# Military Retirement Questions

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-retirement-questions/707303>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 15, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-retirement-questions/707303 "2014-12-15T17:01:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-retirement-questions/707303/41 "2014-12-17T21:13:19Z")

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> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> Not sure I understand what’s hard to believe. How many jobs give you a pension after eight years (unless you’re a Congressman)? If the military gave a partial retirement early on, it would be difficult to keep people in for the long haul, and the military needs that longevity of leadership and repository of skills. If they dangle a carrot, some will stay to take a bite.

What’s surprising was that you can’t/couldn’t contribute to an IRA since your pension may or may not ever happen, depending on how many years you end up in the military.

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-retirement-questions/707303/42 "2014-12-17T22:42:58Z")

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> [@dolphinboy](#):
>
> What’s surprising was that you can’t/couldn’t contribute to an IRA since your pension may or may not ever happen, depending on how many years you end up in the military.

Oh, I see. I never had enough disposable income to really worry about that until I had about 15 years in. Luckily, that was in the mid-80s, when the stock market was taking off, so I invested a small amount of money with Fidelity. And I had been buying US Savings Bonds all along, albeit in small denominations.

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