JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
The Military and Family Support Center will offer a variety of financial education workshops February 22 -26 in support of Military Saves Week 2016.
Since 2003, Military Saves Week has served as an annual DOD Financial Readiness Campaign, which seeks to persuade, motivate, and encourage military families to save money. Military Saves encourages all service members, their families, and civilian employees to "Take the Military Saves Pledge." According to MilitarySaves.org, "fewer than 50% of Americans say they have a savings plan with specific goals, 56% of divorces cite financial stress as the leading cause of the breakdown of marriage, and money is the top source of psychological stress for adults."
"At Joint Base Andrews, this campaign provides an opportunity for leaders at all levels to promote and reinforce healthy financial habits for service members and their family members by creating an awareness of the importance in saving, to help them reach their financial and personal goals," said Jamie- Lynn Smith, Military and Family Support Center section chief.
"My goal as Joint Base Andrews' personal financial manager is to bring excitement to financial readiness. Money can sometimes be a taboo subject, so we promote financial resiliency among Airmen and their families by creating a fun learning environment that encourages personnel to create a spending plan, get out of debt, save, and invest their money wisely," said Walter Anderson, Military and Family Support Center community readiness consultant. "Money is easy to get, but hard to hold onto for many, so we teach individuals to manage money in a way others won't today, so tomorrow they can do what others can't - basically, living below their means," said Anderson.
Joint Base Andrews M&FSC is holding a series of financial classes to help Airmen start saving, planning and investing in partnership with Andrews Federal Credit Union, Military & Family Life Counselor - Personal Financial Counselor, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The week's classes include:
22 Feb (Monday)
Noon - 1:30 p.m. & 5 - 6:30 p.m. - Create Your Financial Vision
3 - 4:30 p.m. - Couponing
23 Feb (Tuesday)
9 - 9:30 a.m. - Take Control of Your Finances: Avoid Drowning in Debt and Borrow Wisely
9:30 - 10 a.m. - Financial Jeopardy: Credit & Debt Management
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Home Buying Workshop
24 Feb (Wednesday)
9 - 10 a.m. - Before You Take Off: Financial Planning for Deployment
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Mo' Money Mo' Problems
25 Feb (Thursday)
Noon - 1:30 p.m. - Car Buying Workshop
3 - 4:30 p.m. - Home Buying Workshop
26 Feb (Friday)
8 - 8:50 a.m. - Securities & Exchange Commission - Saving and Investing
9 - 9:50 a.m. - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - Financial Products and Services - Protecting Those Who Serve
10 - 10:50 a.m. - Federal Trade Commission - Fraud/Identity Theft
11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board - TSP @ A Glance Early to Mid-Career
2 - 4:30 p.m. - Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board -TSP Pre-Separation to Retirement & Beyond
In addition to the pledge, the Military and Family Support Center will host a Personal Finance event, targeted to youth at Imagine Andrews Charter School and the Youth Center. "The brain is the creature of repetition; therefore, education and awareness is essential to leading our future generation to financial wellness," Anderson said.
For more information on Military Saves week, visit w
ww.militarysaves.org, or contact the Military and Family Support Center at 301-981-7087.
To register for any of the above mentioned workshops, visit
http://jbamilitarysaves2016.eventbrite.com.
We welcome all military members, spouses, DOD civilians, and retirees to participate throughout the week.