Goals, why do I need goals?  I'm pretty much set in my ways, and other than the bank owning about half of my house, I don't have much debt to speak of.  It took quite a bit of thought to figure out that even though I don't really need to have distinct goals, I do have them. 

      I want to retire at age 55 or so, depending on what is going on at that time.  I could "retire" right now, but that would mean an immediate move to a less expensive area of the USofA (probably Colorado, to be near the Wife's daughter).  With the economy and housing market being so bad, we would lose too much cash money on our house.  I want to retire with minimal if any debt, so we need to make a few dollars when we sell our current property.  I have the means and opportunity to complete a college degree, but maybe not the desire to spend three years sitting in classrooms.   I want to finish my project truck, but then I would have to get something else to work on. 

     My immediate goals are to get through each day without getting in trouble.  I am able to accomplish this goal on rare occasions.   On a weekly basis, I attempt to complete my chores around the house.   I even sneak out to the garage and work on my project truck, a 1937 International pickup.  I would like to finish this vehicle before I retire, but the main obstacle is a lack of funding and higher priority chores.  I make headway by "nickle and diming" it a part at a time and by doing work that only requires my time. 

     I am also exploring and developing my income streams.  My main income is my Military retirement that is augmented by my Veterans Administration (VA) disability rating.  They are not enough for me to maintain the lifestyle that I had become accustomed to.  I am now employed as a Federal Police Officer at Camp Pendleton, California, where I make enough to bridge the gap between my retirement pay and my fiscal requirements.  There are other benefits associated with my VA disability rating that I will take advantage of in the future.  I am also making a small pre-tax monthly contribution from my job to a U.S. Government Thrift Savings Plan that has some matching contributions.  My final income stream will be Social Security (assuming the program continues to be funded).  I am hoping that it will be enough to pay for my long term medical care insurance and any medical needs that my wife and I might have.  On the bright side, my financial advisor (My Wife), says we will be fairly comfortable after I am fully retired.  Of course, we will probably have to move to a less expensive state as mentioned above. 

     I am fortunate to have earned a 36 month college program called the Post 911 GI Bill.  The program will pay for the majority of my college fees along with a monthly housing allowance as long as I am a full time student.  I am not sure what type of degree that I will pursue, but I am leaning towards something like "Advanced Basket Weaving"?  All of these income streams will eventually lead to my being mostly debt free.  I know I will have real estate and income taxes, health care and basic living expenses.  We will also need to occasionally purchase new(er) vehicles as our current vehicles expire. 

     I do have a dream of operating a classic automobile repair business after my retirement from working a regular job.  It will be something along the lines of performing minor repairs and installing parts on other folks classic vehicles.  I don't think that I would charge a premium for my labor, since I enjoy working on old vehicles.  I feel that I could develop this into a profitable business with a bit of focus and advertising.  I could also outfit a truck and make house calls.  This would reduce the overhead down to maintenance of the truck rather than paying the costs for a shop.  The initial start-up costs would be about the same;  I would need to build and outfit a small shop OR buy a large truck and outfit it with the tools of the trade.  In the long run, the mobile business would probably be more economical, since I would not NEED a huge shop, even though I will probably have one anyway.