Logo
Support The Mission
Archive
Subscribe
Work With Me
Tools
Log In
Logo
Zak H
Zak H

Enlisted Navy Veteran | Columbia University Undergrad | NYU Stern MBA

Newsletter

New York gave 100% P&T vets $0 property tax in February. April took it back.

Oct 22, 2026

•

6 min read

New York gave 100% P&T vets $0 property tax in February. April took it back.

The exemption isn't automatic in any state. Which office takes the form, the deadline that applies to you, whether missed years come back, and the renewal form that costs veterans a year.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

As you read this, the VA is giving me a colonoscopy. The cash price is $2,331.

Oct 15, 2026

•

6 min read

As you read this, the VA is giving me a colonoscopy. The cash price is $2,331.

It's not for anything I'm rated for. My bill is still $0, because of one rule that starts at 10%. Here's the math.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

New Fiscal Year. Chapter 35 just went up $47 a month. I audited all 25 tools.

Oct 9, 2026

•

7 min read

New Fiscal Year. Chapter 35 just went up $47 a month. I audited all 25 tools.

Arizona now fully exempts 100% and TDIU veterans from property tax. Georgia's new retirement break doesn't start until 2027. Here's what moved.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

My VR&E counselor told me to dropout of Columbia. The VA paid $80,000 a year instead.

Oct 1, 2026

•

7 min read

My VR&E counselor told me to dropout of Columbia. The VA paid $80,000 a year instead.

$50,000 isn't a cap. It's just where your counselor stops signing alone. Here's what I said back.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

A 0% VA rating pays $0 a month. It also opens a $32.5 billion door.

Sep 24, 2026

•

6 min read

A 0% VA rating pays $0 a month. It also opens a $32.5 billion door.

Any rating, even 0%, can certify your business for set-aside federal contracts. I built a tool that shows what veterans in your line of work got paid.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

I filled the founding five in four weeks. Three more spots open today.

Sep 17, 2026

•

3 min read

I filled the founding five in four weeks. Three more spots open today.

Officers, enlisted, from five years to thirty-two in. They all thought they were probably missing something. They were right. A free hour is how you find out. Here's how it works.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

Texas hands an 88M a $56K CDL job with zero tests. I mapped what your state does.

Sep 10, 2026

•

5 min read

Texas hands an 88M a $56K CDL job with zero tests. I mapped what your state does.

31 licensed occupations, all 50 states and DC, every rule sourced and dated. Enter your MOS and the state you're headed to. Here's what transfers, what it pays there, and what you'd be re-earning for no reason.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

My first year out, I was uninsured. The VA would've covered me for $0 a month.

Sep 3, 2026

•

5 min read

My first year out, I was uninsured. The VA would've covered me for $0 a month.

My TRICARE ended at 11:59 p.m. on June 18, 2018. One combat deployment made me eligible for VA care the whole time. Tool #22 puts your dates on one timeline. Here's the math.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

"The VA is approving me for $700K." That's not a brag. That's a problem.

Aug 27, 2026

•

6 min read

"The VA is approving me for $700K." That's not a brag. That's a problem.

A reader texted me that line. It turned into tool #21: the number a lender approves, next to the number you can actually live with.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

I've taken 50 of these calls for free. Today it becomes a real business.

Aug 20, 2026

•

4 min read

I've taken 50 of these calls for free. Today it becomes a real business.

Five veterans a month, six months each, every benefit you earned mapped and funded. Here's how it works.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

My own tool shorted E-5 pay by $171 a month. So I audited all 20.

Aug 14, 2026

•

5 min read

My own tool shorted E-5 pay by $171 a month. So I audited all 20.

State laws changed, OPM froze rates, and a few of my numbers went stale. I re-checked all 20 tools against the primary sources. Here's what I caught.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

Most pay $6,850/year for health coverage. I pay $0, and so could you.

Aug 6, 2026

•

7 min read

Most pay $6,850/year for health coverage. I pay $0, and so could you.

