Flying Mom to the Colosseum, OCONUS Credit Cards Strategy, and the Second Mountain with Jared Mataitusi #217
Episode Description
What if you could have SIX Chase Sapphire Reserve cards—each with zero annual fees—while maxing your TSP and living an incredible life of travel?
Air Force Captain Jared Mataitusi reveals exactly how he and his wife stack premium credit cards, earn elite status, fly family to Europe for free, and still save aggressively toward financial independence. This is the ultimate military financial strategy you've been waiting for.
Jared shares how he went from credit card float in college to managing 32 cards with his wife, earning six-figure travel benefits annually while maintaining a high savings rate.
The conversation covers upgrading Freedom cards to multiple Sapphire Reserves, using deployment sprints to accelerate wealth, flying family overseas on points, TSP automation strategies, and how military service is a "cheat code" to financial independence when approached intentionally.
Key Topics & Questions CoveredCredit Card Strategy
Building Wealth on Active Duty
Travel & Lifestyle
Military Life & Financial Independence
Philosophy & Mindset
Resources & Links MentionedJared's Content:
- The Military Miler Podcast https://militarymiler.com/
- Military Travel Rewards https://militarytravelrewards.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/military_miler
Credit Card Tools:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve & Freedom card upgrade strategy
- Amex Platinum multiple card strategy
- United Travel Bank for airline credits
- StubHub credit usage internationally
Budgeting & Tracking:
- YNAB (You Need A Budget) https://www.ynab.com/
- Monarch Money https://www.monarch.com/
- Net worth tracking tools (Kubera, Google Sheets)
Books & Concepts:
- The Motivation Myth by Darren Hardy
- Die With Zero by Bill Perkins
- The Second Mountain by David Brooks
- Dave Ramsey's debt snowball method
- Morgan Housel on moving goalposts
TSP & Investing:
- Military Money Manual TSP Course https://militarymoneymanual.com/tsp
- LADS Method: Low-cost, Automated, Diversified, Simple
- Financial Order of Operations (Military Version)
Other Resources:
- Reddit Military Finance community https://www.reddit.com/r/MilitaryFinance/
- Jesse Mecham (YNAB founder) on lifestyle creep
- Ramit Sethi: "No prize for living a smaller life"
Spencer and Jamie offer one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions. Get your personal military money and personal finance questions answered in a confidential coaching call. militarymoneymanual.com/mentor
Over 20,000 military servicemembers and military spouses have graduated from the 100% free course available at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3
In the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course, you can learn how to apply for the most premium credit cards and get special military protections, such as waived annual fees, on elite cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card.
Learn how active duty military, military spouses, and Guard and Reserves on 30+ day active orders can get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3
If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com.
Want to be confident with your TSP investing? Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE!
If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual.