The methodology I used was to look at the proposed changes to the military retirement system since 1993. There have been plenty of initiatives to change and ultimately reduce the military retirement system. My research focused on savings and investment programs that are of importance to soldiers. There has been talk of implementing some type of plan but that was all it turned out to be - talk.
Most recruits join for reasons other than money or some type of monetary payoff.
Most join for the purpose of education, to learn a job skill, to travel or for patriotic reasons. I determined that most soldiers choose to leave the Army because of low base pay, reduced quality of life and increased amount of family separation. What is interesting to note here is that the category of retirement benefits was growing significantly as a reason for soldiers leaving the military. Today, IRA's are the only instruments soldiers can use for tax-deferred savings. Surveys show that deteriorating retirement benefits are growing steadily as a reason for separation since 1992.