In this episode, Mike and Amy discuss military transition support with Alan Nelson, a retired Navy commander and financial planner. Alan shares his personal transition journey, the challenges faced, and the importance of financial planning for transitioning military members. He highlights key organizations that provide resources and support, the significance of networking, and common financial blind spots that veterans encounter. The conversation emphasizes the need for action, the importance of involving family in the transition process, and the value of seeking help from others.

Chapters

00:00 Navigating Military Transition: Alan’s Journey

06:41 Resources for Transitioning Veterans

16:34 Blind Spots in Financial Planning

23:11 Common Mistakes During Transition

32:52 Key Takeaways for a Successful Transition

Takeaways

• Transition is tough for everybody, whether separating or retiring.

• Networking is crucial for finding opportunities during transition.

• Budgeting is essential to understand financial needs post-transition.

• Establishing an emergency fund is vital for financial security.

• Life insurance considerations are often overlooked during transition.

• Evaluating total compensation from potential employers is important.

• Military spouses face unique challenges in the transition process.

• Mock interviews can significantly improve job prospects.

• Asking for help is a common mistake veterans make during transition.

• Taking consistent action is key to a successful transition.

Links

Alan’s information:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-nelson/

https://measuredmoneymaneuvers.com/ (Free career transition and Financial Fitness Friday slide decks and link to recordings are on the Resources -> Education page)

Alan’s 3-page list of transition / retirement resources

https://operationretirementreadiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Transitioning-Military-Resources-Operation-Retirement-Readiness.pdf

Schedule a consultation with Mike: https://nextmissionfinancialplanning.com/contact/   

Schedule a consultation with Amy: https://www.instarfp.com/contact

TRANSCRIPT

Mike Hunsberger (00:00)
Welcome back to Operation Retirement Readiness. Today, Amy and I are joined by Alan Nelson. He’s a fellow financial planner, but also a passionate advocate for military transition support. He provides a great overview of a lot of the resources that are out there for ⁓ transitioning and retiring military members as they get ready to go into the civilian lifestyle.

He talks about some of the nonprofits that he works with as well as ones that are available Nationwide that people should look into So we’ll be diving into that also some of the key financial things that people need to think about as they’re transitioning out of the military So whether you’re you know nearing retirement or just considering ⁓ transitioning out of the military This is a great ⁓ episode and I hope you really enjoy it

Mike Hunsberger (01:24)
So as we mentioned, today we’re joined by Alan Nelson. ⁓ Alan’s retired from the US Navy and has been doing a lot of work with ⁓ folks as they begin to transition from the military, either from retirement or just separation from service. So we’ve got him in here to talk about some of the organizations he works with and some of the resources that are out there for folks that are getting ready to retire or transition that they could take advantage of. So Alan, we really appreciate you being here today.

mind just giving us a little background and talking a little bit about your transition and how that went?

Alan Nelson (01:53)
Thank

Yeah, certainly. And thanks. It’s an honor to be asked to be a guest on your podcast. So I really appreciate it. And yeah, my I guess my basic background, I enlisted in the Navy ⁓ as a nuclear electrician, ⁓ you know, back in the day and and ended up doing well quickly and got a commissioning program called nuclear enlisted commissioning program. It’s that now it’s all kind of folded under state 21. And but I wasn’t planning to do

You know, I originally was wasn’t sure I knew I was studying engineering. I had no money for school. I didn’t want to get a bunch of debt and I wanted to serve and you hopefully I figured they’d pay me to go to school or I’d get, you know, use the GI bill and not be have, you know, be swimming in debt in my my 30s and 40s. So and it being I mean the military is it’s such a great place. Now I have, you know, bachelor’s and two masters and never had a single student loan. It’s just, you know, amazing what

opportunities we can pursue in the military. But I ended up going on submarines and ended up doing 25 years and retired as a commander in 2018. from as I was transitioning, transition is tough for everybody. Whether you’re separating or retiring, it’s difficult because, you know, for me, the biggest challenge was what’s

What do want to do next? There’s so many, you know, I have interests all over the place. And so narrowing that down, it was, you know, kind of the biggest challenge. And I guess my, my transition, I initially looked at going into financial planning because a big part of my military career, that’s when I got smart with money to not only help me, but you know, my sailors keep them prevent, get them on the right track as quickly as possible. Cause I mean those, you know, if we can get them right when they’re, you know, the first command.

