In this episode of the Service and Wealth Podcast, Ted talks with First Lieutenant Anna Saucido, a young Marine combat engineer three years into her career, serving out of Okinawa and Camp Pendleton. Anna shares her journey from growing up in Temecula with divorced parents and money stress, to earning her commission at the Naval Academy, and then stepping into real pay, BAH, and the full range of military benefits. She explains how early lessons about frugality, coupons, and going without a car in high school shaped her approach to money, debt, and lifestyle today.
They dig into how she used her VA loan to buy a new-build townhome near Camp Pendleton, why she was willing to take on a $500,000 mortgage in Southern California, and how she uses BAH plus rent from a tenant (with property management) to cover most of the costs while deployed. Anna breaks down how she thinks about “affording” big purchases like a motorcycle and a car she paid cash for, why she avoids high-interest car loans, and how she negotiated a used bike that actually saves her money on fuel and commuting. She also walks through her investing setup: 5% into the TSP for the full match, automatic Roth IRA contributions, and plans to move more of her cash into a high-yield savings “war chest” instead of leaving it in low-interest checking.
Throughout the conversation, Ted and Anna connect money decisions to leadership, readiness, and mental bandwidth. They talk about Marines buried in debt, how that wrecks performance, and why financial stability is part of combat readiness. Anna also shares how she leads by example outside of work by getting Marines out of the barracks and into healthy hobbies like rock climbing, cycling, and snorkeling in Okinawa, instead of just drinking and wasting paychecks. The episode gives a real, practical look at early-career military money: VA loans, BAH, TSP, Roth IRAs, the career starter loan, buying real estate in an expensive market, and building a financial system that lets you have fun now and still build long-term wealth.
Key topics / search terms
- young Marine officer finances
- VA loan first home
- BAH and mortgage in Southern California
- TSP vs Roth IRA for military
- career starter loan strategy
- high-yield savings and emergency fund
- house hacking while deployed
- military money mindset and leadership
- avoiding lifestyle creep on active duty
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