A Family's Guide to the Military For Dummies®
Table of Contents
Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used in this Book
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book is Organized
Part I: Reporting for Duty
Part II: Understanding Your Financial Issues and Benefits
Part III: Supporting the Military Family
Part IV: Mastering Deployments
Part V: Transitioning Out of the Military
Part VI: The Part of Tens
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I: Reporting for Duty
Chapter 1: Living Life As a Military Family
Getting a Grasp on the Military Culture
Believing in something bigger than yourself
Making lifelong connections
Being Flexible — the Key to a Happy Military Life
Adjusting to different directions
Adapting to a changing homelife
Keeping education and employment flexible
Traveling the world . . . If you want to
Overseas assignments
Space-available travel
Speaking in Code: Learning the Military Language
Embracing the Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Choosing to Live on the Installation — Or Not
Chapter 2: Figuring Out Customs and Courtesies
Separating Myths from Reality
Understanding Rank and Military Hierarchy
Checking out the different ranks
Understanding that rank does have its place
Reveling in the privileges of rank
Keeping Up with Traditions and Ceremonies
The salute
The National Anthem
The Stars and Stripes
Reveling in inter-service Rivalry
Ceremonies
Finding Your Place in the Grand Plan
Getting involved . . . or not
Making friends
Watching Your P’s and Q’s: Party Protocol
Chapter 3: Getting Around Military Bases
Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS)
Making sense of DEERS
Registering in DEERS
Verifying and updating information
Making It Official — Getting a Military ID Card
Getting Your Rest
Shopping
Commissary
Exchanges
Shoppettes
Class 6
Eating on the Installations
The dining hall
The clubs
Having Fun with MWR
Fitness and sports center
Skills development center
Everything else
Focusing on the Family
Family support center
Child development center
Youth and teen centers
Picking Up on Personal Services
Auto hobby shop
Banking
Military treatment facility (MTF)
Getting the Support You Need
Chapel
Clubs and groups
Family Advocacy Programs
Chapter 4: Connecting with the Military Community
Connecting to the Unit
Utilizing your sponsor
Keeping contact info current
Staying in the loop
Marking military family milestones
Attending Hails and Farewells
Discovering other social activities
Making merry with holiday parties
Understanding the ins and outs of Dining In and Out
Marking Military Milestones
Promotions
Change of command
Retirement ceremonies
Finding Support within the Installation
Part II: Understanding Your Financial Issues and Benefits
Chapter 5: Deciphering Military Compensation
Sifting through Sources of Pay
Basic pay
Additional pays
Allowances
Taking time off — Leave
Demystifying the pay statement
Explaining the LES
Allotments
Making Sense Out of Taxes
Understanding what compensation is taxable
Exploring ways to reduce your tax bite
Chapter 6: Taking Care of Yourself: Health and Dental Insurance
Exploring TRICARE
Breaking down the basic of TRICARE
TRICARE Standard
TRICARE Extra
TRICARE Prime
Prescription drug coverage
Summarizing healthcare options
Enrolling in TRICARE
Sizing up TRICARE Health Benefits for the Guard and Reserve
Checking the basics of your options
TRICARE Reserve Select
Understanding Dental Benefits
Explaining Your Benefits
Chapter 7: Maximizing Military Benefits
Tapping into the Family Support Center
Accessing Military OneSource
Traveling Space-A
Looking into Lodging Bargains
Protecting Your Rights — Legal Issues
Getting the lowdown on the law
Finding legal assistance
Reviewing Your Military-Provided Life Insurance
Servicemembers’ group life insurance
Traumatic SGLI
Family service group life insurance
Exploring Your Retirement Benefits
Finding out how retirement benefits are calculated
Chapter 8: Starting Out on the Right Financial Foot
Determining Your Required Monthly Expenses
Making it automatic
Establishing Emergency Reserves
Recognizing the reality of not having reserves
Reserving funds for financial emergencies
Building and Maintaining a Solid Credit History
