Military benefits can be a complicated topic and are often misunderstood by the general public. We have dealt with this topic several times on our site, as we have had some people claim that military members have it too good, and in this case, calling military members rich because their paycheck is all “play money” [...]
Get a Free Credit Score – No Credit Card or Payment Required
Credit scores are an important part of your financial health as they are used to determine your creditworthiness, buy a house, sign a cell phone contract, or even get a job or security clearance. Because your credit score is so important, many companies offer consumers a “free credit score”. Unfortunately, some of these free credit [...]
Which Documents Do You Need for a Military Burial?
Military funeral honors are a benefit earned by all who served honorably in the US Armed Forces, and are provided free of charge as a last “thank you” from a grateful nation. To be eligible for a free military burial, a veteran must have died while on active duty, or must have received a discharge [...]
What Happens if You Don’t File Your Taxes
The tax deadline is April 15th in most years, unless that date falls on a holiday or weekend. In that case, the tax deadline will fall on the next business day. That is the case this year, with the tax filing deadline landing on April 17th (the 15th was on Sunday, and the 16th was [...]
How to Appeal a Veterans Administration Benefits Decision
One of the most frustrating things a veteran can deal with is a denial of a benefits claim with the Veterans Administration. There are many reasons the VA might deny your claim for disability compensation, health care, education, or other VA benefits, and you can often appeal their decision. In most cases, you have one year from the date [...]
How to Submit a VA Benefits Claim Form with VONAPP
Many veterans come across a time when they need to update their VA profile or make an adjustment to a claim. There are several ways to do this, depending on the nature of the update. If it is clerical in nature you may be able to do it via phone or an in-person visit to [...]
How to Create a VONAPP Account for Online VA Claims
I recently needed to make an update to the status of my dependents for my file with the VA. I could easily do this with a paper form, but I decided to try the Veterans On-Line Application, or VONAPP. The government is trying to move more processes online which reduces paperwork and saves them time [...]
Roth IRA – Why I Love It, and Why You Need One
You’ve probably heard about a Roth IRA before; it’s one of those terms that gets bandied about on TV or the radio with great frequency. And with good reason – a Roth IRA is a retirement account which is one of the best ways to prepare for retirement. I’ll give you an introduction on Roth IRAs – [...]
I’m a Qualified Veteran, Why Can’t I Find a Job?
I’ve been using LinkedIn a lot more frequently lately. It’s a great place to connect with people, offer advice, and ask for assistance if you need it. If you are on LInkedIn, I recommend joining some of the many veterans groups on there, which offer a lot of great support and advice for finding a [...]
The Music Will Go On… Thoughts on Military Bands and Budget Cuts
The military has a variety of special duty assignments and jobs which fall under the radar. Some of them are assignments many service members aren’t even aware of. I had the pleasure of serving in one such duty assignment while I was in the USAF. In 2002 I toured with a group called Tops In [...]