Most service members leave the military with little to show for it. You don’t have to.

You signed the papers, raised your right hand, and entered one of the most financially generous employment packages in Americo… and you’ve likely only scratched the surface.

Free housing allowances, tax-free combat pay, matching retirement contributions, zero-fee investment accounts, and SCRA protections that eliminate credit card fees entirely. Most first-term service members never learn to use any of it.

First-Term Finance is the straightforward, no-BS guide that walks you through exactly how to build real wealth on a military salary.

From your first paycheck to your first investment property. Written by a service member who went from a small town in upstate New York to Senior NCO to commissioned officer, real estate investor, private pilot and MBA candidate entirely through military pay and the strategies inside these pages.

INSIDE, YOU’LL DISCOVER HOW TO:

• Maximize TSP, Roth IRA, and BRS to build a retirement portfolio that most civilians your age can’t touch
  ◦ Use SCRA protections and military fee waivers to stack premium credit cards paying $0 in annual fees while earning thousands in travel rewards and cash back
  ◦ Turn BAH into a house-hacking investment that builds equity and generates rental income sometimes completely covering your mortgage
  ◦ Navigate the unique financial traps that target junior enlisted members face. Car lots, payday lenders, and on-base retailers, before they derail your financial future
  Build side income, launch a small business, and create multiple revenue streams while still on active duty.
  
  Prouty’s ‘First-Term Finance’ book is available online on Amazon in digital or hardcopy format.

About the Author
Matthew Prouty
First Lieutenant, United States Air Force | RQ-4 Global Hawk Pilot
17 Yrs Active Duty · RPA Pilot · MBA Candidate, Oklahoma State

SERVICE & LEADERSHIP
Matthew Prouty is a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and an RQ-4 Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft pilot assigned to Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, where he serves as Chief of the 319th Operations Group Commander’s Action Group. He entered the Air Force as a firefighter, spent seven years on the line, then served seven more as a military recruiter, rising to the rank of Master Sergeant, including two years as the Air Force Officer Accessions Regional Recruiting Manager over PACAF just prior to commissioning. After two rejections from Officer Training School, he earned it on the third attempt.
He holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and earned his private pilot’s license while stationed in Los Angeles. He will complete his MBA at Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business, one of the top ten online business programs in the country, in the fall of 2026.

WRITING
Matthew is the author of First-Term Finance, a personal finance guide for first-term military members, published under Nishkama Press LLC. The book draws on his own path from Master Sergeant to Company Grade Officer to deliver straight-talking, experience-grounded financial counsel to junior service members.

INVESTING & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Matthew is a one-third owner of JCM Properties, a real estate partnership based in Upstate New York that holds a ten-unit apartment building and recently completed the sale of a duplex. He has also joined two apartment syndications, giving him ownership stakes in over 200 units total, and currently house hacks at his home in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He manages a personal investment portfolio with a long-term, disciplined approach, and views financial independence as an extension of the same values that carried him through his military career: patience, consistency, and doing the work.

COMMUNITY & SERVICE
Matthew’s record of service extends well beyond the uniform. He served as Vice President, President, and later Senior Advisor of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA), advocating for enlisted members at every level. He served as President of his installation’s Firefighters Association, and while stationed at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, served as Vice President of the 1st Four Airman’s Council. There, he coordinated the delivery of 1,000 pairs of shoes to children in the city of Nasiriyah, an effort made possible by relationships he had quietly built back stateside, collecting donations long before he knew exactly where they would land.
He served on the Sweat Equity Board with Habitat for Humanity in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, and currently serves as President of AFA Chapter ND140.