinion, until they have earned it. 

Chipmunk-  I though it was after Power and Proto.  Yikes.  If after A then he and I have to have another conversation.  Right now it looks like a 4 month T track.  ugh.  So which year for what/how much and Roth or Traditional makes a difference.   He did not set up beneficiaries, based on the year end statement that came home, but he does have a will to that will cover it.  It changes the estate taxes though now that I think of it.  It is all this little stuff that they do not teach in any school and many do not pay attention to.  

New Adventures - Hopefully someone else will clarify if I am incorrect on the timing of the bonuses. And yes, there are lots of things to keep in mind with regards to the IRA's - my son was actually interested in that sort of stuff on his own so he had studied up on it.

As for the beneficiary - I have had personal experience dealing with a TSP account through inheritance and why I recommend there is still a beneficiary listed. We can discuss privately if you wish. Feel free to friend me if we aren't already. I will be busy today but can respond later on.

It's been too long for me to remember how all the bonuses work!

I will say as far as the TSP - we looked at it with our son after he had set it up and was home. Not knowing what find choices he should go with he had let it set to whatever the default was. The default was the super safe option that barely makes any money. We helped him change it to what Dave Ramsey recommends for the TSP. 

Hi, just wondering where you would find Dave Ramsey's recommendation for TSP

Hey All,

I ended up called the INDOC office number that was in the packet they sent in December.  Since the packet talked so much about bonuses I thought they might be able to answer the question.

They get 1/3 at Power School graduation and the balance at Prototype graduation.  If they do not finish Proto they have to repay the first 1/3 so be prepared if possible.

As for TSP.  I am not a professional but have researched it for a long time.  I have some ideas and info I am happy to share but not sure if public is the way to go.  Feel free to message me.

Sonar - thanks for popping in with the link. I’m at work so wasn’t going to have time to look for it until I got home. 

Thanks for finding this info for me so I can share it with my son.

I opened the Dave Ramsey link.  He leaves out a couple of things in the quick read of the one I opened.  

First he does not mention the L target retirement date funds.  These are blended to include the categories he talks about plus some of the more conservative ones like G.  They are managed by a firm and the blend is adjusted as the markets change.  As a general rule the highs will not be as high but the lows wont be as low.  

Second there is a TSP ROTH option.  No tax deduction now but the withdrawals later will be federal tax free as the code is written now.  

I also looked him up and found a few things.  One page/site had several takes on TSP and one, way done on the page, talked about Ls

Welcome to our newest member ~ Maestra! Please be sure to read the ***NEW MEMBERS*** info at the top of the page.  Lots of good info there.  Also take a look at the Pages (19) to the right under the member profiles - be sure to hit "view all".  And of course, feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Hello All, New Adventure is spot on with the bonus structure. They will receive a portion after Power School and the rest after completion of Prototype. If however they do not finish prototype, they will have to reimburse the Navy the money including the taxes taken out if they are not successful so I have advised our sailor to put the money in a saving account and not to invest it as it will need to be liquid in case of something unforeseen happening.                                                                                                                                             As far as the TSP, I am been following the Dave Ramsey Plan and have been using this financial teaching for about 3 years. He recommends that all people who have access to the TSP to invest in the Roth as it will grow tax free. Both my husband (retired military and now government worker) and our sailor utilize the TSP Roth and it has done very well for them both.                                                                                                  The military match will always be into the Traditional 401K IRA side as the IRS rules prevent them from offering the match into the Roth side. If the sailor does not elect funds to invest in, the TSP will automatically put them into what is called Lifestyle funds "G" or "L" funds. These funds generally do not do very well as compared to the stock market. Dave Ramsey suggests investing into the "C" (equivalent to the S&P500), "S" (Small Cap), and "I" (International) funds to be diverse in the investments. My husband and sailor invest 80% into the C fund and 20% into the S fund and both have done exceptionally well. They have elected not to invest in the "I" fund as recommended by Dave Ramsey as the International fund has not done well for the last 5 years.                                                                                                                                 If you can advise your sailors to start their investments to 15% of their paycheck and learn to live without this money, it will benefit them greatly if they decide to leave the military or if they make a career.  Apologize for the length of this post, I love sharing information about investing so hope this helps. 

Also if anyone is curious about Dave Ramsey, just ask. His plan has helped us get out of debt, have a fully funded emergency fund, and will have our house paid off in three more years. Our sailor has coached his friends on the plan and getting their finances straight so they can be intentional about investing. 

Husband wanted me to share this. Both the husband and sailor invest in the Roth TSP to get the match from the military into the traditional side. My husband said there is a misconception that you have to invest into the traditional side in order to get the match however you do not. So both of them invest strictly into the Roth and the match is added by the government to their traditional side of the account.                    