when they’re at their first command, not in the company, ⁓ to get set them up right. mean, we can save years off their working life, you know, and just, you know, and all the other things that go with being financially sound. So that was important to me. I initially tried to bring in outside people that were military friendly, like USA and Navy federal, but they just didn’t speak to my people and they didn’t work that helpful, you know, and I guess partly that’s not their people. So, you know, I mean, they were my

my sailors. And so that’s where I realized I just needed to learn this stuff well enough to start teaching it myself. so that’s that’s what I ended up doing. Looked at going into financial advising on transition, but I had a great informational interview. This guy sat down with me for like an hour and a half. And he he said, you know, one towards the end, he wanted me to come work for him. But what he said was, hey, look,

You really just want to get a few rich clients and protect their money. Yeah, you don’t want to work with the middle class. They ask too many questions and they’re just so much work for the amount of money you get. it just turned me off. And that’s not the whole industry, but that was my sense. like, I can’t be a part of this. I can still remember where I was driving on the way home when I’m like, I can’t do this. And so I pivoted and looked at something else. And that’s where I was looking at

kind of best companies in San Diego, which is where we ended up after 18 PCS moves ⁓ landed. ⁓ It was difficult, but I ended up landing in Biasat, the great satellite communications company that most airlines actually have now. their culture was just great. And funny though, I get there and guess what? These high-tech engineers don’t know anything about money.

you know, and asked how I knew all this stuff. And so I offered a lunch and learn and that went over so well that then I had to get permission to do it. ⁓ But they were very legal was great. And they said, you know, ⁓ they changed my disclaimer, like two words. And that’s when I really realized, like, I need to go back or my CFP, because this is my passion is helping, you know, helping transitioning military, military spouses and veterans, you know, finding

excel in their next mission, but then, really financial life planning, which is what we do. And so that’s just been my passion. It seems kind of cliche, but to be able to find what your dream is and pursue it is awesome.

Amy (06:41)
Yeah. I mean, it’s not cliche as much as it is everybody’s goal, right? That’s what we all want. ⁓ And the lucky people are the ones that get to do it. ⁓ So, so you, as you said, you’ve, you’ve been working with people who are actively in transition or getting ready to transition. know, are you working with specific organizations? ⁓ Are these clients and you’re working with organizations? Can you, can you talk a little bit more about what you’re doing with the transition space?

Alan Nelson (06:45)
Yeah, yeah, you’re right.

Absolutely. started initially when I transitioned. One of the workshops I went to is called Operation Connect. And the North San Diego ⁓ Business Chamber offers this. Now it’s almost monthly and it’s a one day transition workshop that’s great. And one of the cool things about it is it provides a year long membership to the chamber and all their monthly regional connects or monthly networking events, which was great. And it gave us a chance to kind of

learn how to network when I went through it. But my transition, while it was not easy, it was considered successful. I had dueling offers from companies and the person who ran Operation Connect asked me if I’d come back and tell my story. And that kind of started my career transition tips, presentations, ⁓ you will. so it started there and then it went to, like, I want to touch on some specific things.

Then it went to Onward to Opportunity, which Onward to Opportunity is a great program that’s nationwide. It’s really part of IVMF, the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, founded in 2011 by Syracuse University, which has been a university that incredibly supports veterans and military families for their history. they do, Onward to Opportunity provides

Certifications such as PNP, Six Sigma, various HR certifications, and a ton of different IT and cyber certifications for ⁓ military. They have to be within six months of transitioning. You know, they’re EAOS. And military spouses can join for free and also veterans as well. And they, you know, earn these certifications that are so valuable on the outside that many companies are looking for.

Not only that, but IVMF also provides an incredible number of entrepreneurship courses. ⁓ And they’re from initial startup all the way through growth. And what I love is they have one called VWISE, which is just for women. it’s a month long thing and then everybody meets in whatever city it is for three days. it’s just, I’ve only heard great ⁓ experiences from that program.

Mike Hunsberger (09:30)
And Amy, you

did that, right?

Amy (09:31)
Yeah,

I went through that program and agree. It is, it’s phenomenal. So for those listening, absolutely check out IVMF. There’s a ton of opportunity, but Alan, I know that you’re, you’re in other spaces as well. Continue, please.

