Get Life, Business and Legacy in order.
Free tools and plain-language guides to help you take your next step — free for everyone, veterans first.
Life
Know your benefits, pay and housing numbers. Run your VA disability pay, TSP max-out and property-tax relief numbers right on this page.
Business
Short guides on business and tax decisions — entity structures, the Augusta Rule, accountable plans, hiring your kids. Straight answers, real code sections.
Legacy
Estate and beneficiary guides, and a plain-language starting point for organizing what your family needs.
Welcome — start here
- What this is: a free public resource for getting your Life, Business, and Legacy in order — one clear next step at a time.
- Who it helps: everyone, with veterans and their families at the heart of it. No account needed.
- Why it's free: education and tools come first here — you choose any professional you need, when you need one. We don't give licensed financial, tax, legal, or medical advice.
- What you can do right now: run a working calculator, build a request packet, read a short guide, or browse local veteran-owned businesses.
Video transcript
“Money skills no one taught us. Select Explore Lessons below and start learning.”
Charlie Mike Money introduction — audio transcript verified against the recording 2026-10-15.
Not sure where to start?
Answer 3 short questions and get a starting checklist built from the free tools and guides on this page. About 60 seconds. No account, nothing saved, nothing sent — it runs entirely on your device.
Run your own numbers
Free tools — they work right here. Results appear instantly on-page.
VA Disability Pay Calculator
Official 2026 veterans' compensation rates, effective December 1, 2025 — source: VA.gov compensation-rate tables (verified 2026-10-15; every row regression-tested in this build). At 10–20% a dependent spouse does not increase the rate.
Monthly
$552.47
Per year
$6,629.64
Tax-free for federal income tax. Children, parents, and Aid & Attendance add more — see the KB article.
TSP Max-Out Planner
2026 elective deferral limit $24,500 (IRS). Catch-ups: +$8,000 at 50+, +$11,250 at 60-63.
Catch-up contributions are Roth-only if your prior-year wages exceeded the SECURE 2.0 threshold ($150,000 in 2025 wages for 2026); otherwise they can be traditional.
Military Retirement Estimator
Pension = average of your highest 36 months of base pay × multiplier. Multiplier: 2.5% per year (high-3 legacy system) or 2.0% per year (BRS).
A simple model: it does not apply the statutory multiplier cap or special cases (disability retirement, TERA, CRDP/CRSC), and BRS includes TSP matching this estimate does not model. Figures per militarypay.defense.gov; confirm with your finance office before making decisions.
VA Loan Comparison ($0 down)
VA loans require no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance. The VA funding fee applies unless you are exempt (e.g., receiving VA disability).
Principal & interest only — excludes taxes, insurance, and (for conventional loans under 20% down) private mortgage insurance, which VA loans never charge. Funding-fee table re-checked live at va.gov on 2026-10-15 (first use, less than 5% down: 2.15%; subsequent use: 3.3%). Confirm all figures at va.gov before acting.
SBP vs. Term Life Modeler
SBP premium is 6.5% of your elected base amount; the survivor annuity is 55% of that base, for life (DFAS).
A mathematical comparison only — SBP pays an inflation-adjusted lifetime annuity and cannot lapse; term insurance pays a one-time benefit and expires. SBP is “paid up” after 30 paid years and age 70. The election at retirement is largely irrevocable — talk with a licensed insurance professional before electing or declining. Figures per DFAS (dfas.mil); confirm current rates there before acting.
Property-Tax Exemption Finder
Texas and Florida checked against the statute text, September 2026; other states point you to the right office.
TOTAL exemption on your residence homestead — you pay $0 property tax on the home (Tax Code 11.131).
How to file: take your VA award letter to your county property appraiser/assessor. Exemptions generally are not retroactive — file the year you qualify.
Build your request packet — free
Pick a goal, enter a few numbers, review, then download or print. You hand it to a professional of your choosing — nothing is sent or filed for you.
The library
New strategies drop regularly. Here's what's live.
The 1031 Exchange
Sold a rental? Defer the capital-gains tax when you reinvest - the two deadlines and one worked number.
Read the guide →The Augusta Rule
Rent your home to your business up to 14 days a year - tax-free to you, deductible to the business.
Read the guide →The Solo 401(k)
The self-employed retirement account that lets you invest in real estate and private deals - with huge contribution limits.
Read the guide →Entity Structures & ROBS
LLC, S-corp, C-corp - which one actually fits how you make money, and how ROBS funds a business from retirement money.
Read the guide →Private Money Lending
Be the bank. How investors earn secured, real-estate-backed returns lending to other people’s deals.
Read the guide →The Roth IRA
Pay tax once, then never again. How to build a pot of money that grows and comes out completely tax-free.
Read the guide →HSA Strategy: Deductible In, Tax-Free Out
The only account with a triple tax advantage - deductible in, tax-free growth, tax-free out for medical.
Read the guide →The Accountable Plan
The right way for your business to reimburse you for home office, mileage, and more - deductible to the business, tax-free to you.
Read the guide →Hiring Your Kids
Move money to your kids tax-free, get a business deduction for the wages, and start their retirement accounts early.
Read the guide →Cash Balance Plans
The high-income shelter stacked on top of a 401(k) that can shelter six figures a year for established owners.
Read the guide →Family Banking
Policy loans, family trusts, and becoming the source of your family’s credit - the mechanics, honestly explained.
Read the guide →Multifamily Real Estate
Why 2-4 unit and apartment deals compound wealth differently - cash flow, forced appreciation, and the tax wrapper.
Read the guide →The Tax Architect Approach
Stop doing taxes once a year. The year-round operating system of a well-run business.
Read the guide →Asset Protection
Layered defense for what you own - entities, insurance, and the quiet paperwork that deters lawsuits.
Read the guide →The HRA
Reimbursing employees (including yourself) for medical costs through the business - pre-tax by design.
Read the guide →The 529 Savings Plan
Education money that grows tax-free - and the rules most families never hear about.
Read the guide →Equipment Leasing
Buy, lease, or finance the machines your business needs - the cash, tax, and balance-sheet math.
Read the guide →Private Family Foundations
Charitable capital with your family’s name on it - the control, the deductions, and the honest costs.
Read the guide →The Self-Directed IRA
Retirement money invested in real estate, private notes, and companies - what is allowed and what blows up accounts.
Read the guide →Small-Dollar Investing
Starting from almost nothing - the boring mechanics that make the first $10k compound.
Read the guide →Precious Metals
Gold and silver in a portfolio - the honest role, the tax treatment, and the collectible trap.
Read the guide →Crypto for Investors
Digital assets with real tax plumbing - cost basis, wash-sale gaps, and the records that keep you safe.
Read the guide →Hedge Fund Strategies
What funds actually charge, what the fee math does to returns, and when access is worth it.
Read the guide →Preparing to Exit Your Business
The 3-5 year pre-sale sprint that changes the multiple - clean books, transferable value, and the tax exit ramp.
Read the guide →Buying a Business
The other way in: acquire cash flow instead of building it - diligence, structure, and the SBA route.
Read the guide →Increase Your Business Value
The levers an acquirer pays for - recurring revenue, margins, delegation, and records.
Read the guide →Run a Family Office
You do not need $500M to run your family like one - the operating model scaled down honestly.
Read the guide →Family Constitutions
The document that keeps family wealth from eating family relationships - written governance for the next generation.
Read the guide →Financial EQ
The behavioral half of money - the biases and conversations that quietly cost more than any fee.
Read the guide →Leadership for Owners
Running the company instead of the company running you - delegation, cadence, and the owner’s calendar.
Read the guide →Free money guides — the StewardWise KB
12 straight-answer articles — every figure traced to its primary federal source. Educational only, never advice.
VA Disability Pay Rates 2026
The complete 2026 monthly pay table - every rating from 10% to 100%, veteran alone, with the key add-ons.
