Reuniting military dogs with their handlers is about healing these veterans — both human and canine — and their families. The dogs and their humans provide each other a sense of comfort and safety. This special kind of companionship and unconditional love helps troops work through their fears as they transition into everyday civilian life at home. Often the dogs suffer with some form of C-PSTD (canine post-traumatic stress disorder) themselves, and also need support to successfully transition into non-military life.

While the human handlers of these retired MWDs have the first right of adoption, there are situations where either tracking down the dog’s handler is a challenge, or the soldier cannot for some reason adopt their dog. In those cases, they go to other loving homes. Willingness to adopt retired MWDs is not a problem; there are plenty of grateful individuals and families available to take them in. Regardless of who adopts these special animals, post-adoption veterinary costs are something the adoptive family must be prepared for. Providing proper care throughout the life of any pet can be costly; this is especially true for dogs who’ve worked in combat zones and have special needs as a result.  

According to the nonprofit organization Gizmo’s Gift, “Working dogs are typically only retired for medical reasons. These medical issues range from hip dysplasia, PTSD, severe allergies, cancer, or degenerative myelopathy and require ongoing veterinary care once they have completed their service. The majority of K9s retiring are between the ages of 8 and 12 years old and have various special needs.” Two of the most common breeds of dogs working in the military are German Shepherds and Malinois — both wonderful breeds, but more likely to experience joint and cataracts issues than many others. Each of these ailments, including those mentioned by Gizmo’s Gift, can run well into the thousands of dollars in veterinary care.

Click hereto find out how LendingPoint can help cover unexpected costs when caring for your pet.

Fortunately, there are resources for these special dogs and their humans. Several non-profit organizations exist to provide resources so that MWDs and other working dogs are well-cared for in their retirement years. In addition to  Gizmo’s Gift, they include  Mission K9 Rescue,  The U.S. War Dogs Association, Inc. and  Combat Canines

We all owe a large measure of gratitude:

• to the military working dogs who worked (and those who continue to work) bravely and loyally alongside our country’s soldiers
• to the human handlers of these wonderful dogs
• to the individuals and families who adopt and care for retired MWDs
• to the non-profits and their generous supporters/volunteers who help provide resources to support military dogs

For photos of these brave dogs and their handlers, check out these wonderful pictures from Kael Weston’s book, The Mirror Test: America at War in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If you’re looking for financial resources to help pay for veterinary needs beyond what a nonprofit or your current bank balance can support, please visit us at www.lendingpoint.com. Find out how we can help you and your furry best friend!

1. Rethink your spending priorities.

Without a steady stream of income, your financial resources become much more finite — money isn’t going to keep flowing into the bucket. Consider which spending items you can cut back on or eliminate in retirement. Ask yourself questions like: Do I still need several business publication subscriptions or can I scale it down to just one favorite? Can I cut back on my dry cleaning? Is it time to find a less expensive hair salon? Can my grown kids travel to see me a few times a year instead of making several trips to see them each year? Determine a budget that’s in line with making your retirement savings last and find a budget app or tool that works for your individual needs — then use it.

2. Look at debt in a new light.

When it comes to not paying outright for purchases, be cautious. If you choose to finance something on a credit card or by some other means, be sure that you are able to make payments comfortably within your established budget (remember our first tip?). And, make payments that are sizable enough so the debt doesn’t linger any longer than absolutely necessary. At this stage of the game, the last thing you want it is to pay a lot of interest.

3. Become a student of retirement financial literacy.

Read, research, and read some more. No matter how financially savvy you think you are, it pays to educate yourself on the many money-related issues that are specific to retirees. Become informed on important topics like taxes, insurance, Social Security, Medicare and estate planning. Whether you prefer reading a book, listening to a podcast, watching a video online or speaking with an advisor in person, there are plenty of resources. No excuses.

Remember, you work a lot of years to get yourself to retirement. It’s not a sprint, it’s a slow and steady foot race. Don’t shortchange yourself — allow plenty of time to learn what you need to know about managing your finances in retirement before you actually throw away the alarm clock and say goodbye to the daily work grind. You’ll be glad you did.

For more on money matters for retirees, read The Street’s

How Does Financial Literacy Change for Retirees?

Then, check out personal finance expert Jane Bryant Quinn’s book, published this year —

How To Make Your Money Last: The Indispensable Retirement Guide.