Obtaining Appropriate Insurance Coverage
Servicemember’s life insurance
Family member’s life insurance
Spousal disability insurance
Homeowner’s or renter’s insurance
Automobile insurance
Beginning Investing
Investing according to your purpose
Leveraging time
Getting started
Chapter 9: Building onto Your Financial Foundation
Accumulating What You’ll Need for Specific Goals
Purchasing a Home
Determining how much you can spend on a house
Reviewing mortgages
Coming up with your down payment
Planning for Children’s College Costs
Securing Your Retirement
Preparing for the Inevitable
Answering key questions to get started
Communicating your wishes through legal documents
Accounting for ownership and beneficiary designations
Chapter 10: Housing Options for the Military Family
Understanding the Basic Allowance for Housing
Basic allowance for housing — CONUS
Overseas housing allowance
Considering On-Base Housing
Exploring Off-Base Housing
Leasing
Buying
Tax benefits
Major considerations
Buying versus renting
Rehabbing a property
Becoming an absentee landlord
Evaluating your financing options
Relocating
Assessing relocation assistance
Establishing community at your new location
Keeping in touch as you move around in the military
Chapter 11: Finding Employment and Educational Opportunities
Professional Military Education
Finding Educational Funding
Montgomery GI Bill
Post-9/11 GI Bill
Tuition Assistance
Scholarships and financial aid
Continuing Education for Spouses
Developing a plan that works
Tuition assistance programs
Finding Employment Opportunities for Military Spouses
Getting ready to work
Cost-benefit analysis of working outside the home
Strategic volunteering
Employment support
Department of Defense and Department of Labor Initiatives
Self-employment
Military spouse preference program
Putting it all together
State initiatives to support military families
Part III: Supporting the Military Family
Chapter 12: Raising a Family in the Military
Finding Childcare
Occasional or part-time care
Comparing on-base vs. off-base options
Educating the Kids
Making smart decisions
Department of Defense schools
Leaving the nest
Moving Around
Focusing on the positive
Joining in sports and recreational activities
Making sure that your kid’s best friend comes along
Staying in touch
Chapter 13: Maintaining Strong Military Couples
Communicating Effectively
Dealing with your long-distance relationship
Managing expectations
Respecting one another
Unplugging
Accessing Help to Make Your Marriage Healthier
Divorcing
Chapter 14: Tapping into Community Support
Starting at Square One
Getting Support for the Guard and Reserve
Finding Support at the State Level
Supporting Military Families
The United Service Organizations (USO)
Fisher House Foundation
Growing Grassroots Military Support
Checking out grassroots efforts
Getting to know America Supports You
Searching the Web for Support
Connecting through online communities
Burning up the airwaves
Tapping into The Military Coalition (TMC)
Discovering what TMC is all about
Figuring out how you fit in
Chapter 15: Dealing with the Disability or Death of a Family Member
Dealing with Disability
Traumatic brain injuries
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Medical review boards
Medical retirement
Veterans Administration benefits
Other disability resources
Surviving the Death of a Servicemember
Giving and receiving friendly support
Working with the Casualty Assistance Officer
Filing for benefits
Understanding your military benefits
Moving on
Support groups
Planning ahead
Part IV: Mastering Deployments
Chapter 16: Prepping for Deployments
Separating the Truths from the Myths
Preparing for Deployment
Powers of attorney
Financial planning
Taking Advantage of Special Deployment Benefits
Getting direct deposit
Saving in the best plan available
Receiving tax-free combat pay and benefits
Ensuring reemployment: USERRA
Understanding the Emotional Cycles of Deployment
Preparing for them to go
Creating walls before they leave
Establishing your new normal
Getting settled
Anticipating their return
Coming back together as a family
Finding your family groove again
Smoothing out the rough spots
Managing Stress
Chapter 17: Accessing Traditional Family Support
Finding Support on Base
