Moving has challenges. (If that isn’t the biggest understatement ever.) And just when you think that you’re past the hard part, sometimes your stuff gets delayed. Maybe there was a problem at the warehouse, or your truck driver quit, or the ship broke. But to you, the reason doesn’t really matter, because you just need… | Read More…
Eleven Real Estate Lessons I Learned as an Accidental Landlord
This is the story of my first house, which my wife and I bought in our twenties. Things worked out in the end, but there are some lessons that we learned that I would like to share with our military audience. You might find great success in your real estate transactions (although the successful people… | Read More…
The Ultimate PCS Guide to Your Best Household Goods Delivery Ever
I’ve had lots of positive feedback to The Ultimate PCS Guide to Packing Out, and a request for a similar piece talking about household goods delivery. Thankfully, this one won’t be quite as long! Generally speaking, a regular delivery of household goods will take less than a single day. A little preparation before the delivery arrives will… | Read More…
Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) For PCS Moves
When executing Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, a military member may be authorized one or two similar allowances that help defray the cost of staying in temporary lodging after moving out of your house, and before moving into a new house. The two allowances differ just a bit, depending on whether you are within… | Read More…
How To Renew Your Driver’s License When You’re Out-of-State
Military families move around a lot, and that can make many things complicated. Thankfully, most states let you retain your out-of-state driver’s license if you are living elsewhere only because of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. But what happens when your driver’s license is expiring? How can you renew it without traveling to… | Read More…
The Math of Buying and Selling Houses, Military-Style
The topic of home ownership for military families is a hot one. I absolutely agree that there are many reasons that a military family may want to buy a house: the pleasure of being able to do whatever you want to the house, the guarantee that you won’t have to move mid-tour, the difficulty in… | Read More…
What Military Moving Expenses are Tax-Deductible?
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: No article can address every specific tax situation. Do not make any decisions based solely… | Read More…
Military Spouses and Drivers Licenses
Note: all information and links about military spouses and driver’s licenses is accurate as of 28 July 2020. However, this is not legal advice. If you’re not sure about the rules in your state, use the links listed below to verify the regulations or check with your base legal office. It’s the big question: do… | Read More…
Everything About Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA)
When a military person or family is executing Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, there are two similar allowances that help defray the cost of staying in temporary lodging after moving out of your house, and before moving into a new house. The two allowances are slightly different depending on whether you are within the… | Read More…
Three Things To Buy Before Your Next Move
Moving is hard work. Whether you’re moving yourself or having someone else move you, there are a couple of tricks to make the move easier. Well, actually, there are many tricks (you can see pages and pages of them in Printables to Make Your PCS Move Smooth and Organized), but there are a couple of key… | Read More…