One compensable VA rating, even 10%, erases every visit and hospital copay. For any condition, not just the rated one. Here's the math.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

I can't give my daughter my GI Bill. She still gets $56,664.

Jul 30, 2026

•

7 min read

I can't give my daughter my GI Bill. She still gets $56,664.

The transfer window closed the day I separated. Here's what's still on the table for her, and the one form you can only file while you're still in.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

I asked our new AI one VR&E question. The answer's worth $1,000+ a month.

Jun 11, 2026

•

3 min read

I asked our new AI one VR&E question. The answer's worth $1,000+ a month.

A cleaner home for all 14 free tools — plus a free AI assistant that answers your benefit questions in plain English.

Zak H
Zak H
I almost let someone manage my TSP. It would've cost me $488,607.

Jun 4, 2026

•

7 min read

I almost let someone manage my TSP. It would've cost me $488,607.

The TSP charges about $105/year on $300K. The guy who wanted to manage it charged $3,000. Here's the math.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

The stay-vs-separate decision deserves better than Reddit

May 27, 2026

•

7 min read

The stay-vs-separate decision deserves better than Reddit

Stay to 20 or separate now? Four paths. Four different answers. Here's the math.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

$4,158/mo in San Diego pays rent. In Lisbon you're top 10%.

May 14, 2026

•

8 min read

$4,158/mo in San Diego pays rent. In Lisbon you're top 10%.

Your VA disability is the same in every country. So is your military retirement, FERS, SS, and GI Bill MHA. Here's where they go furthest.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

$1.6 million. 173 days. We paid $3,000.

May 6, 2026

•

7 min read

$1.6 million. 173 days. We paid $3,000.

No new tool this week. Just the story that started everything.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

I had a TS/SCI. I still didn't know what came next.

Apr 30, 2026

•

9 min read

I had a TS/SCI. I still didn't know what came next.

Your rate is not your fate in the real world. Here's the tool I wish I had at separation.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

My buddy paid $11,814 once. It pays him back $21,682 every year, for life.

Apr 23, 2026

•

5 min read

My buddy paid $11,814 once. It pays him back $21,682 every year, for life.

The military buyback ROI most federal employees never run because the calculator hasn't existed.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

750 of you just showed up. Here's what you walked into.

Apr 15, 2026

•

6 min read

750 of you just showed up. Here's what you walked into.

The retirement calculator brought you here. Here's the other 7 tools you didn't know about.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

The GI Bill vs. VR&E decision most veterans get wrong

Apr 7, 2026

•

9 min read

The GI Bill vs. VR&E decision most veterans get wrong

The sequencing strategy that can be worth $40,000–$80,000. And why the VA's own tool won't tell you about it.

Zak H
Zak H

VRE

+3

VR&E (Chapter 31) — The VA Benefit Most Veterans Don't Know About

Apr 2, 2026

•

16 min read

VR&E (Chapter 31) — The VA Benefit Most Veterans Don't Know About

VR&E (Chapter 31) can pay for a full degree, a laptop, and a monthly stipend — without touching your GI Bill. Here's how to qualify, apply, and maximize it.

Zak H
Zak H

Guide

+2

Best State for Veterans — All 50 States Ranked (2026)

Apr 1, 2026

•

8 min read

Best State for Veterans — All 50 States Ranked (2026)

Which state is actually best for veterans? We ranked all 50 states on property tax exemptions, military retirement income tax, and more — personalized to your VA rating and home value.

Zak H
Zak H

Newsletter

I moved from Florida to New Jersey and back to Florida. Here's what it cost me.

Mar 30, 2026

•

8 min read

I moved from Florida to New Jersey and back to Florida. Here's what it cost me.

The tool I wish I had before I made that decision.

Zak H
Zak H

You already signed your life away once, what’s one more time? Just subscribe.


The Better Veteran

Showing veterans what they don't know they don't know - and exactly what it's worth.

Quick Links

Subscribe

Archive

Subscription

Search

Signup

Reset Password

Update Password

Socials

© 2026 The Better Veteran.
beehiivPowered by beehiiv