<prompt> Human: Im 32 years old and joining the U.S. Army as a medical officer in the fall, rank of 1st Lieutenant. I have no debt, no dependents, and no property. My only monthly bills are a 250month car payment and whatever I spend for Netflix, etc. Currently I have approximately 20,000 in a savings account but no investments or retirement fund. My basic pay will be 40,165.20 starting as a medical officer but I will also receive an allowance for housing which should be enough to cover all housing expenses including utilities. The plan is to make this a 20 year career.I need advice on starting a retirement fund or investing in property or anything else that may be beneficial. Ive been a student pretty much my entire adult life so I am sorely lacking in financial planning knowledge. Any financial advice will be greatly appreciated.  <response>: Your BAH and BAS will be another 15-25k or so a year and are tax free, so they represent a huge amount you can be putting away in retirement savings.Take advantage of the Thift Savings Plan, which is your 401k - a good start would be to enroll in a 500month contribution from the start and place it in their 2045 lifecycle fund.Live off post in an apartment well below your BAH rate for as long as you can, you will be able to save a lot this way.I was an Army officer for four years. When I got out, just recently, I was making 88kyr, about 30 of that tax free and with free health insurance, so it is definitely a career that will allow you to save. You definitely do put in the hours, though. 