Alan Nelson (09:47)
So

certainly that so they do. I guess there’s about five to six cohorts of for onward opportunity each year. And what? Not only do they provide all this training for these certifications, but at the start it’s basically a transit three day transition workshop and they invite guests in to speak. And I used to do a career transition tips brief. I’ve been I guess I’ve been doing almost you know since 2018 so seven years and now.

she’s asked me to focus more just on financial planning considerations instead of kind of the whole shebang of, know, figure out your next mission, you know, yada yada. ⁓ And so that’s been fun because now I can just go dig deep into, you know, the money aspects that so many people just are, you know, lacking the education on because, you know, sadly, we just don’t teach this stuff in our schools. So that’s ⁓ been something and that led to, I guess, other opportunities that

they’ve been asked to speak at. ⁓ Like, ⁓ then some they now want specifically the financial planning aspects. ⁓ Some of my favorite organizations that I support are Vet C-TAP, which is that it’s that’s, you know, kind of an acronym, it’s Veterans Career Transition Assistance ⁓ Program. And that is a great transition workshop that’s four weeks long.

It has eight modules. so you do Monday and Wednesday nights from six to nine PM. They do, you know, each of these modules covering all the things that you need to know about transition. It’s really kind of based on the seven pedals from, you know, what color is your parachute? If you guys are familiar with that, but good friends with the co-founders are just incredible people. that’s Betsy Sheets and Janice Whitaker. We just actually were part of their golf tournament.

a week ago, which was ⁓ two weeks ago, which was great. But that’s one that they do five times a year. Another one, and they’ve asked me to start doing a standalone workshop for them just on the financial planning considerations, which is a great opportunity for me to pass on my knowledge to other people and hopefully get them on the right track as they’re going into the private sector. Another great transition program is Four Block.

which is these are all these, VetSeatApp is virtual, so you can sign up for anywhere. FourBlock has cohorts across the country and they do that, it’s a 10 week program and they do that ⁓ two classes, one in the spring and then one in the fall. And they each, there’s 10 different modules they have and they go to different companies and have a two hour class each Wednesday night during their course where.

They not only learn about the company, they have a specific discussion they’re working on. And then it’s networking. So like with Biasat, we’ve been asked to do their session nine, which is navigating the job offer process. our veteran ERG lead, Bridget Guerrero, she’s awesome. She asked me if I would lead that because I…

ViaSat, we also do a Career Transition Workshop, a full day event in early March each year. And I present a Career Transition Tips brief at that. That’s fun for me because what turned me on to ViaSat was going attending this, the Career Transition Workshop when I was transitioning. And then four years later, I’m the one presenting to the 50 plus people about how to transition.

You know, feels like, you know, it’s just giving back, which feels really, you know, feels really good. ⁓ we were asked to do the navigating the job offer process, which I felt was kind of weird for me. I’m like, I don’t know if I’m very good at this one, cause I’ve only got the job advice that and stayed, you know, and then started my own business on the side. But it’s, it’s having our, the knowledge that we have is, you know, certified financial planners. It, that helps so much in that, in what they’re looking for and, you know, evaluating, ⁓ for their next company.

and considerations they might not have thought of to this point. Aside from that, let’s see, it’s just a going in transition space. Wounded Warrior Project, they’re nationwide as well, and they frequently do, they ask me to come and we’ll do mock interviews and employer panels and just really helping various individuals with them. They usually partner with Deloitte, which I have to mention a few specific.

⁓ companies as well that do a great service to military. ViaSat, like I said, we have a full day workshop and that’s often been touted by the attendees as the best single day workshop they’ve attended. ⁓ But ⁓ Deloitte does a core program where they fly people out, they pay for them to fly out to Texas. so, and especially if you’re interested in getting into the consulting realm, what a perfect opportunity because all of these

workshops where they’re providing this valuable information, they’re also at the same time looking for talent. So it works both ways. that’s kind of one of the beauties of that. ⁓ to think of other ones that I’ve missed. Amazon and Microsoft have incredible programs. And Amazon’s even using military as a starting point for, it’s almost like with AI.

they’re using them as a testbed for these cool programs of helping the military. then there’s a couple of individual, like a couple of programs that are nationwide that also are, especially if you want one-to-one mentoring that I think are really good, one being American Corporate Partners, where you have like a mentor for like a whole year that really helps. And then the Commit Foundation is another one that I don’t.

