No matter your stage of life, from those just starting out to those nearing retirement, everyone’s financial future is more stable when the foundation is strong. It’s what holds up the rest of your financial dreams like saving for a home, paying for college education or even retiring one day. So take some time to see how you are doing in each of these four financial foundations.BUDGETINGBudget doesn’t have to be a financial “dirty” word. Think of it more as a way to create a plan to spend your money on things that matter to you. You can even get…
Author: USVM
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By Elizabeth DePompei For 15 years, Jennifer Alvarado lived in survival mode. She struggled to hold a job, was at risk of homelessness and relied on food banks to feed her family. It was exactly the kind of life she hoped to avoid when she joined the Navy as a 19-year-old single mom.But after years of intimate partner violence compounded by military sexual trauma, Alvarado felt lost. At times, she found solace in drinking, and during one phase in her life, she considered suicide. “Once I got out [of the Navy], there was no transition from military to civilian,” Alvarado…
Service members, retirees, family members, honorably discharged veterans and others authorized to shop online at military exchanges will be able to stream over 5,000 hours of coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games for free, thanks to a partnership between the Army and Air Force Exchange Service and Comcast NBCUniversal, Military Times recently reported.The Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to Aug. 11, and authorized users can stream the action through their personal devices and computers through ShopMyExchange.com.All service branches are eligible. Due to content rights restrictions, an active ShopMyExchange.com account is required. Online verification of your military…
By Rear Admiral Brian LutherTransitioning from military service to civilian life, subsequently followed by retirement, requires the same level of planning as any mission, flight or operation conducted while on active duty. Many service members suffer avoidable mistakes that needlessly jeopardize their future due to a lack of planning or situational awareness of benefits earned, change in pay status or laws that are applied since they’re no longer on active duty. The following is an eight-point checklist to help military personnel and veterans avoid financial planning mistakes for a smoother and more successful transition. Fail to Plan, Plan to FailDelaying…
By Jeff Haden When I worked in manufacturing, I regularly visited other facilities to assess productivity, waste, costs, retention—basically everything the plant measured. (And to recommend a few areas they should measure.) I was fairly good at spotting problems and creating plans to address those problems, but I didn’t follow a formal structure. A little pattern matching, a dollop of experience—those were my guides.What I needed was the approach described by Jocko Willink, a former Navy SEAL, best-selling author, and leadership instructor in his new class on MasterClass.“There are four laws of combat leadership,” Willink says. “Cover and move, simplify,…
Even if you don’t work for a specific construction company, the industry has numerous opportunities for veteran-owned businesses and entrepreneurs. In an effort to create stronger partnerships, most construction companies are required to implement supplier diversity programs. Supplier diversity is the practice of purposefully including a diverse supplier pool when securing goods and services for a business. While this does apply to businesses that are minority and women-owned, these opportunities also extend to the veteran community.Here’s how your small business can benefit from a supplier diversity partnership within the construction industry.Opportunities for Business Growth Supplier diversity partnerships are fantastic for…
By Ava Weiss Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a mental health disorder that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident or sexual assault. Almost everybody has stress reactions in the immediate aftermath of events like these, such as difficulty sleeping, feeling on edge or having painful memories of the event. But, while most people gradually feel better over time, some continue to have lasting symptoms that interfere with their lives and well-being. In some cases, those symptoms take the form of PTSD.Most people have heard of PTSD and…
National Veterans Transition Services, Inc., aka REBOOT is committed to helping transitioning active-duty, recently separated service members, guard/reserves, veterans, and spouses prepare for the journey to civilian life after service. To accomplish this, we partnered with the most prominent leading transition specialists in the country to provide you with the best-in-class transition management tools and services available.With over 13 years of experience as military-to-civilian transition specialists, we recommend starting as early as 2 years before separation to ensure your successful transition.Our no-cost services are are offered online, virtual, and in-person where applicable. Here are just a few of the things…
In Celebration of Our 50th Anniversary, NU is Investing $30 Million in New Scholarships! Focus On One Subject at a Time, One Month at a Time, and Finish Your Degree Faster.Military service members, veterans, members of the Reserve and National Guard, and their families are valued members of NU’s community. That’s why we provide dedicated support through our Veteran Center to help ease the transition from military to civilian life, navigate Military Tuition Assistance and VA Education Benefits, provide academic and career guidance, and much more.Choose from 190+ Degree ProgramsMore than 50% off tuition for military, plus tuition assistance &…
