KateHorrell - Helping Military Families Make The Most of Their Money

What Military Moving Expenses are Tax-Deductible?

21 January 2019

This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

PCS moves are expensive. Even with all the allowances, you’ll sometimes have some out-of-pocket expenses, especially if you have pets. Thankfully, unreimbursed moving expenses can be deducted from your income taxes, and they’re a most valuable type of deduction. Disclaimer: I am not a tax professional. Do not make any decisions based solely on the… | Read More…

When Is The Next Military Payday?

17 January 2019

This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

One way to make this year great is to plan your finances, and that’s easier to do when you know when you’ll get paid. The next regular, active duty payday is Friday, 1 February 2019. When are you going to see that paycheck? Most military members will have their military pay deposited on Friday, 1 February… | Read More…

We Can’t Really Have It All

16 January 2019

This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

“You can’t have it all, all at once. Who – man or woman – has it all, all at once? Over my lifespan, I think I have had it all. But in different periods of time, things were rough. And if you have a caring life partner, you help the other person when that person… | Read More…

Kate Rants: If Your Rental Is Not Making Money, Stop Saying “It’s A Good Investment”

13 January 2019

This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

As a financial educator, and a military landlord myself, I spend a lot of time talking to military families about their rental houses. In almost all cases, these are houses that the family bought at a duty station, and then rented out when they PCSed away from the area. Maybe that was the plan all… | Read More…

New Law Will Make Tax Time Easier For Military Spouses

4 January 2019

This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

The president has signed the a bill that permits military spouses to choose the legal residence of their service member without having to actually live there and fulfill the other residency requirements. S. 2248 (115th): Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 has a provision that states: “For any taxable year of the marriage, the spouse… | Read More…

How To (Maybe) Fix A Blended Retirement System Opt-In Mistake

4 January 2019

This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

You may remember that last January, there was a flurry of concern about folks who had accidentally opted-in to the military’s new Blended Retirement System (BRS) when they were just trying to check their Leave and Earnings Statement (LES). While that particular problem seemed to have decreased as the year went on, there were other… | Read More…

Everything About Dislocation Allowance (DLA) & 2019 Rates

27 December 2018

This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

Planning a move? Make it a smooth move with Printables to Make Your PCS Move Smooth and Organized. Dislocation Allowance (DLA) is a military allowance designed to partially reimburse service members for some of the costs incurred when relocating a household. It is authorized for PCS moves, when ordered to move into military housing for the government’s… | Read More…

10 Things To Do During A Government Shutdown

24 December 2018

This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

For those of you not affected by THIS shutdown, read this article so you’re not in a bind next time it happens: 12 Ways to Prepare For The Next Government Shutdown It’s happened again: Congress has failed to pass a spending bill, and part of the federal government has shut down. Unfortunately, the part that has… | Read More…

Will This 2019 Government Shutdown Affect Military Families?

22 December 2018

This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

Current situation, 1/17: The Coast Guard did not receive pay on 1/15, and will not be paid until either a) the shutdown ends or b) a bill is passed to pay Congress. Coast Guard Retirees may not be paid on time at the end of January. With a partial government shutdown effective midnight last night,… | Read More…

BRS Interview with Doug Nordman

20 December 2018

This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

Welp, I’ve (finally) learned how to edit video enough to make a video that starts and ends at the right place. In this video, I talk to Doug Nordman about the military’s new Blended Retirement System (BRS). Doug is the author of The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Early Retirement, the founder of The… | Read More…

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