BTW - glad to see our normal picture up above with the Nuke Moms name. That was weird this morning, opening the page and thinking something was wrong!

Lots of good information!!

BTW, in main chat a mom was asking about calling cards during deployment. - She was having an issue with refilling one that I suggested she talk to her ombudsman about, but I wondered if any of you had experience with calling cards on deployment? I know we have discussed cell phones, but this was new to me. Thanks!

Jes12joy - it appears that you and I are of a similar mind when it comes to Dave Ramsey and money. I only wish I had all the info he teaches when I was my sailor’s age. I think we instilled a lot of it into our sailor. So far it seems to have stuck. 

ProudOfK, I am with you on that one. My husband and I were late to the game however with his teachings, we have turned our financial life around. I talk with the son and daughter all the time about it so they hopefully will be smarter with money while they are young. So far so good. We had our sailor attend financial peace  while he was in school here and I wasn't sure much had stuck with him until he was talking to us about his TSP and how he is talking with his friends about their finances. Happy that some of it stuck with him and hope it will continue.  

Chipmunk, I think we bought an AT&T card that was refillable for the sailor when he left for bootcamp. This one was not for wireless and could be refilled if needed. Dear Hubby always had a calling card on him when he deployed and we just kept refilling it as needed and I do believe that one was an AT&T one too.                                                                                                                                                                           

jes12joy - AT&T was what this lady was having trouble with. I assume it is a calling card that works with the cell phones? Different than the payphone calling card I purchased for my son during BC. I don't know. 

The ship evidently ran out of calling cards and so she had purchased one online for him and was going to email him the access and pin, but had not received the calling card, I guess. She wondered how long the process would be and when she would get an email. (see her comments in the Main Room chat.) 

I don't have any experience with deployment or this type of calling card, so could only direct her to the ombudsman. 

So when they are deployed, do they use the calling card on the ship and call from payphones there, or do they call when they are in port? My son has not been deployed, but he has been on underways. I just know I don't hear from him, but he can check his email. When the ship was in drydock he could call on his cell phone in the hanger bay, and when he is back in port, he uses his cell phone to call home, so this is all new to me. 

My husband would call when they pulled into port. There was usually a bank of pay phones on the pier or right off the pier for the sailors to use to call home and they would need the calling cards then. I would refill the husband's card periodically when he was deployed so he had plenty on there to call home when he had the opportunity.  I am not sure now since cell phones can be used overseas if the pay phones are as prevalent however his last deployment was using calling cards. Our sailor's phone is able to be used overseas so not sure if he will use it when he makes it to the fleet or need the card. I will probably make sure he has both just in case.  

Also, when the husband was active duty and deployed which was about 8 years ago, the only time they were allowed to call from the ship when they were underway on a deployment was during an emergency. They would use a satellite phone called Marsat (probably called something else now) and those calls were very expensive. Things may be different now with the advancement of technology. He would call on his cell phone when the ship got close enough to the coast to pick up a signal if they were pulling into port or doing circles for training however deployments are a whole different situation and I usually didn't verbally hear from him until port visits but would get some emails from time to time depending on his work schedule. 

Chipmunk - B used a calling card from the ship's phones.  I remember there was quite a delay in the call so the conversation was difficult!  Then when they got to port and he had wifi he used the "WhatsApp" to communicate with us.  I had posted info about the AT&T calling cards in the Truman page - a discussion when they deployed back in 2015.  I can look for it if you need it.

When my husband was deployed on a carrier in the late 90's he would call about once a month with a special calling card that cost $1 a minute. I sent lots of regular letters and some care packages. I don't recall if they had email at that time.

Ladies,

Thank you! This is all helpful information that I need to document and set aside for future use. B'sNukeMom - I can always look for the information myself. I don't know what ship or anything that Teresa's sailor is on, but I urged her to reach out to the Ombudsman. Hopefully that is helpful. Her issue really is with AT&T and their customer service was not being very helpful to her unfortunately. 

This information should be helpful to many of us who either are new to deployments or are preparing for them. Thanks!

Our phone carrier offers the option for military to turn off their phone while deployed to save money - kind of like storage insurance for your car. In our sons case he is on a sub and that sounds like a good thing. Only problem is that can alert to the comings and goings of his sub. Not something I gave any thought to but it is something to keep in mind. 

SubMom - that is a good point!

I hear a lot of good things about WhatsApp. My daughter's coworker is from India and not only does she frequently communicate with home that way, when she goes to India she keeps in touch with friends in the US that way.

When my sailor was deployed he got a card put in his phone to use it in port. He wanted to be able to talk to his family whenever he could. Probably more expensive but he was willing to pay it to talk to the wife and kids. 

