He walked in like he was still in command—
polo pressed, presence heavy, eyes calm.
One-star general. Thirty-plus years of service.
A mountain of retirement accounts stacked like ammo crates.
"Chaplain," he said,
"I'm not tryna outsmart the IRS…
but I ain't feeding 'em more than they deserve."
That's when I grinned.
Mission language. Operator mindset.
Time to brief the blueprint.
Phase
1
Silent Streams
VA disability income—untaxed, untouched.
$3,600/month for 100% P&T? That's $43K annual, invisible to the tax man.
Army retirement flowing parallel—separate channels, separate treatment.
Real estate syndications spinning off K-1s like ghost transmissions.
"What did you do with those DC properties?" I asked.
"Sold 'em. Didn't want the headache."
"Could've been $3K monthly, passive. But I respect the decision, sir."
Cash flow that hums in the background
like generators in the FOB at midnight.
Phase
II
The Roth Maneuver
"You mean I can custody BTC in a Roth at $69K?"
"Not just custody—GROW it tax-free, general."
"Who sells their bitcoin?" He shot back.
"Exactly. But if it hits seven figures?
Those qualified withdrawals stay invisible.
The tax code ain't ready for this revolution."
Phase
III
Controlled Detonation
Traditional TSP—we tap it with sniper precision.
Convert $50K to Roth this year while you're in the 22% bracket.
Next year, before Social Security lights up the radar—another $50K.
After 70½? Required minimums hit like incoming.
Better to control the blast radius now.
THE TAX EFFICIENCY BLUEPRINT
TRADITIONAL WITHDRAWAL
22% lost to taxes
ROTH STRATEGY
100% tax-free
VA DISABILITY (SILENT STREAM)
Invisible to IRS
Phase
IV
Medical Cover Fire
HSAs become traditional IRAs at 65. Triple tax advantage till then.
State exemptions stack like armor plates.
Brothers filing 0% disability while complaining on Facebook?
The VA doesn't track your social media.
But they DO track your C-File.*
Stop leaving money on the table.
Phase
V
Legacy Ops
Trusts. Step-ups. Continuity.
A financial relay that keeps wealth in the family, not in the system.