FSC — Family support center
Turning to faith-based solutions
Participating in Family Readiness Groups (FRG)
Having some fun and giving back
Getting Support Online
Looking Outside the Fishbowl
Chapter 18: Helping Children Cope with the Absence of a Parent
Understanding the Effects of Deployment on Children
Maintaining Routine
Communicating
Encouraging open communication
Explaining difficult topics
Managing Anxiety
Staying Involved from a Distance
Letting Kids be Kids
Setting Realistic Expectations
Looping in the Caregivers and Teachers
Sharing Responsibilities
Seeing the Light at the End of the Tunnel
Getting Away
Taking some time off
Looking forward to a family vacation
Bringing Daddy Back into the Fold
Chapter 19: Keeping Connected with Your Loved One
Communicating Securely
Using the Internet
Making phone calls
Sharing a Piece of Home
Celebrating Special Occasions
Staying Connected
Managing Anxiety
Part V: Transitioning Out of the Military
Chapter 20: Separating from Service
Preparing for Separation
Transition assistance program
Getting your records in order
Relocating
Employment education and training
Health insurance
Pre-separation examinations
Life insurance
Retirement savings
Legal assistance
Clarifying Voluntary versus Involuntarily Separation from Service
Administrative separation
Punitive discharge
Considering Early Career Separation
Exploring Late Career Separation Issues
Chapter 21: Retiring from Service
Assessing the Financial Benefits of Retiring from the Military
Military retired pay
Survivor Benefit Plan
Medical Benefits
Checking out your healthcare benefits
Making the most of your military retiree benefits
Envisioning Life after the Military
Adjusting to the civilian world
Evaluating your need for additional retirement savings
Supplementing your retirement income
Chapter 22: Exploring Subsequent Careers
Transitioning from the Military
Planning for your next career
Preparing for this transition
Tapping into military and community benefits
Evaluating Employer Benefits
Medical insurance
Prescription drug coverage
Dental insurance
Vision benefits
Disability insurance — short term and long term
Long-term care insurance
Life insurance
Retirement plans
Health savings accounts
Flexible spending plans
Paid vacations and holidays
Overtime
Education assistance
Part VI: The Part of Tens
Chapter 23: Ten Best Benefits for Military Spouses
Travel
Education and Employment Assistance
Healthcare
Commissary/Exchange
Family Support Centers
Free Professional and Personal Development
Free Support and Assistance
Discounts
Recreating Yourself Every Few Years
Meeting Other Spouses
Chapter 24: Ten Biggest Financial Military Benefits
Retirement Benefits
Survivor Benefit Plan
Healthcare
Housing
Education
Travel
VA Loans
Servicemembers Group Life Insurance
Legal Assistance
Family Support Center
Chapter 25: Ten Worst Scams Against Servicemembers
Sending Money to Injured Servicemembers
Protecting Your Privacy
Repairing Your Credit
Falling for Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
Outsmarting the SBP
Paying Too Much for Financial Advice
Investing a Tax Shelter inside of a Tax Shelter
Investing in the New, New Thing
Hedging Your Risks with Gold or Oil
Considering Payday Loans
Appendix: Military Acronyms
A Family's Guide to the Military For Dummies®
by Sheryl Garrett and Sue Hoppin
Foreword By Tanya Biank
Author of Army Wives
A Family's Guide to the Military For Dummies
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About the Author
Sheryl Garrett, CFP and founder of The Garrett Planning Network, Inc., has been dubbed “The All-American Planner,” possibly because of her zealous mission to “help make competent, objective financial advice accessible to all people.” Sheryl’s fresh approach as a financial advisor working with clients on an hourly, as-needed, fee-only basis has evolved into an international network of financial advisors, the Garrett Planning Network.
As a consumer advocate, Sheryl has been honored to work with the House Subcommittee on Financial Services regarding predatory lending regulation, financial literacy and Social Security reform. She also works as an expert witness in lawsuits against financial advisors who rendered inappropriate financial advice.
