{"id":60860,"date":"2022-06-10T18:19:30","date_gmt":"2022-06-10T18:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/06\/10\/financial-tips-for-transitioning-vets\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:07:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:07:56","slug":"financial-tips-for-transitioning-vets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/education-transition\/2022\/06\/10\/financial-tips-for-transitioning-vets\/","title":{"rendered":"Financial tips for transitioning vets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a retired veteran who is now counseling a son preparing to serve, Clay Stackhouse knows the financial hurdles<\/a> associated with making the transition from military life to civilian life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two important things he\u2019s learned in seven years as a regional outreach manager and certified financial instructor with Navy Federal Credit Union are that no two veterans\u2019 cases are the same, and no situation should be considered insurmountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople transition out at different levels and different experience levels, and just different experiences, period,\u201d said Stackhouse, who served 30 years before retiring as a colonel from the Marine Corps. \u201cI think that\u2019s important to keep in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sailor with 25 years of service on her resume and a soldier who enlisted fresh out of high school and only served his initial commitment are two very different transition situations<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA vast majority (of military personnel) are very young when they enlist,\u201d Stackhouse said. \u201cThey\u2019re still relatively young (when they separate) and looking for something and go, \u2018Wow, where do I go? What kind of profession should I pursue?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn transitioning, you have to know your identity, know where you\u2019re going to go, and what you\u2019re going to do. You also have to learn how you are going to manage your finances because it\u2019s different (than a career military person),\u201d who can rely on TRICARE and guaranteed dental care, Stackhouse said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some veterans who struggle to find their financial footing after retiring from the service don\u2019t realize that many of the money situations they will face were taken care of while they were serving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile they\u2019re in the military, their leaders all continually kind of take care of them,\u201d Stackhouse said. \u201cThe military is vested in them being financially secure<\/a>. They don\u2019t want to deploy a unit with a bunch of people who are worried about their finances and can\u2019t pay bills and things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd then once you\u2019re out, you get that slap in the face and say, \u2018Wait a minute. I have to do this all on my own?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When laying out a financial plan for veterans who are leaving the military, Stackhouse emphasizes three important facets of the transition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n