I don’t know. Unfortunately, I just don’t have time to do all of those. But those I know are very good. And when I do have a little more free time, I look forward to being a mentor with those as

Amy (16:12)
I was just gonna say, mean, it seems like there are so many opportunities. All you have to do is go looking for them. How do people find these opportunities? Are they in the transition assistance classes that are on installations? Do you have to get on LinkedIn? Where’s a good spot for people to go find the things that you’ve been mentioning? Plus, no doubt there’s more out there, right?

Alan Nelson (16:34)
Right, there is. that’s the tough thing. There’s almost too many now. And time’s our most limited resource. So what’s valuable and what’s not? And I think you can find them on LinkedIn. And I frequently post when there’s a new, know, things coming up and recommend people to sign up with them. There’s, but a lot of it comes into networking and hearing from when you go to these networking events, learning what’s out there. And

Sadly, what I see is retirees tend to be the ones that attend these more than people separating. They get the knowledge better. And it’s kind of unfortunate because I think it’s more challenging for people separating than retiring. They don’t have a pension and healthcare and potentially some, you they might have some disability, but there’s so much more challenges that they need these workshops better than anybody else.

⁓ and, I think where much of it comes into networking and learning, you know, from, ⁓ from other people, what’s been successful for them. And then, you know, following people, you know, on LinkedIn that, that posts about these different things and kind of weigh in on what’s, what’s good and what’s, you know, what’s not. Like also just in greater San Diego, I want to mention a couple of places just because it’s the largest military footprint. And so they’re.

There’s a couple other things. The Military Transition Assistance Seminar, that’s a three-day course that the Marine Executives Association, Chris Keene and Mike Frazier run ⁓ up in Oceanside three times a year. And it’s great. They do mock interviews, resume review, kind of all those things. And ⁓ I close it out. It’s like the end of a three-day class on personal finance and investing. But it’s ⁓

Amy (18:27)
Thank

Alan Nelson (18:29)
I joke that they don’t like their students, that they have a real heady topic at the very ⁓ end. And actually that class is coming up in two weeks, ⁓ October 28th through the 30th, and there are still spots available for anybody that’s local to the greater San Diego area. But that’s another good one. There’s also, I can’t help but mention, Candlefall.

Mike Hunsberger (18:33)
haha

Alan Nelson (18:58)
Aside from just the quick transition workshops, Candleful provides three plus mock interviews for people and you can’t do enough mock interviews. It’s getting those reps and sets and Candleful, I’m a Candleful coach and I’ve been doing that for probably almost four years now, but they’ll do mock interviews and I also do intakes so kind of explain to people what’s about the program. But there’s over 130 coaches that

⁓ A lot of them are civilians. There some veterans like myself. ⁓ But that’s another way you could maybe network right into a company because you pick who you want to interview with and you can see the company, their background. so it gets like 99.999 net promoter score. But I can’t tell you how many people have went that and then reported back how that’s the reason they got hired was that the interview practice they got through.

through Candleful. ⁓ And then aside from that, we said networking, all of these, that’s where I think learning about much of these resources comes from and listening when you go out to these networking events. But there’s some, ⁓ one couple of my favorites are Veterans Beer Club, which is, it was founded over nine and a half years ago in San Diego by three Marine officers, great people. ⁓

And, ⁓ but it’s that’s now there’s over 25 chapters across the country. And, know, that one I learned that that was something that was significant, ⁓ in helping me get to what’s next. And the beautiful thing about that is it’s gotten pretty large, but people that are looking to transition both military and military spouses, veterans, they, they’re come looking, they have different color badge that they, they wear. There’s employers that come out.

and they’ll say a spiel about what they’re looking for. And then there’s just a bunch of us that are, you know, supporters that come out to try to help people with transition. And that’s so important. And it’s helped so many people out. Another one in San Diego is the Marine Executive Association. do, it’s a, both of these places do a monthly, you know, ⁓ networking event. And the Marine Executive Association, it’s a smaller,

⁓ it’s kind of like learning how to network. feel like you, it, Chris Keane kicks it off and talks about the, you know, about transition in general and, and, you know, what they should be expecting and things to do. Then everybody goes around and introduces themselves and gives them a chance to do the transitioning for, ⁓ their own elevator pitch, you know, and people comment on them if it’s not very good, you know, then they’ll, you know, just all in helping. And that’s more of an intimate setting where I feel like it’s helping people.

learn how to network in a smaller group and then VBC tends to be a much larger group.