She has authored or served as a technical editor on over a dozen books and a couple of monthly magazine columns. These books include Garrett’s Guide to Financial Planning (National Underwriter), Just Give Me the Answer$ (Dearborn Trade), Money Without Matrimony (Dearborn Trade), Personal Finance Workbook For Dummies (Wiley), Investing in an Uncertain Economy For Dummies (Wiley), as well as this book, A Family’s Guide to the Military For Dummies (Wiley).
As vocal advocate for financial education, Sheryl has been frequently interviewed on CNNfn, Bloomberg, ABC World News Now, Fox-TV; NPR’s All Things Considered and Marketplace; and in Business Week, Newsweek, Time, Forbes, Kiplinger Personal Finance, Money, Smart Money, MarketWatch, U.S. News & World Report, the New York Times, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. For four straight years Sheryl was recognized by Investment Advisor magazine as “One of the Top 25 Most Influential People in Financial Planning” and was honored by the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) honored Garrett with the prestigious Robert J. Underwood Distinguished Service Award for her contributions to the development of the financial planning profession.
Sue Hoppin is passionate about quality of life issues for military families because she lives and understands the challenges of the military lifestyle. Elements of her story are shared by any number of other military spouses. She met her husband when he was attending the United States Air Force Academy and finished school while he attended undergraduate pilot training. The couple married shortly thereafter and a son followed. Their transient lifestyle, deployment schedules and other demands kept Sue at home with their son while her husband deployed around the world.
Although she holds multiple degrees, it wasn’t until recently that Sue was able to enter the work force. Before then, she served the military community as a volunteer. Her responsibilities ranged from squadron fundraiser and spouse club membership chair to the presidency of both the Kadena Officers’ Spouses’ Club and of the Ramstein Elementary School PTA. She currently serves as the 2008–2009 President of the Air Force Officers Wives Club at Bolling AFB. Sue was recognized for her volunteer efforts with awards as Volunteer of the Year at McConnell AFB (1999) and as the 76th Airlift Squadron Spouse of the Year (2002).
She joined the Benefits Information Department staff of Military Officers Association of America in 2005 and quickly established herself as an expert in military spouse issues. In 2006, Sue was selected to be MOAA’s first assistant director for spouse outreach. In 2007, Military Spouse Magazine named Sue on their 2007 Who’s Who of Military Spouses list recognizing 12 spouses who have made significant contributions in the military community for all military spouses.
A tireless advocate for improving the lives of military spouses and families, Sue is the consummate connector — bringing together government, corporate, and nonprofit organizations to meet spouses where they live and work. She is the driving force behind the annual Spouse Symposium held in Norfolk, VA that brings key legislative, spouse, community, and DoD leaders together in an interactive forum to achieve real change for military spouses.
In addition to her work at MOAA, she writes a monthly column for Military Spouse Magazine and serves as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Military Spouse and Family Legacy Association.
Sue holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Denver and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Oklahoma.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all of our military families. Your support and devotion are essential to the mission, and we all know too well the sacrifices you make.
Our heartfelt thanks to you and your military member for your service to our nation.
Author’s Acknowledgments
From Sheryl: Because of the love and devotion of my family, staff , and colleagues in the Garrett Planning Network, I have the freedom and support to carry out the mission of my life’s work, which involves helping to make competent, objective personal financial advice accessible to all people. But I have a special place in my heart for military families and veterans. I am honored to have been given the opportunity to do a little for those who do so much in service to our country.
This project would not have been possible without the amazing talent and devotion of my co-author, Sue Hoppin. She taught me a lot more than she meant to, I’m sure. I wouldn’t have got to know Sue without the most perfect introduction from the energizer bunny himself, Phil Dyer, CFP, RLP. This book required the talents of a lot of people. Sue and I needed one another and both of us relied on Phil as our Technical Reviewer extraordinaire. We also had great support from the folks at Wiley, specifically Mike Baker and Jennifer Connolly. Thanks for your faith in us and for recognizing the need for this book.
