KateHorrell

Helping Military Families Make The Most of Their Money

Why My Teen Is Having Taxes Withheld This Summer


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Our family is reaching another milestone this summer – the first paid job by a teen.  Daughter #2 has obtained a lifeguarding job at a local pool, and we recently filled out all her new hire paperwork, including the W-4 Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate.  As we filled it out, there was a discussion of whether… | Read More…

3 Tax Considerations When Selling Your Rental Property In The Military


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When you make the decision to sell your home, it can be for any number of reasons: relocation, buying a bigger home, downsizing, or because it makes financial sense to do so. In fact, I previously wrote an article about this here. However, there are times in your military career where you just can’t sell your home as soon as you leave it: you’re underwater, you might move back into it later on, it’s got potential to make a lot of money as a rental, or timing issues. From the moment you have a tenant move into your house, it’s no longer your home…it’s a rental property. Whatever the reason for selling your home, let’s take a look at three tax considerations you should take into account:

How To Budget With Overseas Housing Allowance


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When you live overseas and do not living in government quarters, you receive an Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA) that pays for your rent (up to a limit) and also provides you with an allowance for your utilities. There are two tricky things about OHA:  the amount of dollars paid changes every month, with the exchange… | Read More…

Making More Money On Your Money


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Once you’ve gotten out of debt and built up a little bit of savings, then there is a whole new challenge: earning some actual interest on your saved money. Interest rates have been incredibly low for the last few years, and it is a challenge to grow your savings with the magic of compound interest…. | Read More…

Save On Groceries with Checkout 51 – Even at the Commissary


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I wrote a Checkout 51 review last fall, and it got lost in the great blog makeover disaster of 2014. So, if it looks a little familiar, that is why. There are many innovative programs that allow you to save a little money through rebates/coupons on products that you are already buying. I’ll be writing… | Read More…

Advance BAH – Yes, It’s a Thing!


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One little known aspect of the military pay and allowance system is the ability to request advance payment of Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). While this opportunity has been around since 1999, you will still find that most admin folks and senior leadership are completely unaware that it even exists. And, unfortunately, even those who… | Read More…

Understanding the Changes to Military Retirement


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There have been some changes since this post was written.  See the most current details at Everything About The Blended Retirement System. The 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)  contains some significant changes to military retirement. The new system, called the Blended Retirement System (BRS), will begin on 1 January 2018, with some current service members… | Read More…

What Is A Certificate of Non-Availability?


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I’m working up some big posts about Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances for Temporary Lodging Expense and Temporary Lodging Allowance, and I realized that not everyone might understand about Certificates of Non-Availability (CNA) and how they work. Military members are almost authorized some temporary lodging while executing a PCS move. It is intended that lodging… | Read More…

Military Spouses Residency Relief Act – The Actual Text


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Passed in 2009, the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (MSRRA) offers military spouses certain protections while moving around on Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. Unfortunately, it is an imperfect piece of legislation. It doesn’t address many of the issues that military spouses would like to see managed, such as what to do if you… | Read More…

Trees For Troops Distribution Schedule Released


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Every year, the Christmas Spirit Foundation coordinates the Trees for Troops program, bringing trees to servicemembers deployed overseas, and free trees to military families in the US. The distribution schedule for the 2014 Trees for Troops program has been published. It includes dates from 2 December to 12 December, at military bases across the United… | 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.