Amy (22:02)
I’m, where do you even start? mean, so first for listeners, ⁓ we will grab links and put those in the show notes. And, and Alan, ⁓ perhaps you’ll share your, LinkedIn handle ⁓ for people to follow you as well. ⁓ That was a great rundown, Alan.

Alan Nelson (22:15)
That’s sweet.

Mike Hunsberger (22:21)
Yeah, that’s a lot. And like you said, look around your local area if you know where you want to go. ⁓ There’s a smaller one in the St. Louis area for it’s called networking that, you know, helps with transition stuff and specifically finding jobs for military that are transitioning. So again, you know, throw out your A.I. or Google and figure out, you know, what’s available.

probably a lot that you’re not even aware of. So ⁓ one of the things you mentioned was people just aren’t very good on the financial side of things. what do you see as kind of, especially during transition, what are those main blind spots that people typically have as they’re approaching ⁓ either retirement or transition?

Alan Nelson (23:11)
Thanks. That’s a great question. Because there’s so much to it and there’s so much when you’re trying to transition that you’re already trying to deal with outside of finances. Before I answer that, though, I wanted to say one other thing for military spouses. We’re finally getting much better programs specifically for military spouses, which I believe is our hardest problem to solve. ⁓ Veterans, yes, it’s a challenge, but we’re doing well. Military spouses, is not.

much more difficult. ⁓ And Hiring Our Heroes now has, you know, that’s a SkillBridge fellowship, but they have those across the country specifically for military spouses. And then a friend of mine, she started through the Bush leadership, you know, ⁓ Sanctuary Leadership Program, Rachelle Chapman. She’s got this new ⁓ comprehensive 12 week ⁓ program called It’s My Turn just for military spouses. So

Wanted to touch on those real quick, because I think they’ve been forgotten too often or left by the side. And it’s good to see ⁓ good programs specifically for spouses now. ⁓ As far as blind spots, where do we start? The ⁓ challenge is there are so many things to go on and transition. The first thing I think is that the primary considerations where people have blind spots are their budget. ⁓

What do they need when they leave? You’re going to lose all your tax-free money. So your BAH goes away, your BAS goes away. ⁓ How much money do I need? And the budget is so important to look at because how much money do you need to make next? Even if you have a pension or not, you need just to get by and have you look at that tax advantage of the military?

especially in places like San Diego, where the BH could be 40 to 50 % of people’s income. That’s so significant. So the budget just to know how much you need to make. And then also for establishing that emergency fund. People sadly, and I’ll admit when I was active duty, I didn’t have much of an emergency fund because the job was so stable. But as we can see with government shutdowns, you should have an emergency fund anyway.

How do you know how much you need in an emergency fund if you want to have, I recommend six months, ⁓ because usually that’s how long it takes people if they get unemployed, it takes about 181 days to find the next good job. So that’s six months right there. But if you don’t know your budget, you don’t even know how much you need to save ahead of time to have that emergency fund to cover your non-discretionary expenses. that’s one of the biggest things I think.

having that in cash and cash equivalents, not in the market. I had to teach that to recently, like the Money Guy Show talks about it. But bad news is an extrovert. So when unemployment happens, the market, it all happens at the same time. So you don’t want to have to be pulling from the market when you need it in an emergency. The other items that I see, probably the

The biggest one that people need to look out as early as they can is life insurance. That SGLI is going away. so how are you going to, it’s not an investment. It’s risk mitigation. It’s protection for those that need your income. getting those, going and getting, I’m a big fan of for the vast majority of term life insurance until you’re financially free.

but getting that before your disability rating comes in so that you have much lower premiums, that’s a key aspect that I think is forgotten. the people need to look at survivor benefit plan for those that are married and with children. That’s not a quick decision to make. There’s a lot to it. And so it takes real consideration of whether you’re gonna take that or not. I think for children, it’s a…

a no brainer. It’s so cheap. It’s like a couple of, you know, a Starbucks a month. ⁓ but that’s, that’s one that I think people kind of rush into the decision too often when it really needs careful consideration. And how do you, how do you make sure your loved ones are taken care of in case of, you know, an emergent, you know, in case of your loss of life. So, ⁓ those, those are probably some of the biggest considerations. And then the last one is

How do you evaluate total compensation? I mean, especially if we’ve been in the military, we get a raise, you know, we’ve got our base pay, we’ve got our BAH, we’ve got our BAS, and maybe some special pays or what have you, but what about, there’s so many other things to consider when you’re looking at ⁓ companies and what do they offer? Do they offer stock options? Are they used? Are they public? Do they have employee stock purchase plan?

