Author: USVM Editor

The Ms. Veteran America competition highlights more than the strength, courage, and sacrifice of our nations military women, but also reminds us that these women are Mothers, Daughters, Sisters and Wives. The 2024 event is coming to the Marriott Orlando Airport Lakeside, October 13, 2024.Ms. Veteran America is a movement, encouraging women veterans to uplift each other and find their tribe. The purpose of this event is to showcase “The Woman Beyond the Uniform“.Proceeds from this event provides housing for homeless women Veterans and their children. Women Veterans are currently the fastest growing homeless population in America. Over half of…

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…

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…

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 &…

The San Diego Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) is proud to present the 36th Annual Department of the Navy Gold Coast Small Business Procurement Event from August 19 – 21, 2024.The NDIA Department of the Navy Gold Coast Event, coming to the San Diego Convention Center is the premier Navy procurement conference in the country. Gold Coast provides a forum to educate, guide, and assist businesses, large and small, in support of the warfighter mission within Department of the Navy and throughout the DOD.The event provides exciting and relevant topics delivered by government and industry experts –…