Who we help: veterans, pre-retirees and business owners at Savant Wealth Management

Start with the due dates you face

A veteran heading out of service has a short list of choices, and some have a due date that doesn't move. The Survivor Benefit Plan election comes first, because it ties to your pension and can't always be undone. Savant Wealth Management puts the decisions in order of due date and works the numbers on one before touching the next.

The usual order for a veteran with a pension:

• Survivor Benefit Plan election, first
• TSP withdrawal planning
• Roth conversion planning
• Social Security planning
• Tax planning for veterans

When should a pre-retiree start planning?

Start about 5 years before you expect to stop working, because that's when Roth conversions, the Survivor Benefit Plan election and the TSP withdrawal order can still change your tax cost. Wait until the last year and fewer options stay open.

Say a hypothetical retired master sergeant earns $90,000 in a second career. The 2026 TSP deferral limit of $24,500 is about 27% of that pay. If only $12,250 fits the budget, that's half the limit, and we'd check Roth versus traditional before anyone raises it.

At 50 or older, the 2026 catch-up adds $8,000, for a total of $32,500.

Plan an owner's income that swings

Plenty of veterans start consulting or contracting after service, and profit rarely arrives evenly. Savant Wealth Management looks at last year's profit and this year's pace before suggesting a retirement plan contribution. For 2026, the SIMPLE IRA deferral limit is $17,000 and the total defined contribution limit is $72,000.

Here's a quick test. If profit moved by more than a third between the last 2 years, size contributions after you see the year's numbers, not before.

One honest limit: a small side business with modest profit often doesn't need its own plan. Your TSP may already absorb what you can save.

What if you fit none of these groups?

You're still welcome at Savant Wealth Management if you have $500,000 in investable assets and want a plan built as a short list of decisions, ordered by due date, each made with the numbers in front of you. Nobody is screened out for the wrong job history.

Below $500,000, we're probably not the right fit yet. Savant Wealth Management sends the fee schedule in writing ahead of the intro call, so you can read it at your own pace.

All investing carries risk, and you can lose money, including the amount you put in.