What’s their 401k and their match more importantly? How much free money are you gonna get? Along with they, even though we often have the GI bill, they’ll do, know, ⁓ that they’ll compensate you for getting degrees. There’s just so many things to look at. And like one of my favorite is the mega back door Roth. You know, their 401k plan set up, you know, wisely, which we’re finally getting that advice at took a.

bunch of poking. But these things can make such a significant difference. if you don’t, most people just don’t know. so, knowing how to evaluate total compensation and as you’re researching these companies, that can be a significant difference between two or three that you like. If they have these benefits that are so much better, hey, that’s the one, let’s pursue that even more aggressively. So did that answer?

Your question, I mean, there’s a lot to it, but those are, think, the primary things that I don’t worry about your TSP. Do I roll it into an IRA or, know, don’t, don’t just leave it where it’s at. You can make sure it’s properly invested because you’ve got plenty of other things to worry about in transition, not to worry about trying to roll, you know, roll a TSP. Just keep the account there. Have it invested properly, not just sitting in the G fund.

And you’ll evaluate that years later, what you want to do with it.

Amy (30:03)
Yeah, I mean, and I think that’s a really important point is there’s a million things, no less than a million things to do when you’re transitioning and, ⁓ you know, having a very clear list of priorities and focusing in on, and I agree with everything that you said, you know, it’s the budget.

which is hard, so people don’t want to think about it because it’s hard. ⁓ don’t know, people don’t know how much they spend on a day-to-day basis in real time, nevermind trying to figure out what they’re going to spend when they move across the country to a new spot and take on an entirely different lifestyle.

And then, you know, also, you know, emergency fund, which, you know, for some people’s table stakes, for other people, it’s a surprise to hear that they should have one. And then, you know, ⁓ the, the total compensation point that is so key because we don’t understand that stuff. So unless you’ve spent a lot of time with it, or you have somebody that you can ask about it, it’s just so important. So I think, I think of all the great points that you’ve had, you know, the key takeaway is keep your eye on the

and prioritize decisions because you’ve got plenty of them to make.

Alan Nelson (31:11)
Yeah, absolutely. It’s so easy to get paralysis by analysis. And because there’s so much to do, it’s overwhelming. It absolutely is. And all these things we’ve talked about, none of it matters if you don’t take action. And it might not be always the right action, but you got to take action and then you can adjust course. But you got to take action and that’s going to get you

You know, that’s why I tell people do it every day. And if you could start two years out, start doing one to three things a day that you think is strategically most important for what’s next. You know, that could be just getting, you know, getting your LinkedIn profile updated or adding new 25 new connections or hey, do updating your resume, tailor it for a certain job. You know, there’s so many different things you can do ⁓ that, you know, get in a mock interview that, but just do.

something each day and you’ll slowly eat that elephant, you know, and the opportunities will be then you’ll see them being presented to you. They don’t fall in your lap, but they’ll start coming and you’ll be, you know, able to take advantage of them as long as you’re taking the action consistently.

Amy (32:30)
For sure. ⁓ Now, with all the things that you said are ⁓ kind of key things, blind spots, what is the number one mistake you see people ⁓ making ⁓ in their transition? So you’ve worked with a ton of people facing transition. What is the biggest mistake you see?

Alan Nelson (32:52)
This might sound silly, but I’d made this mistake too, but not asking for help and not accepting help. ⁓ There’s a lot to do and ⁓ veterans help veterans better than anybody else and better than any alumnus. And people want to help you, so let them help you. For example, I think of LinkedIn and I didn’t do this because I was an idiot. ⁓

But if you feel like I can connect you with somebody, I’m like, I’ll reach out. No, let them connect you because it’s coming from a known good source. They’re more likely to even help you if they come from that kind of triadic, vice-diadic relationship. And so that’s my best piece of advice that I see everybody do. And we’re all in the military. We’re used to, we’re independent.