From Sue: Without the love and support of my husband Kevin and my son Garrett, writing this book would not have been possible. Balancing work and writing the book, I missed out on endless regattas, other school events, and any number of social activities with them. I can’t even count the number of times they had to endure frozen dinners or take-out meals, so I thank them from the bottom of my heart for being such good sports. They both really picked up the slack and encouraged me when sometimes it just seemed like too much. Between them and our amazing support system of friends and family, no one could ask for better cheerleaders.
Thanks to Phil Dyer, my colleague, friend, and mentor who introduced me to Sheryl Garrett and started us down the path of writing this book together. Thanks to Sheryl for being such a pleasure to work with and for taking a chance on me. You both had more faith in me than I sometimes had in myself.
Many thanks to Mike Baker, Jennifer Connolly and the other folks at Wiley Publishing who made this experience such a tremendous one. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to create a product to benefit military spouses and families.
There were some sections of this book that were difficult to write and wouldn’t have resonated as well without the guidance of other people. Thank you Phil for your expertise and DeDe for providing your insights.
A final thanks to my friends and fellow military spouses: Tanya Biank, Babette Maxwell, Nicole Alcorn, Krista Wells, and Robin Prior whose words of encouragement remind me daily about all that is best about the military spouse community. When we get it right, we really get it right — I cannot imagine a greater group of friends or role models.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
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Introduction
Do you feel like the military lifestyle should come with its own how-to handbook full of tips and insights? Well, you’re not alone. Unless you were born into a military family, going behind the gates of a military installation for the first time can seem somewhat daunting. But, it’s not meant to be. Everything’s actually laid out to be as convenient as possible for the end user — you. If it seems like you need some guidance, then don’t despair. Maybe you just need a little guidance from someone who’s already been there and done that.
We wrote this book to help you figure out the ins and outs of military life as well as share with you financial insights that you may not always have ready access to. When you’re living on a tight budget, it may not always seem possible to save that emergency fund never mind the kids’ college fund, but you’d be missing out. Our goal is to let you know that military life is entirely compatible with financial stability.
We share some tips and information with you on concepts that will make you look at saving and investing not as nice to do things, but rather as must do. Remember that the sooner you get started, the more time you have to take advantage of compounding interest. Maximizing your military benefits and saving a little at a time will help you attain financial independence.
Along the way, you will meet other military spouses and family members who will help you along your journey. But, if we can give you a head start by sharing some information, then our time and effort was well spent.
About This Book
A Family’s Guide to the Military For Dummies is designed to share with you an overview of the military lifestyle. You can discover everything from the traditions of the military to community resources available to support you. You’re not likely going to read the book from cover to cover, but that’s alright. We’ve written it so that each chapter is somewhat autonomous. As you’re flipping around, you may see some references made to other chapters, but they’re well marked. If you’re approaching utilizing this book as a reference, then the index or Table of Contents will be invaluable to you. Refer to those whenever you’re looking for a specific topic.
But, if you’re really curious about the military lifestyle, then by all means, work through the book chapter by chapter. We’ve laid it out in a simplistic and intuitive manner. In the beginning chapters, we start off with a beginner’s look at the military and military infrastructure then progress on to more complex matters such as deployments and financial benefits. Use the information as you need it.
If you find that this book just whets your appetite for more knowledge, take advantage of the websites we provide and the other organizations and resources we point to throughout the book. The great thing about the military is that there is no shortage of people and resources out there to assist you on your journey. Buckle in and enjoy the ride!
Conventions Used in this Book
While writing this book, we used a few conventions throughout the pages in order to make your life just a little bit easier. Here’s what you can expect:
We use italics when we define a word or phrase that’s important to understanding a topic. And when we get especially excited, we might throw in some italics for extra emphasis.
When you see text in bold, you can expect it to be either a step in a numbered list or a key word in a bulleted list.
All Web addresses appear in monofont.
