You've Earned It! Making the Most of Your Military Benefits

Personal Finance Before You Take Off Financial Planning for Deployment Pre-Deployment Presented by Adam R. Stevens JFSAP Personal Financial Counselor, State of New Know Your SCRA Rights Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) 6% cap on debts incurred before active duty Temporary stays of civil

proceedings Divorce Child Paternity and Support Foreclosure Bankruptcy Ability to terminate a lease Limited eviction protection Financial Preparations: Financial Readiness With New Money, take the opportunity to save! Pay Down Debt Create Revolving Savings and Safety

Savings Save for Long-term Goals Financial Preparedness Thrift Saving Plan What is TSP?

Voluntary Automatic Payroll Deductions Contributions Pre-tax Contributions Grow Tax-deferred Low Administrative Costs Beneficiary of Your Choice Financial Arrangements: Paying Bills Financial Responsibilities continue during your deployment. Plan ahead to take care of bill paying while you are away.

Spouse or Power of Attorney Direct Deposit Allotments Automatic Bill Pay Credit Cards Follow your Deployment Spending Plan. Pay Bills! Financial Arrangements:

Taxes Filing Extensions for Deployed Personnel Automatic 60-day filing extension Automatic 180-day Combat Zone extension 180-day freeze on any IRS Assessments by emailing [email protected] While Youre Deployed Online Access to Leave and Earnings Statement

Protect Your Identity Active Duty Alert Credit Freeze Order Free Credit Reports Credit Bureaus: Equifax: http://www.equifax.com 1-800-525-6285 Experian: http://experian.com 1-888-397-3742 TransUnion: http://transunion.com 1-800690-7289

Property Management Protect Your Assets In Your Absence Vehicles Arrange for continued payments Renew registration, tags, inspection Notify insurance company and check on reduced rates Perform maintenance and repairs Locate a storage facility

Property Management Protect Your Assets In Your Absence Home or Apartment Arrange for continued payments Check credit if subletting Set up scheduled maintenance or lawn care Information Sources Information for this presentation came from the following sources: Military OneSource: www.militaryonesource.mil

Military.com: www.military.com Defense Finance and Accounting Service: www.dfas.gov Internal Revenue Service: www.irs.gov Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov Military4Life: www.military4life.com SaveandInvest.org: www.saveandinvest.org