We work hard for, know, are used to working hard doing our things, obviously in a team, but it’s hard for us to ask for help. I think maybe even more than other communities. And don’t make that mistake. People want to help you, so let them help you.

Mike Hunsberger (34:09)
Yeah, that’s fantastic. probably one more question before we wrap up. But anything that we’ve missed so far, kind of the last question is, have any specific advice other than avoiding that mistake? But anything else people should definitely do is they get ready to retire.

Alan Nelson (34:28)
You’ve already talked about kind of the financial stuff.

One, guess this might go into two pieces. One, if you are married, make sure your spouse is involved with this because it’s not your transition, it’s your family’s transition. So get them involved and make sure you guys are on the same page with where you wanna live next, your ⁓ salary ranges, things, all of those things, but.

It’s too easy for people to get stove piped when there’s so much to do. Like you’ve mentioned, Amy, there’s over a million things to do. But you have to include your family. then networking is so important. It’s the most important. The whole package matters, but networking is key. And for those introverts out there, just know it’s an entity. It’s Introvert versus Extra.

It’s just energy expenditure. ⁓ Introverts are actually better networkers because they listen ⁓ instead of just waiting to speak. so, but go to those networking events, take the advice from people that they’re using and then implement it into your own story. And the final thing, thank you cards. It’s kind of a lost art, but that will make the difference in, I’ve seen it so many times of

you know, whether there’s two good candidates for a role, that might be the icing on the cake that gets them to, you know, gets them the offer by another person. So personally, I like doing an email, sit within 24 hours, and then I follow up with a hard copy letter, but I do the email as well, just because you don’t know if that hard copy letter is going to get to the person, if that makes sense, you know, so, but, and personalize it. Don’t, you know, you don’t do, if you have a group,

a panel interview or a bunch of different ones, don’t say the same thing because you just, you know, make it authentic and real.

Amy (36:36)
That’s great advice. mean, and this whole session has been filled with fantastic advice. Hopefully people will listen to this at least a time or two. ⁓ Where do you want people to connect with you if they want to follow your information and maybe even reach out to you and get some advice?

Alan Nelson (36:58)
Absolutely. ⁓ LinkedIn is the best place for me. And I’ll provide my LinkedIn handle. It’s really just you look up Alan Nelson. And if you probably added measured money maneuvers, which is, yeah, that’s a mouthful, my business, ⁓ you’ll find it. But ⁓ that’s where I post for a lot of different transition events and where, and I also do Financial Fitness Fridays. It’s been a little hard to do those, you know, kind of lunch and learns.

lately just with so many things going on, but I’ll post about those as well. And also on my website, I have ⁓ a lot of these resources that are free, especially money and career transition related that are free on the ⁓ resources tab. There’s an education piece, has, I have all the recordings for all the financial fitness Fridays and other career transition events that I do.

And then the slide decks for free download for anybody that’s interested.

Amy (37:57)
That’s awesome. Alan, is amazing. You’re an amazing person. ⁓ I’ve enjoyed knowing you for the last year or so. ⁓ I’m so glad that we had an opportunity to have you on the podcast so that you could share information with people. ⁓ I hope people take you up on or implement your advice in terms of reaching out. It’s true. People do want to help you. People love to be asked for advice ⁓ and asked for help.

Alan Nelson (38:02)
Thank you.

Amy (38:25)
⁓ So thank you, Allen, for your time. really appreciate it.

Alan Nelson (38:28)
Well, thank you both. The feeling is mutual. And what I shared with my wife when I first met all of you going to the first Meal Money Con, she couldn’t believe how helpful, like when I explained how everybody’s there in a mindset of abundance wanting to help each other out. Nobody’s afraid of anybody stealing their clients or anything. It’s, know, like ⁓ that’s what I’ve found with you, both of you and our whole MFA team. It’s just, you know, ⁓

And it’s an honor to be even asked to be a guest on your show.

Mike Hunsberger (39:03)
Yeah, we appreciate it, Alan. So yeah, again, great, great information that you shared. And I know people are going to get a lot of out of what you gave us. So we really appreciate you being on today.

Alan Nelson (39:17)
Thank you. I appreciate you having me. Cool. Okay. Take care. Yep. You too. Bye bye.

Amy (39:19)
Thanks, Ellen. Thanks, Ellen. Take care. Bye-bye.