AFWAW, You need to have other tasks to take your mind off this at times...one online class would help you focus and give you an "out" if you needed it when your W ask what you are doing...it would also help you not think that a night out at the bar is your only option when your daughter is with her mother. You need multiple tasks and to be able to juggle these tasks and pritorize them as needed...the situation with your W should not be foremost in your thoughts 24/7.
I am worried about you becoming clincally depressed. Any efforts on bumping up your PT score...do not fall in that trap of I am done for the year. Set personal goals that you can do such as 10 seconds off your runtime per month. Two extra pushup and one extra situp. PT is better for treating depression than drugs (if you believe the doctors)
Are you trying to sell the house? Not a good time right now...if you can rent it and cover the payment consider waiting...use the house as part of your longterm retirement plan. Think of it as an annuity that you leave for your daughter and supplement your retirement...the economy will come back...a rental is a great tax benefit. That is how many make a living doing this...multiple properties making a few hundred dollars each per month add up...if it is in good shape you will always be able to find a renter. Check with a Property Management firm to get an idea...buy a CD worth 2-3 months rent and save it for your emergency payments.
Hard call on retirement...I have to agree with you that your daughter needs the stability right now...do you think you will deploy again when your turn comes around? Any special dutys you can take to hold off for now...I would like to see you pickup SMSgt/CMSgt and do 30...the retirement is a big difference from your current situation and should also be an incentive for your W to have a better understanding of money...
For you to think about...your W really needs to wake up if her fear is money and your ability to find a job later. This is what your (and hers) retirement fund is worth right now according to MilitaryTimes
So, going back to the E-7 with 20 years of service, what is his military pension of $20,052 per year really worth? Most experts agree that to ensure your retirement funds will last a lifetime, you cannot take out more than 4 percent of your capital each year. If you wish to increase your retirement income each year to keep up with inflation, a 3 percent withdrawal from capital each year is a more reasonable figure. To replace an annual pension of $20,052 based on a 3 percent withdrawal rate, you'd need $668,400 ($20,052 divided by 0.03 equals $668,400).
I show this to you knowing you probably already know but reality is you and your wife are worth about $1.2M when she hits her 20. It will be more since she has 5 yrs to go and you will move to 62.5% of your base pay. Her argument about poverty is not valid...I doubt 2% of the population is worth that much at 44ish yrs old...so you get those thoughts of living on the street out of your mind. You are not going to be unemployed, you are not going on welfare, you are not going to lose everything you have...selling the house is just not a good idea right now so add it to your portfolio...call USAA for free advice.
Don't get down on yourself...blood in the water for the sharks to attack you.
