Original Message

You are the third response from someone who doesnt understand BRS, you can read about BRS here, rather than repeating something you heard.

https://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Retirement.aspx

After 20 years with BRS you get 40% of your pay in the last 36 months.  Yes it's not 50%, but it's not nothing either.  The 10 pecent is offset by an automatic monthly one percent of base pay contribution to your TSP that does not require the service member to put in any money.  You are free to invest that money however you like including keeping it in the no risk TSP G fund which still typically has a 3% rate of return.

BRS is not a bad system considering most people who joint the armed forces don't stay 20 years.  Instead of a young person that say, does four years and gets out, getting nothing towards retirement other than what they allotted for TSP, the armed forces have given them 4% of their base pay over the four years, to invest as they see fit, including a no risk option.  That's nearly $5,000 over four years, when before if they left after four years they would have gotten nothing. Even the G fund would have probably paid out about an additional $600 over that time.  

TSP is a hell of a lot better than a 401k.  My TSP has lost nothing, my 401k has lost about 20 percent of its value over the last five years on very conservative income funds.  

Please read the link to understand BRS.