We love that she not only addresses “rightsizing” your life, but also how to get the most out of the retirement resources you already have.

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ITALY

birth place of pizza and gelato only makes this amazing destination even better. You and your spouse can eat all day, walk off the calories visiting all the historic sites and taking in the views, and then party all night in this beautiful boot-shaped country. The only downside is how hard it is to choose which parts of this beautiful country to visit, but that’s where our favorite travel writer comes in. Rick Steves’ Italy travel adviceis the best place to start on planning your trip.

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GREECE

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FRANCE

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THE CARIBBEAN

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If you need help making your dream honeymoon even dreamier, we’ve been known to make it happen with one of our LendingPoint honeymoon loans. Use

and see what offers you could qualify for — it takes just minutes and checking your rates won’t affect your credit.

1. The dress

Ashley, Florida bride, 2011

I have been a part of multiple ‘this is the dress’ moments at big name bridal shops. I have witnessed someone falling in love with a $500 dress and someone handing over a credit card for a $6,500 dress. My dress was $350 and I found it after trying on over 20 dresses at all price points. I found my dream dress walking through the mall one day. It was featured in the window of a non-bridal shop and I bought it off the rack.

Why this dress? It was perfect – comfortable, unique, and beautiful. I knew that I would rather take the extra dollars and put them toward something else. As someone who is painfully practical, I could not justify a $3,000 dress for one event, even if that event is a very important one. I still think that this was one of the best budget decisions I made.

2. The flowers

Amanda, Bahamas bride, 2008

Let me preface this by saying that I adore fresh flowers and have at least one vase full in my house at all times. But wedding table bouquets are highly overpriced. Instead of spending upwards of $4,000 on table flowers, I decided to go big on my bridesmaids’ bouquets and have each of them be responsible for putting their bouquets in a vase on the table. Our guests had no idea and the bouquets had a second life that lasted past the initial 30-minute ceremony.

3. Hair and transportation

Megan, North Carolina bride, 2014

I was able to call on my guests to help with some of the aspects of my wedding. My cousin happens to be a wonderful hair stylist who charges well over $100 for a simple haircut. As his wedding present, he agreed to do my hair and the rest of the bridal party’s hair. It was such a special part of my day, and the photographer captured wonderful moments of us laughing and crying during the get-ready process.

One of my closest friend’s father owns a car dealership and provided our Mercedes transportation for free. Between the hair and transportation, we saved a total of $1,200. If only I had a baker and photographer in my circle, I would have been able to save even more.

4. DJ and band

Nicole, New York bride, 2015

Our wedding party was full of highly entertaining friends and family. Instead of spending the extra money on the DJ and his partner who was responsible for making sure everyone was having a great time, we decided to only hire the DJ and have our wedding party take turns making sure everyone was out of their seats, dancing and laughing. They loved the assignment and having their ‘special’ talents on display. It also saved us $400.

5. Invitations

Amy, Florida bride, 2012

In preparing for our wedding, I read multiple blogs and magazines that all stated to set the mood of the wedding from the get-go with the invitations. I priced out multiple styles, sizes, fonts, and lots of add-ons. My wedding guests list was 175 and I was prepared to spend about $6 a person on the invitations, response cards, and postage. What I quickly learned was that $6 a person wasn’t going to go far.

I had to make a decision. Where did I really want to spend my budget? Was it on the invitations or on the party itself? I wanted my guests to remember our day as the best party they had ever attended. With that in mind, I toned down the invitations and went all out on the food, open bar, and music. It was the best decision I could have made because almost four years later our guests still talk about our big day.

For more wedding savings ideas check out Brides.com’s 50 ways to save on a wedding. If you need help paying for your big day, we offer fixed-APR and payment loans from $3,500 to $20,000.  To see the amount you qualify for and check rates,

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1. Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club

Ages 8-12

Who better to take financial advice from than Warren Buffet? He’s as engaging and affable as he is expert at making and investing money. Check out his animated series with your kids to expose them to some relevant, important financial literacy concepts. The website describes the program as,

“

an animated series that features Warren Buffett as a mentor to a group of entrepreneurial kids whose adventures lead them to encounter financial and business problems to solve.”

