KateHorrell

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

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Your Military Family’s Confidently Prepared™ Life Binder

7 May 2026

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!

Want to be more prepared for life’s surprises? Your Military Family’s Confidently Prepared™ Life Binder will make that happen! This great tool will make your life more organized and provide a guide to help others help you if this is a situation. What Is This Binder? The Confidently Prepared™ Life Binder is a 126-page PDF… | Read More…

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Filed Under: Pay, Personal Finance, Spouses, Veterans

Military Fee Assistance for In-Home Childcare

22 April 2026

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Fee Assistance for In-Home Childcare for Military Families

Struggling to find childcare that fits your non-traditional work schedule? The Department of Defense created a pilot program to offer fee assistance for in-home care. As with all things DoD, there are a myriad number of requirements and rules to follow. Who Is Eligible? The program is available in these areas: Alaska Colorado Springs, Colorado… | Read More…

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Filed Under: Kids, Spouses

How To Get Your First Military Dependent ID Card

24 November 2025

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!

When your spouse joins the military, there’s a lot going on! You’re separated while they are at their basic military training, and they’re learning new things, and then there’s the military world to figure out. Or, your new spouse is already in the military and you’re learning a whole new life all at once! One… | Read More…

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Filed Under: Spouses

Military Divorce: Stuff You Need To Know

17 April 2025

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!

Divorce is essentially a civilian matter. However, if either party is in the military or a veteran, there are certain aspects of military pay and benefits that need to be considered. All too often, I hear from one party who got the short end of a military divorce. Usually, that happens by accident. If the… | Read More…

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Filed Under: Personal Finance, Spouses

Home of Record and State of Legal Residence: Things You Need To Know

23 January 2025

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 military can be confusing, with all its special terms and acronyms. One of the terms most often misused is home of record. The term comes up in questions about taxes and driver’s licenses and final moves. On rare occasions, when talking about final moves, it’s being used properly. The other 99.9% of the time,… | Read More…

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Filed Under: Spouse Careers, Spouses, Taxes

Unemployment Benefits for Military Spouses

15 July 2024

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!

In many cases, military spouses who give up their jobs due to Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders may be eligible for unemployment benefits. At this time, 47 states offer unemployment benefits to military spouses who must leave their job due to a military move. The states that don’t offer this benefit are Idaho, Louisiana,… | Read More…

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Filed Under: Spouse Careers, Spouses

Social Security for Military Spouses – What You Need To Know

4 February 2024

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 MANY subjects on which I’ve seen some serious misinformation is about Social Security retirement benefits for military spouses. This is sort of weird, because there are no special rules for military spouses. The rules are the same for all spouses. And it may be one of the largest streams of income in… | Read More…

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Filed Under: Retirement, Spouses

How Military Renew Driver’s License When Out-of-State

25 March 2023

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!

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 that… | Read More…

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Filed Under: Moving, Spouses

Understanding The Military Spouses Residency Relief Act and How It Applies To State Taxes

22 August 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!

Important note: This information was accurate at the time of publishing. The law has been further updated. For up-to-date information, see Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Text As It Applies To Spouses and Taxes. This article is remaining here for historical purposes. The Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (MSRRA) is an important law, but it is very… | Read More…

29 Comments
Filed Under: Spouses, Taxes

Do I Need A General or Specific Power of Attorney?

7 April 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!

Now I know exactly which Power of Attorney I need!

If you ask around about powers of attorney, you will hear all sorts of information, and lots of it contradicts itself.  So, what is the real deal?  When do you need a power of attorney, what kind do you need, etc?  Every person has a different situation, so every person has a different answer.  The… | Read More…

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Filed Under: Deployment, Spouses

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WELCOME!

Confidently Prepared!™

Hi! I'm Kate! Accredited Financial Counselor®, Chartered Financial Consultant®, and Military Qualified Financial Planner®. I'm also the spouse of a retired sailor and mom of four young adults.

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.

Confidently Prepared™ A Printable Binder to help your military family be ready for whatever surprises life throws at you next.

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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.

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