financialforum
Spouse Resources
In recognition of Military Spouse Appreciation Day, Phil Dyer, CFP, highlights a variety of financial tools and resources and education benefits geared specifically toward military spouses.
T
Keep Up-to-Date on Financial News
n Get additional financial tools, resources, and news through MOAA’s Financial Frontlines blog. Visit
www.moaa.org/ financialfrontlines.
o honor the sacrifices mili- tary spouses make, let’s take
a look at some online education
benefits and financial resources and tools specifically for spouses. Education funding: The Military Spouse
Career Advancement Accounts program has been a popular education-funding tool for currently serving military spouses. However, recent changes to the program permit only spouses who have existing accounts to receive funding and have left some spouses to find other resources. Here are some alternatives:
n Air Force Aid Society (AFAS),
www.afas .org/education/
stap.cfm, provides partial tuition assistance for eligible spouses of ac- tive duty airmen or officers who accompa- ny their military sponsor overseas and who will be participating in college programs. n Air Force Spouse Scholarship Program,
www.afa.org/aef/aid/spouse.asp, offers scholarships to spouses of active duty Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve members to pursue associate, bach- elor’s, or graduate/postgraduate degrees. n Army Emergency Relief,
www.aerhq .org/
education.asp, offers education assis- tance through the Overseas Spouse Educa- tion Assistance Program and the Stateside Spouse Education Assistance Program. n National Military Family Association,
www.militaryfamily.org/our-programs/ military-spouse-scholarships, provides one-year scholarships to eligible ID- carrying uniformed services spouses and survivors.
4 6 MI L I T A R Y O F F I C E R MAY 2 0 1 0
n Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, www
.nmcrs.org/education.html, offers a vari- ety of education programs to eligible Navy and Marine Corps spouses. n Navy Wives Club of America, http://
navywivesclubsofamerica.org/scholar info.htm, offers a scholarship to eligible spouses of enlisted Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard servicemembers who are continuing their education. Military spouses also are eligible for
education benefits through the new Post- 9/11 GI Bill, subject to certain transfer re- quirements based on the military sponsor’s qualification for the program. For more information, visit
www.gibill.va.gov. Financial resources: A broad range of financial resources are available to assist military spouses in learning about finan- cial planning, taxes, and investing. Here are three helpful online resources:
n Military Money,
www.militarymoney.com n Military Spouse,
www.milspouse.com/ money (registration required) n The Simple Dollar blog,
www.the
simpledollar.com This list is by no means exhaustive,
and spouses should use their local instal- lation education office to explore addi- tional programs and initiatives.
MO
— Former Army Capt. Phil Dyer, CFP®, is
deputy director, Benefits Information and Finan- cial Education. To find a financial planner near you, contact Garrett Planning Network at (866) MOAA-GPN (662-2476) or
www.moaa .org/garrett, or visit
www.moaa.org/financial center for other resources.
PHOTO: SEAN SHANAHAN
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