KateHorrell

Helping Military Families Make The Most of Their Money

10+ Places To Learn About The Survivor Benefit Plan


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The choice whether to purchase the military’s Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) coverage may be the largest financial decision of your life. As I’ve discussed extensively, it is a very individual decision and there is no best answer for every situation. While I’m trying to hit on every possible consideration, it is important that you get… | Read More…

BRS: DIEMS vs. PEBD


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You’ve been reading everything about the military’s new Blended Retirement System (BRS), and your situation doesn’t match up with the examples of who falls into the new BRS, the old legacy system, or the choice to opt in.  How can you figure out which group you’re in? With the military’s new Blended Retirement System, there is… | Read More…

The Basics of Retirement Plans, and the Military’s Old and New Plans


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 unexpected benefit of the introduction of the “new” military retirement system, the Blended Retirement System (BRS), is that a lot of people have discovered that they don’t understand their retirement plan at all. While it isn’t great that folks don’t thoroughly understand the system, this is a great opportunity for learning all around. First,… | Read More…

Understanding the SBP-DIC Offset


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 frequently misunderstood issue about the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) is the way that SBP benefits may be offset by Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA.) Under current law, a survivor may not receive the full amount of both SBP and DIC.  In order to receive DIC, the… | Read More…

Why You Should Rent During Retirement/Transition From The Military


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When leaving the military, many people want to buy a house. It’s a perfectly normal desire – for many military families, it’s been a long-term dream to put down roots and buy their “forever” home. No more crazy landlords, white walls, and unpacking every two years! I am so sick of unpacking! Unfortunately, the “forever… | Read More…

Social Security for Military Spouses


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!

There’s a lot of misinformation available out there – particularly when you’re getting your information from friends and the internet. One of the places where I see the most mis-information is about social security benefits for military spouses. Which is sort of weird, because there are no special rules for military spouses, the rules are… | Read More…

2018 Military Retirement Paydays


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It’s almost 2018, and lots of us are planning our financial year. It’s easier when you know when you’ll get paid! While military pay is relatively easy, there can be some tricky bits. Military retirement pay days are on the first of the following month, except when the 1st falls on a weekend or federal… | Read More…

Where To Learn About The Military’s New Blended Retirement System


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!

Every single day, I meet a service member or spouse who either doesn’t know about the military’s new Blended Retirement System (BRS), knows wrong information about BRS, or doesn’t know enough about BRS. It’s worrying and frustrating and concerning all at the same time. For anyone who is eligible to opt-in to the BRS, this… | Read More…

Preparing Today, For The Someday When You Leave The Military


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!

Every day, I talk to military family members who are facing transition out of the military. Whether it’s the end of a four year enlistment, a medical separation, or retirement after 20 or 30 years, this is a major life change. Many of the service member and spouses feel unprepared! That’s why I ask: What… | Read More…

Everything About The Blended Retirement System


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 2018, and the military’s new Blended Retirement System (BRS) has begun. What is the BRS and what does this mean to you? Who Does This Affect? Let’s start with the most basic question:  who is affected by the implementation of the BRS?  Two groups are affected: People who join the military after 1 January… | Read More…

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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.