I learned a tidbit of information yesterday, during a phone call from my sailor. A while back he mentioned that the Captain had more dealings with the Nuke department than some of the other ones because he is down there for some of their trainings. I did not know exactly what my sailor meant, but I guess CO's of nuclear vessels, in my sailor's case an aircraft carrier, have to have a certain amount of nuclear training as well so that they understand how their ship operates, what things it can and can not do, and be able to respond appropriately to information he receives from the Nuclear department. 

I just had never thought about it much and found it very interesting.

It is my understanding that all captains of nuclear vessels attend NNPTC, although not necessarily the whole shebang that our sailors go through. They need to know what goes on throughout their ship.

Having said that, the first captain my son served under was wonderful and appreciated everybody on board, including nukes. He was followed by a guy who came out and told the nukes he didn't like them. So, there you go.

NancyJo - Wow!! That would have been a slap in the face me if I had been in your sailor's shoes. Everyone is different and attitudes are different as well. I am thankful that my son's CO, seems to appreciate the Nukes and goes the extra mile for them. On the other hand, IMHO, that captain should have been transferred to a different vessel.

As I recall, my son said the captains go through Power School.

B'sNukeMom - I just wanted to tell you how impressed I am at your ability to not only do your paying job, but always seem to be able to reach out and answer a question for someone no matter which group, PM, or chat! Thank you again for all that you and the other admins do! Happy Early Valentine's Day!!

Everyone stay warm today! We have cold and so I can't imagine up north.

Woke up to 4 below, windchill 20 below. Brrrr!

NancyJo - my cousin in MN had posted. Pic of the weather there -44 windchill. Meanwhile where I am we have been having 50 and 60 degree days. I do feel very fortunate and glad I don’t live in MN anymore. 

NancyJo, all officers n nuclear vessels need to have their qual card signed by a Nuc. If they act too imperious, that signature can be very elusive.

On a submarine all officers must be nuclear qualified except for the supply officer, referred to as CHOP, who oversees the supply division.

OMG NancyJo - that's cold.  I just read your posted and I texted N.  He said his car barely started this morning and yes it is cold!  The team leaves for Ames, Iowa this afternoon and comes home Saturday.  I just looked at their weather and right now it's -2 but feels like -22 - yikes!

I don't know how this CA boy is surviving in this cold lol!

Thanks Chipmunk!  It helps that I sit at a computer all day!

B'sNukeMom - I am at my computer a lot, but just checking on what has come in since I was away, is about 20 min. away from what I was needing to work on!!  Hope N stays warm as well as the rest of the team. We have sunshine and low wind for normal, so with all the layers, it wasn't too bad as long as not out too long. But we are in upper 20's, just cold for here.

I enjoy the tidbits of information everyone shares. Thanks!!

Happy RED shirt Friday and Happy Valentine's Day!

Hello, and Happy Friday, everyone! I haven't been around much, but figured I should do an update on my sailor. Life has just been busy and has kept me running in different directions, so I'm sorry for not participating in the group like I should have been.

My sailor graduated prototype on the 31st of January. His soft orders for Guam were finalized yesterday and he reports there towards the end of March. I know he's going to love it there and I'm excited for him to finally get out into the fleet! He did seem suprised when I mentioned to him that many moms said their Sailors had to do crank work likely in the kitchen, trash &/or laundry until they qualified. I got a bit of a chuckle at him saying, "oh. what? really?" I know that is not the case for every sailor (and I don't think it's on the carriers?), but I read it was fairly common on subs. I'm not sure if I can/should share the boat he's been assigned to. I would say, but since I'm a bit uncertain I will leave that off for now.

Anyway, we're on to the next step in Navy life! Very exciting! I'm off to read posts and catch up with you all!

Havasu, I'm sure you're excited about the next phase!  I know that I'm always cheering my Nukes along on their next steps.  My daughter is on a carrier and never had to crank.  Not sure if her joining in the middle of a deployment matters or not, but she tells me that none of her fellow nukes had to crank either.  My SIL is on a sub and he definitely had to crank.  He didn't mind as he LOVES to cook.  He did mention that as cook, he had his own rack (which was roomier than the others) and didn't have to hot rack.  A nice little benefit Maybe your son will find that out also.

Good luck to him in Guam!

Havasu - thanks for the update.  Like JayDee said I don't believe they have to crank on a carrier but definitely on a sub since there's fewer sailors....

Here's the link to the Guam group:

Guam Moms

Thank you, JayDee! I know he's nervous right now just because it's a new place and new people, but he's going to love it once he gets there! I'm super happy for him! I think he'd love the kitchen work too, because he loves prep work and cooking too. So that's great to know that your SIL enjoyed the work! That would be super cool to get his own rack too, since we're both figuring he's going to have to hotrack. We'll see how that goes!