Tip of the Day

  • Written by Guest Blogger | September 30, 2014

    Participate in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) - a retirement savings and investment plan for Federal employees and members of the Uniformed Services. It offers the same types of savings and tax benefits that many private corporations offer their employees under 401(k) plans. More info at tsp.gov

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  • Should You Opt Out of Child Tax Credit Monthly Payments?

    Written by Lila Quintiliani | June 22, 2021

    Millions of American families are due to get an advance on their child tax credit payments starting in mid-July. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the payments are up to $1,600 larger than they were last year, and the monthly payments may assist families who struggle with day-to-day expenses all year. Spacing out the payments may also help families during certain high-cost times of the year, such as PCS moves, back-to-school purchases, military transitions, or holiday shopping. 

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  • Your TSP: How to Make Your Money Work For You

    Written by | April 9, 2021

    Written by Cloud Spurlock, Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board | April 9, 2021

    Before your first paycheck from your very first job hit your bank account, you may have heard the good advice to “pay yourself first.” Of course, that didn’t mean you should go out and buy whatever what-have-you was on your wish list. Instead, it meant you needed to set aside money for someone else—someone who may as well have been a perfect stranger at the time—your future self.

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  • It’s Time for Your Check-Up; Your FINANCIAL Check-Up

    Written by Lila Quintiliani | March 26, 2021

    You probably do routine maintenance on your car – get the oil changed, filters checked, and have the tires rotated. And you probably make sure you go to the doctor and have a physical every year or so. But do you ever take the time to do a financial well-check?

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  • Five Things to Keep in Mind this Tax Season

    Written by Lila Quintiliani | January 25, 2021

    Is it really that time of year again? I admit it: I dread tax season. I hate gathering my paperwork, tracking down my W2, making sure I have all my interest and dividend statements. Taxes will never be something I enjoy, but at least I can be prepared. Here are five things to help get you ready for this year’s tax season. 

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Saver Stories View all »

From Shopaholic to Saver

Written by Jackie Toops | January 13, 2021

Many of us spend too much money on things we don’t need, but we don’t always know why. It’s easy to get a quick fix from retail therapy, but before we know it, our hard-earned money is gone. Oftentimes, when we engage in a “shopaholic” lifestyle or sporadic shopping sprees, we still experience feelings of emptiness, but to make it worse, we now have debt, too.

Khanmany was a shopaholic who turned everything around. She is active duty Navy and shares, “I was spending too much on things I didn't need. I was going shopping for no reason and was trying to fill a void. I was running up every credit card I owned to include Victoria's Secret, Military Star, Navy Federal, TJ Maxx, JCPenney, Macy's, USAA, and was only paying the minimum payments.”

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Involving Kids in Family Finances

Written by | April 19, 2019

 

One of the best lessons we can share with our kids is about money. By middle school, kids should have a good understanding of how money works as well as the importance of saving.

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How Smart Financial Decisions Can Create Opportunities 

Written by Stephen Ross, America Saves Program Coordinator | November 22, 2019

Of the many stories Military Saves shares, most describe how someone was in dire straits financially and worked their way out of it with the help of Military Saves. This time we want to highlight a different kind of story. This is a story about how responsible financial decisions can build on one another to create opportunities you thought only the super-rich enjoy.

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