Career Comparison Tool 2026 Rates
Military vs. civilian lifetime financial path — earnings, taxes, cost of living, and compounded invested wealth.
🪖 Your Military Path
Highest rank you expect to reach before separation or retirement.
Entered service after Jan 1, 2018? You're on BRS.
Include VA Disability Compensation
VA comp is tax-free and continues for life. Even 30% adds meaningful lifetime income.
💼 Your Civilian Path
Use GI Bill for Education
Post-9/11 GI Bill covers up to 36 months of schooling — offsets $80K–$120K in education costs.
Civilian Career Start Age
26
Auto-calculated from your military path
Average white-collar growth is 3–4%/yr. High performers in consulting or tech often see 5–7%.
Overtime, project bonuses, performance pay. Auto-defaults by industry.
Free money — employer deposits this directly into your 401k. Common match is 3–6%.
Equity / Stock Compensation
Annual equity value in Year 1 (RSUs/options). Grows with salary growth rate.
Tech and finance roles often receive $10K–$50K+ in annual equity grants.
Employer Provides Health Insurance
When ON, your out-of-pocket cost = ~$2,400/yr (single) or ~$6,000/yr (family). Employer covers the other ~$16K/yr of family coverage — shown as a benefit in your earnings breakdown.
🏠 Life Assumptions
7% is the historical average real return of a diversified index fund portfolio.