Read free →TSP Contribution Limits 2026
The $24,500 deferral limit, the $8,000 and $11,250 catch-ups, the match, and the Roth-only catch-up rule.
Read free →Property Tax Exemptions for Disabled Veterans
Total exemptions and dollar-tiered discounts by state - with the exact Texas and Florida numbers.
Read free →VA Disability Pay Is Not Taxable Income
What tax-free really means for your AGI, your benefits eligibility, and your effective tax rate.
Read free →VA Disability COLA by Year: How the Raise Is Set
Every VA pay raise since the law tied it to Social Security - what the 2.8% 2026 COLA did to each rating, and why 90% to 100% is not a 10% raise.
Read free →VA Disability Rates 2027: When the New Table Drops and What to Expect
The 2027 VA pay table is not published yet - here is the exact calendar (CPI-W data in July, SSA announcement in October, new rates December 1) and how to read it the day it lands.
Read free →VA DIC Rates 2026: What Survivors Actually Receive
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for surviving spouses: the $1,699.36 base rate, every add-on, and how it differs from the one-time death gratuity.
Read free →VA Aid & Attendance in 2026: The Pension Add-On That Pays for Care
Who qualifies for Aid & Attendance, the 2026 maximum pension rates with the add-on (about $2,358/mo veteran-alone), and the net-worth and look-back rules.
Read free →Medicaid Spousal Impoverishment 2026: What the At-Home Spouse Keeps
The 2026 federal numbers that decide how much of the couple's income and assets a nursing-home spouse's Medicaid case can touch: CSRA $32,532-$162,660, MMMNA $2,705-$4,066.50.
Read free →What Assisted Living Actually Costs in 2026
The national medians families pay in 2026 - assisted living $5,419/mo, memory care $6,690/mo, home care $35/hr - and the add-on fees that swing the real bill.
Read free →IRS Mileage Rate 2026: Two Rates in One Year
72.5 cents a mile for business January-June, then a rare mid-year jump to 76 cents July 1 - the 2026 table for business, medical, moving, and charitable miles.
Read free →HSA Limits 2026: $4,400 Self / $8,750 Family - Plus the Rules That Trip People
The 2026 HSA contribution ceiling, the $1,000 age-55 catch-up, the new Bronze/Catastrophic eligibility, and the family-limit rule married couples get wrong.
Read free →Veteran Field Manuals
The 2026 numbers every veteran should know cold — VA disability pay, TSP limits, and property-tax exemptions — each with the source behind every figure.
VA Disability Ratings: The 5% Math Behind the 2026 Pay
What each rating actually pays this year, the 5% math nobody explains, and the child/spouse add-ons.
Read the numbers →Max Out Your TSP in 2026: Catch-Ups and the Military Bucket
The $24,500 limit, the catch-ups, and how uniformed/military members can hit both buckets.
Read the numbers →Filing the Disabled-Veteran Property Tax Exemption
State-by-state reality: total exemptions, dollar-amount tiers, and how to actually file.
Read the numbers →Who Charlie Mike Money is for
Anyone who wants their money, business, and family papers in order — starting with the people who served and the families beside them. If a topic here saves you confusion, it's doing its job. Everything public is free, no account required.
- • Veterans and transitioning service members — benefits, pay, and housing numbers
- • Families helping parents, spouses, and each other
- • Business owners and the self-employed — including side hustles
- • Anyone who'd rather understand it than be sold it
Steward tools — feature preview
Interactive demos from the StewardWise consolidation: a benefit vault, personal action plan, timeline, and document organizer for veterans and first responders — plus the organization admin view. Simulated previews only — example data, no real accounts, and no claim that any integration is live.
Member experience — try the demo
Benefit vault, my plan, timeline, tax integration view, documents, and help — simulated data only.
Open the demo →Organization admin — try the demo
Dashboard, members, reports, integrations, settings, and support views — simulated admin portal, no real member data.
Open the demo →