The program teaches the basics of good financial decision making and some of the basic lessons of starting a business. The animated series has 26 online short webisodes and TV specials featured on the HUB cable network. For kids who are book lovers, there’s the companion book, The Secret Billionaire’s Club: 26 Secrets to Success in the Business of Life. It’s currently available on Amazon for less than $20. See more at:

http://www.smckids.com/about.php

2. TED talk: Let’s Raise Kids to be Entrepreneurs, Cameron Herold

All ages

This one’s for parents and other influential adults in kids’ lives. Given in 2010, the TED talk Let’s Raise Kids to be Entrepreneurs, by Cameron Herold, is as relevant now as it was six years ago. It speaks to fostering in children the desire to become entrepreneurs, to develop independence, the ability to negotiate, earn and save, not just to expect and want a job with a regular paycheck when they grow older.

“

I think we have an obligation as parents and a society to start teaching our kids to fish instead of giving them the fish — the old parable: ‘If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.’ If we can teach our kids to become entrepreneurial — the ones that show those traits to be –like we teach the ones who have science gifts to go on in science, what if we saw the ones who had entrepreneurial traits and taught them to be entrepreneurs? We could actually have all these kids spreading businesses instead of waiting for government handouts.”

3. Flocabulary

Grades K-12

For clever, engaging rap songs designed to get kids (and adults!) interested in a wide range of topics, check out Flocabulary– an online library of educational hip-hop songs and videos for grades K-12. Over 35,000 schools use Flocabulary to engage and inspire students. Their financial literacy videos include a variety of life lessons like Goal Setting, Budgeting, Paying For College, Banking, Credit Cards and Credit History. The site offers a parent subscription plan for $96/yr or $12/mo.

4. Martha Hunt’s Raising Financially Confident Kids

All ages

In Martha Hunt’s 2012 book release of Raising Financially Confident Kids, she outlines how parents and guardians can better prepare children for financial success. Martha believes the conversation and teaching moments should start at a very young age, not when the child is old enough to make independent financial decisions. Hunt provides allowance ground rules, and shares ideas about everyday teachable moments.

Parents will learn how to teach their children the importance of managing money and differentiating between cash and credit. Finance

“

is its own language and an important one. Credit sends a mixed message to children” as it is not clear cut and tangible like cash. Teaching children the importance and dangers of credit is essential to their financial health.

5. Board Games

Ages 8 and up

And, finally, for good, old-fashioned fun that doesn’t involve screen time don’t forget the board games many of us grew up with. Monopoly, Life and Payday still make for a great way to get some unplugged family time in, and for the kids to learn a few things about managing money in the process. And kids learn through play. The classic and more updated versions of these games are all for ages 8 and up.

• Double check each of your three credit reports to verify that you recognize all credit inquiries. If you see something suspicious, freeze your credit with a fraud alert while you investigate further. Each of the three bureaus has a different process for handling fraud as well as more straightforward errors, but they should gladly help you through the process.
• As much as possible, make more than the minimum payment toward your debt each month. Be sure that payments are on-time or early. If you find yourself having a hard time making minimum payments or keeping up with the multiple bills, it might be time to think about consolidating your debt into one fixed APR payment.
• Be careful about how frequently you apply for credit. Don’t fall prey to the tempting habit of opening a new store card just to take advantage of the promotional discount or other perk. You’ll end up with far more credit accounts than you need, and potentially more temptation and open-to-buy than you can safely handle.
• Age of established credit matters. It’s ok to go ahead and cut up or put away the credit cards you don’t use, but don’t close those accounts. The longer your credit lines are open, the better it is for your credit score. For example, keeping a store credit card open and paid on time for 10 years is far better than opening a credit card for a couple months, paying off the balance, and then closing it.

The bottom line on credit scores is this — there is no magic bullet for hitting a target number. It’s a lot like physical fitness and weight-loss, career success, and so many other positive achievements we strive for. How to achieve these goals varies with each individual. Building and maintaining a strong credit score takes informed, careful choices, determination and good habits.

Should you need it, here is contact information for all three of the major credit bureaus: Equifax– www.equifax.comP.O. Box 740241

Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

1-800-685-1111 Experian– www.experian.comP.O. Box 2104

Allen, TX 75013-0949

1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) TransUnion– www.transunion.comP.O. Box 1000

Chester, PA 19022

If you need help consolidating debt and taking control of your credit score, we can be of help. Check rates

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Understanding your credit score is equally important as it acts as an adult report card, communicating your likelihood to pay back on current obligations based on past and present spending, payment, and income trends. More on your credit score in our next installment.

If you have decided that a personal loan is the best option for you, see what you qualify for and check rates here.