When this book was printed, some Web addresses may have needed to break across two lines of text. If that happened, know that we haven’t put in any characters (such as hyphens) to indicate a break. So, when using one of these Web addresses, just type in exactly what you see in this book or on the Cheat Sheet and ignore the line break.
Foolish Assumptions
Believe it or not, as we set out to write this book, we formed some preconceived ideas about you our dear reader. In order to provide the insights and advice you need, we have made some assumptions about you:
You’re either married to someone in the military or interested in the information presented here.
You’re curious enough to want to know the inside gouge (information) on the military lifestyle.
You have access to the Internet. Although this isn’t a requirement, access to the Internet will help you take advantage of the tips we share regarding web resources.
You’re interested in learning about your military and financial benefits so that you can get your family on the road to financial independence.
You want to know and take advantage of everything out there to help you thrive within the military community while also helping you achieve your own personal goals.
You’re no idiot! In fact, you’re so smart that you realize that in order to thrive in your military lifestyle, you need to know everything that’s out there to support you and your family.
How This Book is Organized
A Family’s Guide to the Military for Dummies is organized into six parts touching on different aspects of the military lifestyle. Financial tidbits are woven throughout.
Part I: Reporting for Duty
The military lifestyle can seem quite foreign to most newcomers. In these chapters, you discover more about the basics. We take you on a quick tour of a traditional military installation and learn more about the traditions that make the military so unique.
Part II: Understanding Your Financial Issues and Benefits
One of the greatest reasons to join the military is to enjoy the many financial and military benefits available to you and your family. Unfortunately, many people are unfamiliar with their benefits and leave a lot on the table. In this section, we discuss your basic pay and benefits as well as more complex topics such as home ownership and education. After you have a better understanding, we introduce you to other benefits available to you outside of the traditional military infrastructure.
Part III: Supporting the Military Family
Separations are a challenge to maintaining strong military families. Children need to be incredibly resilient to thrive under the transient military lifestyle. Fortunately, there are a number of systems in place to support military families. In this section, you’ll learn more about the resources out there available to support you and your family.
Part IV: Mastering Deployments
As a novice at deployments, you might look around at the more “veteran” families and think, “Wow, they really have it together.” The chapters found in this section will help you understand all the stages of deployment as well as how you can prepare more adequately.
Part V: Transitioning Out of the Military
Whether through separation or retirement, leaving the military can be potentially quite traumatic unless you understand the pay and benefits available to you. This section will help you understand your transition benefits as well as how to roll your military benefits into future employee compensation and benefits packages.
Part VI: The Part of Tens
A hallmark of the For Dummies series, the Part of Tens highlights our top ten lists for best benefits for military spouses, biggest financial military benefits, and the ten worst scams against service members.
Icons Used in This Book
As you flip through this book, you’ll see a lot of icons, which are there to draw your attention to specific issues or examples. Check them out:
This icon alerts you to common pitfalls and dangers that you must be on the lookout for when managing your personal finances or simply moving along in your military life.
If you don’t read anything else, pay attention to this icon, which points out information we just had to stress because it is that important for you to consider.
If you’re looking for some inside information or a time-saving tool you can use immediately, then the text marked by the Tip icon is what you want.
This icon gives you technical info that you don’t have to know to understand the rest of the section, but we sure think it’s interesting to read about!
Where to Go from Here
If you’re a novice to the military lifestyle, start at the beginning. However, if you’re at a different stage of life, go ahead and turn directly to that section of the book. You’ll see parts dealing with everything from deployments, supporting military children to transitioning out of the military. You’ll be able to find anything you’re looking for quite easily by referring to the index or table of contents.
Remember: Don’t worry about reading this book from cover to cover (unless you want to!). Use the bits and pieces as you need them. Every experience is different, and our dearest hope is that you can find enough information and guidance among these pages to provide some comfort and support to you.
Part I:
Reporting for Duty
In this part . . .
Before you can embrace the military lifestyle, you need to understand the basics. In this part, you’ll get a primer on military protocol and traditions. You’ll also learn the basics of what you can expect on a military installation.