About First Premier Bank: An Advisory Firm Built Around Military Careers

Am I a good fit for First Premier Bank, and who isn't?

You'll get the most from us if you've retired from the service, or will soon, and you're juggling 3 things at once: a military pension, a Thrift Savings Plan balance and a paycheck from a second career. The minimum is $500K in investable assets. Below that, you're probably better off with the TSP's own tools and a good tax preparer for now.

It's also not a fit if you want someone to pick stocks or promise a return. We don't do either. And if your situation is simple (one TSP account, no survivor questions, a steady W-2 job), a few evenings of your own reading may be enough.

Why work this way? Veterans rarely face one big decision. They face six small ones with different due dates: a survivor election, a rollover, a state tax question, a health coverage change, a match at the new employer. So we list them in order of due date and settle each with real numbers on the table.

Here's a hypothetical. A retired Army sergeant first class, age 44, draws a $3,000-a-month pension, holds $600K in the TSP and earns $95K at a defense contractor. The usual advice is to roll the TSP into an IRA for more fund choices. Before First Premier Bank suggests that, we price it. If the IRA funds cost 0.45% more a year, that's $2,700 a year on $600K (0.45% of $600K), or about $81,000 over 30 years before any growth. The rollover then has to buy something worth that, or it waits. Sometimes it does; often it doesn't. Every investment can lose money, including what you first put in, so cost is one of the few things you control.

The paperwork and the roadmap you hold

We ask for paper you already have: the latest TSP statement, your military retired pay statement, the VA award letter if you get one, your most recent tax return and the year-end statements from any other accounts. We'll tell you how to send them; keep Social Security numbers out of ordinary email.

At First Premier Bank, you see the roadmap as a short written list. Each line has a decision, its due date, the numbers behind it and who has to act, whether that's you, the TSP or your employer's HR office. We go through it with you on a video call or by phone, and you keep the copy.

The table shows that the fee conversation comes before any document changes hands.

Do I need to be retired already?

No. The sweet spot is the 3 years before you retire through the first few years after, because that's when due dates stack up: the survivor election, the first income draws from the TSP, a new employer's benefits and your first civilian tax return with a pension on it. We also work with reservists and with veterans who retired a decade ago and never had these questions checked.

The firm is open to other clients too; the examples here just come from military careers. First Premier Bank serves 426,000 clients and $3.2 billion in client assets as of 10/19/2026.

Our office is at 1355 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101, but you don't have to live nearby. We meet clients in any state by video and by phone, which suits people who've moved every 3 years and may do it again.

TSP rollovers, SBP and tax work, in order

First Premier Bank offers 4 services, and they feed each other. Which one goes first depends on your due dates, not on our preference.

Some states tax military retirement pay and some don't; check your state's rules before you assume either way.

• Survivor Benefit Plan analysis: We compare the monthly premium taken from your pension with the benefit your spouse would receive, and with other ways to cover the same gap.
• Military retirement planning: We map the pension, any VA pay and your civilian salary against your spending, then decide when income draws from savings should start.
• TSP to IRA rollover: We price the move first, then do it as a direct transfer if it earns its place.
• Tax planning for veterans: We estimate the tax cost of each choice above before you make it, since VA disability pay and pension pay are taxed differently.