MHAFB celebrates Military Saves Week

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alyssa C. Wallace
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Members of the Airman and Family Readiness Center are encouraging Gunfighters to participate in the 2013 Military Saves Week Feb. 25 through March 2.

According to www.militarysaves.org, Military Saves Week has been part of the Department of Defense's Financial Readiness Campaign since 2003. The program is a social marketing campaign created to persuade, motivate and encourage military families to save money every month, and to convince leaders and organizations to be aggressive in promoting automatic savings.

"Military Saves Week is an annual event held on the last week of February each year, with the goal of helping our military community to take action in improving their personal finances through establishing a savings habit," said Susan Rueger, base personal financial counselor. "We all can take small steps of improvement that will pay us a benefit in the future."

The projected goal of Military Saves is to get as many people as possible to be open about their finances and take the Savers Pledge. This may be a challenge as some individuals may be hesitant are embarrassed to speak about their financial issues. Rueger said those with this concern are not alone.

"Most people don't like to talk about their finances, often because they feel that they are not doing as well as others. However, I have noticed that when people do start discussing the challenges they are going through they find out they are not alone and someone else may be able to give them some good advice that they hadn't thought about before," Rueger said. "I am constantly learning from my clients how to avoid pitfalls and take advantage of some of their great ideas."

Gary Strickland, A&FRC chief, shares this sentiment.

"For some people, talking or even thinking about finances is difficult," he said. "This can be the first step toward making that conversation fun and interesting. Personal financial struggles can be a huge distracter making it a challenge to keep ones focus on military readiness. Financial savings not only helps one be ready for the long term but also helps face unexpected challenges head on."

This year, in an effort to reach as many as possible, the Airman and Family Readiness Center is expanding the program by providing a week-long series of "Lunch and Learns" from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Gunfighter Club.

"We have put together some really great programs that we have never done before - probably the most important one is our identity theft class," Rueger said. "We have seen a lot more military members becoming victims of identity theft in the last year. We are also offering a few fun classes on money personalities and financial behaviors that will get you thinking in a whole new way about you and your money."

In the end, Strickland just wants Airmen to be financially sound.

"Our hope is to get as many people as possible to take the Savers Pledge and to build momentum toward a culture in which financial planning is at the forefront of the minds of all levels of supervision," he said. "In the short-term, you'll be glad you did -- in the long-term you'll be very glad you did."

To make the pledge, visit www.militarysaves.org or call 208-828-2458 for more information.