Written by Krista Simpson Anderson, AER Military Spouse Ambassador
What is financial readiness? How do you achieve it? Where can you learn the steps to take without going back to school for finance? Milspouse Money Mission has you covered.
The Department of Defense announced its launch of this incredible financial education resource for military spouses in May 2020. MilSpouse Money Mission strives to educate and empower military spouses to elevate their families by making smart money moves. Their Money Ready guide or the MiLife Milestones section is a great place to start. From marriage to retirement, Milspouse Money Mission has all the tips and tricks to get your family educated and on the right track.
It’s hard to know how to plan for your family’s future because military life can be so unpredictable. MilSpouse Money Mission knows that, which is why they want to take you through each step. Their segments range from “Money Ready 101” to “Money Ready 401”, taking into account life’s milestones such as growing your family, a PCS, deployment, a promotion, planning for retirement, and separating from the military (what that looks like for you).
Sharing Tools to Thrive
As a Gold Star spouse, mom of two, and currently the spouse of an active-duty Soldier, my passion is to provide military families the resources they need to thrive. It is so important to plan for the unpredictable events that life throws our way so we feel prepared, comfortable, and confident to navigate anything.
Recently, I highlighted a product by Elizabeth Cook, Army spouse, and owner of List & File. Liz created PCS binder inserts to help families prepare for a PCS and provide confidence, peace of mind, readiness, and cleanliness. Her mission is to provide an effortless, reliable file organization system for every military family. Her vision is to help families develop the confidence to manage military life, and the peace of mind to enjoy it. I use this product as a LIFE binder.
Join us for our second quarterly AER Military Spouse Empowerment Series on 11 August to receive your very own List & File binder insert. Our co-host will be the Military Child Education Coalition as we discuss Back To School.
But a life binder and MilSpouse Money Mission go hand-in-hand: Through tutorials on creating a budget, insuring your family, investing, protecting your identity, funding college, planning for retirement, and even how to protect your assets to pass on your legacy, Milspouse Money Mission is the online tool that teaches spouses how to create the content they need to fill the binder.
Why does AER love to share the Milspouse Money Mission?
Our goal is to help Soldiers and families when they experience financial hardships. No matter how financially ready you are, Murphy finds his way in and emergencies happen. We know that financial readiness is a big part of family readiness which is also key to troop readiness. Without financial stressors, knowing you are equipped to prepare for your future will reduce the stress and anxiety that comes with managing your household.
As military spouses, we are often the “Chief Financial Officer”. Military Spouse Advocacy Network, an AER partner, was founded to create stronger military families through education, empowerment, and support. They provide structured peer-to-peer mentorship to accomplish this. MSAN’s founder, Verenice Castillo, tells us “For MSAN, in order to provide full support and successful peer-to-peer mentorship, we need to rely on meaningful resources like the ones that MilSpouse Money Mission offers.”
As the Army Emergency Relief Military Spouse Ambassador, I am grateful to have the opportunity to learn from the incredible content on the MilSpouse Money Mission website. There isn’t another resource more perfect for military families to help them in their financial journey.
To learn more, join the mission to lead your family to a stronger financial future: milspousemoneymission.org