Success Stories

Savers Pledge Leads to Savings Success

My name is Rob and I am a Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserve. My financial success is a huge result of the Military Saves Campaign.

My journey began five years ago after marrying my wife, Lisa. We entered our marriage with no savings plan in sight, carrying debt and living in a tiny apartment. After seeing an advertisement for Military Saves, we decided to grab the reigns of our finances and implement a positive financial plan. It began with taking the Military Saves' "Savers Pledge". Military Saves encouraged positive financial behavior regarding saving, eliminating debt, living within our means and retirement goals. The Military Saves website listed important statistics regarding average households carrying $8,000 worth of credit card debt, foreclosures doubling within the past decade and numerous negative spending habits. Our eyes widened with each statistic so we vowed to live by our "Saver’s Pledge".

Airman Succeeds Through Dedication to Building Wealth NOT Debt

I came into the Air Force at 23 years old in 1993 with about 12 outstanding bills (hospital bills, car loan, car insurance, school loans, credit cards, etc.). You name it, I had the bill. Thanks to the Family Support Center, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, and many other sources, I now have no outstanding bills. I only have rent and utilities (no even a car payment). I want to help other military members get out of debt. I was able to pay off all my bills by year 1999. I used money from TDYs and deployments to pay off my bills from the least to the greatest principal. At the same time, I started building an Emergency Fund.

One Sailor's Course to Financial Freedom

We all know its not easy to get out of debt once you in over your head. But it can be done with the sound advice and support that the Military Saves program offers. I am a testament to that. I was a recently divorced, single mother. Like many people I had credit card debt, a car loan, bad credit, and a low income job that never seemed to be enough to put food on the table. Then I decided I'd had enough of living paycheck to paycheck and worrying about money all the time. I borrowed some self-help financial books and DVD's from the library and I took control of my financial destiny. I decided to get smart with my money and where it was going.

Naval Battalion's Effort Yields Team Success

US Naval Mobile

Construction Battalion Five, DETAIL CHINHAE would like to share our campaign success story with you!

Currently we have 23 members on our Det, (all of whom have registered with militarysaves) and out of them 16 are planning for retirement by saving and investing money in the Federal Thrift Savings Plan. In addition to our TSP investors, we also have 9 service members that have outside IRA accounts; a sure sign that todays generation is aware of our current retirement issues, and doing their part to alleviate their own families from the uncertain financial future in the horizon. We also have 7 members that have invested their finances in Real Estate in various US States, and even countries around the globe.

Money on the Side

Camp Arifjan, Kuwait -- A colonel in the 1st Theater Sustainment Command has money on his mind.

Army Col. George Fields, the Chief of Intelligence, or G2, has been teaching a free "Managing Your Money" class here in his spare time. More than 400 students have attended his six week-long class to learn more about increasing their own finances.

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