Now
Establish the survivor-income requirement
- Confirm the income the spouse would retain.
- Compare full and reduced SBP bases.
- Inventory existing coverage and insurability assumptions.
- Flag tax and estate questions for the CPA or attorney.
Sample Mission Map
See the sequence before you hire Joshua
A Mission Map shows the decisions, deadlines, missing records, and professional handoffs around military retirement. More importantly, it shows the order.
The example household
Seven facts that shape the sequence
O-6 retiring in 14 months
Married, spouse employed
Traditional and Roth TSP
Civilian offer expected during terminal leave
SBP election not yet modeled
Existing term coverage
CPA relationship in place
Hypothetical example. This is not a client result or recommendation.
See what changes when the order changes
The map separates what needs attention now from what should wait for better information.
Before retirement paperwork locks
Finish the decisions that cannot wait
- Make the SBP election with spouse concurrence where required.
- Confirm healthcare continuity.
- Update beneficiary and estate-document priorities.
During terminal leave
Hold the decisions that need better facts
- Avoid an automatic TSP rollover while civilian benefits remain unknown.
- Gather the new employer plan, match, vesting, insurance, and healthcare details.
When the civilian offer arrives
Read the whole package beside the military income
- Evaluate base, bonus, equity, benefits, and withholding beside pension and VA income.
- Recheck the first two tax years.
- Decide whether leaving, partially moving, or rolling the TSP deserves further analysis.
First annual review
Reconcile the plan with what actually happened
- Reconcile actual pension, VA, and civilian income.
- Review withholding and estimated taxes.
- Confirm implementation ownership across the household and professionals.
What the map shows
One shared view for both spouses and their professionals.
- Shows which decisions affect the others.
- Separates deadlines from decisions that can wait.
- Identifies missing records and assumptions.
- Assigns questions to the right professional.
What the map cannot do
- Replace DFAS, VA, TSP, or official plan documents.
- Replace a CPA or attorney.
- Guarantee an election, tax, insurance, or investment outcome.
- Assume moving the TSP is appropriate.
- Turn every open question into an Exponential Advisors service.
Why the sequence matters
The map shows what needs to happen first and which decisions can wait.
If your household does not have one place for the sequence, the Tactical Financial Assessment may be worth considering.
Put My Transition on One Map
Four written documents. Fixed-fee engagement. No obligation to continue.
Still deciding? Talk With Joshua first →Hypothetical example — not a client result or recommendation. The household and sequence are hypothetical and educational. They are not individualized investment, tax, legal, military-benefits, healthcare, or insurance advice, and they do not promise savings or outcomes. Actual analysis depends on the household’s facts, applicable law, plan rules, and engagement scope.