Military Finances: Personal Money Management for Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families

by Cheryl Lawhorne-Scott, Don Philpott

Overview

Military Finances is essential reading for any soldier, veteran, or military family member concerned with their financial future. Members of the military often have a tough time handling their finances, whether it be while serving active duty or when returning to civilian life; and our uncertain economy and job market only magnify those issues. Many serving in the military are young, with little or no training in financial affairs, and face frequent deployments and relocations—all of which can wreak havoc on a person’s finances.

This book provides a one-stop guide to navigating the many financial questions facing today’s military in all phases of service:

• Active duty
• Preparing for transition or retirement
• And post-military lives and careers

It covers general financial planning along with many specific aspects of money management vital to military members and their families, proving an indispensable and informative resource for those who fight to defend our freedoms every day, and have for generations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442222144
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/11/2013
Series:	Military Life
Pages:	206
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Cheryl Lawhorne-Scott is a clinical therapist with an eighteen-year track record of counseling services specializing in trauma care, posttraumatic stress, and traumatic brain-injury treatment for wounded, ill, and injured service members and their families. As a senior consultant, under the Office of the Secretary of Defense, she is part of a team that seeks innovative and proactive ways to enhance resources and services to military members and their families. She recently participated in the corporate mission, vision, and implementation of projects for the Department of Defense to align current and future strategic plans and objectives. She possesses proven expertise in both program management and clinical experts in research, business development, and wounded care. Proud spouse and teammate to Lt. Col. Jeff Scott, and mom to Evan and Quinn.

Don Philpott is editor of International Homeland Security Journal and has been writing, reporting, and broadcasting on international events, trouble spots, and major news stories for almost forty years. For twenty years he was a senior correspondent with Press Association-Reuters, the wire service, and traveled the world on assignments including Northern Ireland, Lebanon, Israel, South Africa, and Asia.

He writes for magazines and newspapers in the United States and Europe and is a regular contributor to radio and television programs on security and other issues. He is the author of more than 120 books on a wide range of subjects and has had more than five thousand articles printed in publications around the world. His recent books include the Military Life series, Terror—Is America Safe?, Workplace Violence Prevention, and the Education Facility Security Handbook.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter One
Conducting your financial audit
Creating a Budget
Did You Know?
Protecting Your Finances
Pay and general money management
Chapter Two
Bank accounts, Savings and Investments
Electronic Banking
Saving
Working with financial and investment consultants
Savings
Credit Cards
Credit Scores
Credit Counseling
Loans and Financial Aid
Loans
Financial Aid
Chapter Three
Taxes
Chapter Four
Insurance
Chapter Five
Home owning
Moving
Chapter Six
Getting Married and Having a family
Getting Married
Legal Considerations
Medical
Starting a family
Self and Family
Chapter Seven
Education – funding yourself and offspring
Chapter Eight
Planning for leaving the military
Overview
Transitioning Assistance
Transition From Military to VA
Developing Your Own Individual Transition Plan (ITP)
Chapter Nine
Life after the military (transition/retirement)
Employment
Transitioning for a Wounded Warrior into the VA
Transitioning for a non-wounded warrior
Transitioning for a non-wounded, retiring warrior
Resources
Finance and Investment Glossary
Appendix

Editorial Reviews

Military Finances: Personal Money Management for Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families provides military members with a fine guide to everything from understanding and using the banking industry to planning for retirement, investing, and buying insurances. Coverage includes veterans, those currently serving, and military members planning for a transition and provides all the specifics linking military employ to financial concerns. All the common routines of military service, active duty and lifestyle are covered in chapters that cite the latest military routines and strategies, how to link them to personal benefit and financial management, and how to gain the most from benefits and their investment. No military collection should be without this.

California Bookwatch

This handy money-management guide is aimed squarely at those who have served in the U.S. military and their family members. Those serving in active duty may find it difficult to manage finances from far away; it can be equally difficult to deal with money when returning to 'normal' civilian life. It’s also important to remember that many join the service at a young age and do not have the benefit of experience. The book breaks down general financial planning into manageable chunks, covering topics such as taxes, investments, insurance, funding for education, home ownership, and transitioning to life after the military. Authors Lawthorne-Scott and Philpott each have personal and professional experience with the military, and it shows in their vocabulary and manner. Public libraries would do well to add this to the shelves of consumer financial-planning books; academic libraries with ROTC programs will find this a must-purchase.

Booklist

This handy money-management guide is aimed squarely at those who have served in the U.S. military and their family members. Those serving in active duty may find it difficult to manage finances from far away; it can be equally difficult to deal with money when returning to 'normal' civilian life. It’s also important to remember that many join the service at a young age and do not have the benefit of experience. The book breaks down general financial planning into manageable chunks, covering topics such as taxes, investments, insurance, funding for education, home ownership, and transitioning to life after the military. Authors Lawthorne-Scott and Philpott each have personal and professional experience with the military, and it shows in their vocabulary and manner. Public libraries would do well to add this to the shelves of consumer financial-planning books; academic libraries with ROTC programs will find this a must-purchase.

Booklist

Military Finances: Personal Money Management for Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families provides military members with a fine guide to everything from understanding and using the banking industry to planning for retirement, investing, and buying insurances. Coverage includes veterans, those currently serving, and military members planning for a transition and provides all the specifics linking military employ to financial concerns. All the common routines of military service, active duty and lifestyle are covered in chapters that cite the latest military routines and strategies, how to link them to personal benefit and financial management, and how to gain the most from benefits and their investment. No military collection should be without this.

This handy money-management guide is aimed squarely at those who have served in the U.S. military and their family members. Those serving in active duty may find it difficult to manage finances from far away; it can be equally difficult to deal with money when returning to 'normal' civilian life. It's also important to remember that many join the service at a young age and do not have the benefit of experience. The book breaks down general financial planning into manageable chunks, covering topics such as taxes, investments, insurance, funding for education, home ownership, and transitioning to life after the military. Authors Lawthorne-Scott and Philpott each have personal and professional experience with the military, and it shows in their vocabulary and manner. Public libraries would do well to add this to the shelves of consumer financial-planning books; academic libraries with ROTC programs will find this a must-purchase.

From the Publisher