u/Okeazzy18

For current or former Navy officers: what benefits, programs, financial opportunities, certifications, education, or career moves do you wish you had taken advantage of earlier?
One thing I’ve heard is to use the VA loan strategically early in your career and potentially rent the property out later. What other things should I be thinking about to really maximize my time in service?
I’m also going back and forth between making the Navy a 20–25 year career versus completing my initial obligation and transitioning to a civilian career. I’d especially like to hear from people who considered both paths.
What would you do differently if you were starting over as a junior officer today?

I’m currently preparing for the OAR for Navy OCS and could really use some advice on the best way to study.
For math, I mostly need a solid refresh on the different topics and more practice getting comfortable with the types of questions on the OAR.
Mechanical comprehension is the area I’m most unfamiliar with. I have basically no background in mechanics or physics, so I’ll be learning that section from scratch. I also want to make sure I’m prepared for reading comprehension.
For anyone who has taken the OAR, what resources helped you the most? Did you study each topic first and then move into practice tests, or learn mostly through practice questions?
Any recommendations for study guides, YouTube channels, websites, practice tests, or study schedules would be appreciated.

I’m 24 and have been consistently putting money into my Capital One high yield savings account. Recently, someone suggested I open an investment account with JPMorgan and start investing instead.

So far, I’ve bought some VOO, but it hasn’t performed as well as I expected. I know investing is a long term game, but it got me wondering if I should be putting my money into ETFs like VOO, mutual funds, or something else.
My goal is pretty simple: I want to invest consistently over the next 20 to 25 years and hopefully end up with around $1 million. I’m not looking to get rich overnight. I’d rather choose investments that have historically grown steadily over time and just keep adding to them.

If you were starting at 24 with a long time horizon, what would you invest in and why? Any advice on building a simple, long term portfolio would be appreciated.