KateHorrell

Helping Military and Veteran Families Be Confidently Prepared for The Next Stage of Life

  • Your Military Family’s Everything-You-Need Binder
  • Military Scholarships
  • Your PCS Checklist
  • Military Separation Checklist
  • Military Retirement Checklist
  • KateHorrell.com Home Page
  • About
  • Resources

2023 Increases In Military Retirement Pay (plus VA Disability and Social Security)

19 October 2022

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 2023 military retirement pay increase (aka retired COLA) has been calculated, and it’s a whopping 8.7% for those who retired prior to 2022! This projected increase is based on the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. The Social Security adjustment changes the VA disability compensation rates by law. For military, retired COLA adjustments don’t happen automatically… | Read More…

7 Comments
Filed Under: Pay, Retirement

Life Insurance or SBP? Asking The Right Questions

11 October 2022

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!

Life Insurance or SBP? (That’s the military’s Survivor Benefit Plan.) If I had a nickle for every time I was asked that question – well, I’d be able to go out for a coffee this week. And next week. And every week into the future. At least once a day, someone asks me some variation… | Read More…

3 Comments
Filed Under: Pay, Retirement

Banks and Credit Unions With Early Deposit Of Military Pay

11 March 2022

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!

Who doesn’t love getting an early deposit of military pay? Everyone likes getting paid, and people really like getting paid early. Even when you’re financially secure, and you don’t need the money immediately, there’s a psychological boost from getting paid a day or two before the actual payday. (Not a psychologist, can’t explain why, but… | Read More…

15 Comments
Filed Under: Pay

Social Security Tax Repayment: What To Do With A Corrected W-2

28 December 2021

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!

Most military service members are finishing up the Social Security tax repayment from the deferral that happened in the last part of 2020. This will be a change in your paycheck and you may get a corrected 2020 W-2. What Were The Deferral and Repayment? From September through December of 2020, Social Security taxes were… | Read More…

2 Comments
Filed Under: Pay, Taxes

Ten Alternatives To A Payday Loan

6 November 2021

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!

It’s not uncommon common to find yourself stuck in a situation where your expenses have grown a little too big for your paycheck.  When that happens, it is easy to look for a fast and simple solution to your problem.  Fast and simple solutions are rarely permanent solutions, and often they make the overall problem… | Read More…

1 Comment
Filed Under: Pay

12 Ways To Prepare For The Next Government Shutdown

22 September 2021

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 much as we all like to think that military pay is a sure thing, there are situations that can affect it. And, as always, having a plan is the first step in dealing with whatever life throws at you. What should military families be doing to be better prepared for the next government shutdown?… | Read More…

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Pay, Personal Finance

The Budget vs. Debt Ceiling: How Government Shutdowns Could Affect Military Pay

9 August 2021

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!

Editor’s note: Every time I publish something like this, I get a bunch of people telling me that I’m being dramatic, that the military will always get paid, and that I’m being irresponsible for getting people upset. That’s not the intent at all. If you’ve spent any time at all around these parts, you know… | Read More…

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Pay

Five Things To Check On Your Military Retiree Account Statement

27 June 2021

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!

Retired military members receive a monthly account statement similar to the active duty Leave and Earnings Statement. When you’re still serving, you get an LES each month to list all your pays, allowances, deductions, and allotments. Once you transfer to the retired side, the same information is available on your Retiree Account Statement (RAS). Just… | Read More…

3 Comments
Filed Under: Pay, Retirement

85 Ways To Get Through A Long Pay Period

25 March 2021

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!

Because months aren’t always 28 days long, and because military paydays don’t happen on weekends or holidays, there are times where there is a long stretch between military paychecks. Sometimes, it can be as long as 20 days! If you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, or you budget pretty tightly, that can create some challenges to making sure… | Read More…

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Pay

New To The Military: Understanding Military Pay Raises

5 February 2021

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 of the great things about the military pay scale is that there are regular raises built right into the system. When you’re first starting out, they come a little more frequently, then the pace tapers off after you’ve been in the military a while. There are three types of regular pay raises in the… | Read More…

1 Comment
Filed Under: Pay

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Search

WELCOME!

Hi! I'm Kate! Accredited Financial Counselor®, Navy spouse, and mom of four.

Here at the blog, I talk about the financial issues that affect military families - pay, allowances, and benefits. Plus college stuff, landlording, moving, taxes. We cover a little bit of everything.

My goal is to give you the tools to make the best decisions right now, so you'll be confidently prepared for whatever comes next - whether that's a PCS move, transition to civilian life, or retirement.

So grab a cup of coffee, tea, or whatever makes you happy, and let's get to know each other.

Your Military Family's Everything-You-Need Binder
Home About Resources Contact/Media Privacy Policy
  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Affiliate Disclosure

This site does contain advertising and affiliate links. If you click on an advertisement or link, I may be compensated. I only promote companies that I love and trust. Kings High Media/KateHorrell.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Disclaimer

Kate does not represent the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any government agency. This blog is strictly for informational and entertainment purposes only. The content on this site should not be considered professional financial or legal advice. I may receive compensation through affiliate or advertising relationships from products mentioned on this site. All reviews on this site represent the personal opinions of the author. All references to third party products, rates, and offers may change without notice.

©2022 Kate Horrell and Kings High Media. All Rights Reserved.
Site development by Olive & Ivy Design