-
-
MilLife Topics
- Military Basics
- Deployment
- Transitioning & Retiring
- Casualty Assistance
- Moving & PCS
- Housing & Living
- Recreation, Travel & Shopping
- Relationships
- Parenting
- Special Needs
- Health & Wellness
- Safety From Violence & Abuse
- Financial & Legal
- Education & Employment
- I am a…
- Benefits & Resources
- Benefits
- Back to Menu
- View Benefits Finder
- View Benefits Finder
- Moving
- Support Services
- Planning & Prevention
- Discounts & Perks
- Pay & Leave
- Education & Employment
- Recreation
- Family & Child Care
- Relationships
- Health Care & Emotional Well-being
- Retirement
- Housing
- Shopping
- Legal
- Travel
- Popular Benefits
- MilTax
- Space-A Travel
- DOD MWR Libraries
- Resources
- Back to Menu
- View Resources Finder
- View Resources Finder
- MilLife Guides
- Military OneSource Network Websites
- Podcasts
- Government Websites
- Webinars
- External Websites
- Directories & Tools
- Online Learning
- Mobile Apps
- Popular Resources
- MilitaryINSTALLATIONS
- Plan My Move
- Moving Personal Property
- DPS Login
- Other Resources
- Data, Research & Statistics
- Products
- Back to Menu
- View Products Finder
- View Products Finder
- Popular Product Types
- Book/Booklets
- Fact Sheets
- Brochures
- Flyers
- Educational Items
- Posters
- Popular Products
- Personal Property Claims Fact Sheet
- Spouse Ambassador Network Fact Sheet
- School Liaison Flyer
- Bereavement Leave for Service Members
- Military and Family Life Counselor Program Brochure
- Go Read
- Confidential Help
24/7/365 Access to Support
No matter where you serve or live, free and confidential help is available.
- In Crisis?
- Veterans/Military Crisis Line
- Back to Menu
- Veterans/Military Crisis Line
- PhoneLive ChatInternationalWebsite
Dial 988 then press 1 or text 838255
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- Back to Menu
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- PhoneLive ChatText
Call 800-799-SAFE (7233)
Text “START” to 88788
- DOD Safe Helpline - Sexual Assault Support
- Back to Menu
- DOD Safe Helpline - Sexual Assault Support
- PhoneLive ChatWebsite
Call 877-995-5247
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Back to Menu
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- PhoneLive ChatTTY
Call 988
Use your preferred relay service, or dial 711 then 988
- Domestic Abuse Victim Advocate Locator - Family Advocacy Program
- Back to Menu
- Domestic Abuse Victim Advocate Locator - Family Advocacy Program
- Interactive Tool
In the United States, call 911 if you are in an emergency.
For those outside the United States, call your local emergency number.
- 800-342-9647
- Call Us OCONUS
- Call Us TTY/TDD
- Live Chat
- About Us
- Browse By Program/Office
- Casualty & Mortuary Affairs
- Child & Youth Advocacy
- Children, Youth & Family Programs
- Commissary, Military Exchange & Lodging
- Family Advocacy Program
- Military Community Support Programs
- Military & Family Life Counseling
- Military Funeral Honors
- Morale, Welfare & Recreation (MWR)
- Office of Special Needs
- Personnel Accountability & Evacuations Operations
- Spouse Education & Career Opportunities
-
Contact Military OneSource
Information and support for service members and their families. About the Call Center.
- 800-342-9647
- Call Us OCONUS
- Call Us TTY/TDD
- Additional Ways to Contact Us
ARTICLESmart Financial Management Starts With Smart Choices: Making Ends Meet
3 minute read • Jan. 28, 2020Learn how certain milestones in your life can have financial benefits and consequences.
Making ends meet
Making ends meet is fundamental to financial stability and reaching long-term financial goals, like a comfortable retirement or sending children to college. But, in a survey of military service members and spouses by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, more than one-third of respondents reported having trouble keeping up with monthly bills and expenses.
Action plan: Start a spending plan
A spending plan gives you control. Your plan will clearly show how much money you have coming in, what you’re spending it on and where you can make trade-offs to come up with extra cash. It’s also your first step in meeting larger financial goals. With a spending plan in place you will be better able to find the money you’ll need to reach them.Action plan: Calculate your net worth
One of the best ways to assess where you stand financially is to calculate your net worth. When you add up all of your assets and subtract your debts at least once a year, you can clearly see if you’re progressing towards your goals or moving backwards.Action plan: Monitor your financial health
Applying for a loan is a common first step toward buying a home, buying a car or going back to school. This Action Plan will help you check and monitor your financial health so you can avoid surprises when you need a loan.Action plan: Track your spending
The first step to getting your finances on track is to know where your money is going. But that isn’t always obvious: You may have a good handle on your monthly bills, but what about your daily expenses? You may be surprised by how much money you spend on small items ? like food and transportation ? when you add up your out-of-pocket costs.Action plan: Manage your checking account
Balancing your checkbook isn’t what it used to be. Before online banking, debit cards and electronic payment systems, you wrote a check and entered the date and amount in your checkbook register. When you subtracted the difference, you knew exactly how much money you had. Not anymore. Direct deposit, ATM fees and surcharges, online payments, automatic transfers and debit charges make keeping your account in balance a real juggling act.Action Plan: Reading your Leave and Earnings Statement
Your Leave and Earnings Statement provides detailed information about your pay and benefits. But the document can look like it’s written in code. Here’s what you need to focus on.Action Plan: Talk To your spouse about money
Talking about money issues under normal conditions can be stressful. Talking about them while a service member is deployed to a remote location can be more so. The best remedy is to communicate regularly about household finances. That way there are no surprises or added headaches when orders arrive.MilitaryINSTALLATIONS
Learn about military bases worldwide. Get installation overviews, check-in procedures, housing, neighborhood information, contacts for programs and services, photos and more.
Your session will expire in 5 minutes.Click "Extend" below to stay logged in.
This site is for testing purposes only.If you are part of the general public, navigate to the public site. This site is solely for testing and approving site pages before they are released to the general public.