Veterans United Network
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Picture this: You’re PCSing to Germany and before you know it you’re cruising on the Autobahn in your 350-horsepower Porsche 997. Or, you’ve just finished your 12-month stint in Afghanistan and when you get back stateside, your brand new BMW is waiting for its first joyride. These aren’t just fantasies, but a reality for many service members who are serving or have served outside of the United States.
You, too, can purchase your dream ride by taking advantage of one of many overseas military car sales programs that offer you discount prices and special benefits.
Checks to vets and military households will generally end after March 1 under the government’s “Direct Express” program. Instead of paper checks and envelopes, the government is moving to electronic deposits, funds which go straight from the Treasury into beneficiary accounts.
The use of electronic transfers is ending an era. No longer will it be possible to say that a bill hasn’t been paid because the “check is in the mail.” Trips to the bank will decline, friendships with drive-in tellers will slow and we will lose the traditional values associated with checks – tangible pieces of paper that one can hold, fold and admire.
Well, it’s almost that time of year again: New Year’s. And you know what that means: making 20 different resolutions, none of which you actually end up keeping for more than a week.
Believe it or not, there are ways to avoid this dead-end. Instead of setting vague and general goals like, “I will lose weight,” or “I will get richer,” start specific and set very practical and feasible goals one at a time. Over time, you can start to expand your goals, but starting small is the key to success (or at least keeping your resolutions longer).
Student loan debt among military service members is mounting and the Pentagon has recently announced its concern over the issue.
A report recently released says that military members are having trouble understanding the student loan benefits they can receive. Because of this misunderstanding, they are incurring tens of thousands more dollars in debt than they need to.
The nearly 70-year-old VA home loan program hit an incredible milestone recently, guarantying its 20 millionth mortgage since 1944. The historic loan guaranteed a home in Woodbridge, Va., for the surviving spouse of an Iraq War veteran who died in 2010.
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When it comes to being deployed, increased risk should mean increased pay, but this just isn’t the case.
I spent quite a bit of time deployed during my four years in the Air Force, serving in Africa, Afghanistan and Qatar, and never once was I directly fired upon by an enemy combatant. The worst I experienced was the occasional mortar attack on the base. After a while it becomes routine, and you just pull your lunch tray under the table, finish your meal and get on with your day.
Despite this, I was paid as much as the military men and women who were outside the wire on missions, running convoys, risking their lives everyday. I was paid as much even if I wasn’t in any discernible danger at all. This is not right. See More
You never want to find yourself surrounded by the word foreclosure. We know that it carries a negative connotation which can make the idea of home ownership a frightening and overwhelming concept. But what if I told you that this word could be seen in a positive light? I’m about to show you how the upswing in foreclosures could soon be a windfall to those looking to become prospective buyers in the world of real estate.
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Credit cards are tools that can help veterans build a solid financial profile and get on the path to securing things like car loans and home mortgages. But they can also get people in trouble. U.S. households have on average about $10,000 in credit card debt, according to CNN Money.
A 2010 survey by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation found that 9 in 10 military members possess at least one credit card, according to a 2010 survey by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.
The best way to avoid the negative consequences of a bad credit score is to look out for some all-too-common mistakes when it comes to credit cards. See More
Consumers in the U.S. have no problem living on credit.
Consumers on average carry five credit cards with at least $1,000 in debt. Paying off that debt is no easy task for service members, veterans or their spouses.
Compound credit card debt with other forms of debt—car loans or mortgages—and making payments on time becomes a struggle. New research from the University of Michigan’s business school runs counter to common advice, which dictates that you should first pay off small debts with high interest rates before paying off large debts. Take a look at why this advice is not always the best approach to getting out of debt. See More
The amount of veteran news that comes through on a weekly and monthly basis can be overwhelming at times, often causing us to miss a good story or two. You are now in luck! The Veterans United Network has decided to re-post some of the top stories from around the world, all in an easy round up format. Below you will find stories that not only come from our own blog, but from other news sources as well. See More
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