The Military Wallet

For many servicemembers, the military transition is treated like a checklist: attend TAP class, update a résumé, apply for jobs, move on. But for countless veterans, the reality is far more complicated. In a recent episode of the Military Wallet Podcast, host Ryan Guina sat down with veteran career coach Jacob Mousseau for a candid conversation about what really happens when military service ends, sometimes unexpectedly.

Paying for college is complicated for any family. For military families, it can be even more complex, but also filled with opportunities that many civilians never have. Between the Post-9/11 GI Bill, 529 plans, scholarships, state tuition programs, military-specific benefits, and financial aid, there are dozens of ways to reduce college costs. With all these resources, how can military families pay for college without going into debt or getting overwhelmed?

For decades, military pay raises have followed a familiar formula. Most years, every servicemember receives the same percentage increase based largely on the Employment Cost Index (ECI). But the Fiscal Year 2027 proposal breaks from tradition, with lawmakers considering larger raises for junior enlisted troops than for senior enlisted members and officers. Why the change? And what does it say about the financial realities facing today’s military families?

Have a deployment coming up? Then you’ll need to decide what to do with your vehicle while you’re away. If you’re considering leaving it with a trusted friend or family member, then you should be aware of what could happen if you let them drive your car while you’re deployed. While this arrangement could work out if they simply run the engine for a bit once a week to keep everything in working order, the situation changes if they plan to drive it regularly.

What happens when military readiness collides with the realities of raising children? In a recent episode of The Military Wallet Podcast, host Ryan Guina sat down with Kayla Corbitt to unpack one of the military community’s most persistent — and increasingly visible — challenges: child care. The conversation goes far beyond long waitlists at base Child Development Centers or applying for fee assistance programs.

What if the most important financial lesson you ever learned didn’t come from a classroom, a bank, or even your parents—but from a conversation with a fellow servicemember? That’s exactly what happened to Darius Lester, an active-duty Airman and founder of Mammoth Money Mindset and Mammoth Money Academy.

If you’ve spent any time on military Reddit or Facebook groups, or watched mandatory cyber awareness training, you’ve probably seen the warnings: “Don’t get catfished. That woman you met online is only after your money.“ “Don’t respond to emails asking for your personal data.“ “Be wary of strangers who seem overly interested in what you do in the military.“ Those scams absolutely exist—and they can be devastating for the people they target.

Military families are often viewed through the lens of stability: guaranteed paychecks, housing allowances, healthcare, and support systems designed to care for those who serve. But beneath that perception lies a fairly well-defined problem that many families are still reluctant to talk about publicly: food insecurity.

It’s already been a journey before you’ve even started. You’ve checked out of temporary lodging, loaded the kids, totes, car seats, suitcases, kennel, passports, and the handful of valuables you’re hand-carrying across the world. The rental car has been returned. The goodbyes have been said. Then, at the airline counter, one question brings everything to a halt: “When did your dog get his rabies blood test?” Unfortunately, the answer was six months too long ago.