Fall into Financial Preparedness & Consumer Identity Protection with These Resources

By Jena Roscoe, SVP, Chief Of Government Relations, Public Policy, Operation HOPE, Inc.

Did you know September was National Preparedness Month and October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month? Throughout these autumn months, Operation HOPE is working with the U.S. DHS FEMA and American Red Cross to promote financial preparedness for U.S. Armed Forces members and their families.

We encourage families to learn ways to financially prepare for a natural disaster or national emergency by creating an Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) to strengthen financial preparedness for disasters and emergencies. 

Consumer identity protection is also critically important for Armed Forces families, especially when rebuilding your financial lives after a natural disaster or other emergency, as well as during pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment service periods.  In these circumstances, having access to personal financial, insurance, medical, and other records is crucial.

Below are some resources to help you prepare and protect yourself:

• To get started, take this 10 question quiz at http://www.dfrscore.org/ to test your financial preparedness level.

• Discover the EFFAK, which is available for free from FEMA by calling 800-480-2520 and ask for EFFAK Document #532. You may also download for free at www.ready.gov/financial-preparedness and www.operationhope.org/hope-coalition-america. 
  
  The EFFAK is a flexible tool designed to help individuals and families at all income levels collect and secure the documentation they would need to get on the road to recovery without unnecessary delays should disaster strike.

• Create and/or maintain an emergency savings account within a bank and/or credit union account. You may research the list of federally insured deposit savings accounts from the U.S. FDIC Federal Web link for U.S. Banks: https://research.fdic.gov/bankfind and from the U.S. NCUA Federal Web link for U.S. Credit Unions: http://mapping.ncua.gov/ResearchCreditUnion.aspx.

• Learn more ways to prepare from the following federal consumer awareness websites:
  September's National Preparedness Month and National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

Operation HOPE offers free services to U.S. Armed Forces members new to the military, on active duty, deployed, or retired and to the family members on an ongoing basis. Operation HOPE's free hotline is 888-388-4673 (HOPE). To learn more about our HOPE Coalition America Armed Forces work, contact Director Jason Yancey at 213-891-2900 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..   

This fall, focus on being financially prepared and protecting your identity. Set A Goal. Make A Plan. Save Automatically. Take the Military Saves Pledge today at http://www.militarysaves.org/

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