Military Financial
Readiness

We are proud to serve our nation’s armed forces and their families by providing financial education programs and resources throughout all stages of their career and personal life. We are committed to ensuring they have the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed, intelligent financial decisions. We pledge to abide by the directives and policies established by the Department of Defense, the individual military services, and local installation commanders.

We offer TAKE COMMAND®, our online financial readiness program, and a variety of presentations and seminars on various financial topics suitable for all ranks/grades. Presentation/seminar content can be customized to address the training needs for your specific unit, command, or organization.

TAKE COMMAND®, our online financial readiness program, is available to service members, their families, and the organizations that support them. Courses cover all career and life stages from entry into military service until separation or retirement. Most courses take no more than an hour to complete and are accessible 24/7 via computer, smartphone or tablet.

TAKE COMMAND courses may be taken free of charge!  In addition, The American College of Financial Services has accredited our courses and you have an opportunity to earn college credit through successful course completion.

TAKE COMMAND Course Topics

Cornerstones of Financial Readiness

    • Financial Challenges Unique to the Military
    • Understanding Your LES/Payslip
    • Creating a Basic Spending Plan
    • Understanding Banking
    • Organizing Finances
    • Assessing Your Financial Status Upon Promotion
    • Introduction to Investing
    • Blended Retirement System (BRS) and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)

Preparing Financially for Change

    • Permanent Change of Station (PCS)
    • Deployment/Redeployment
    • Separation from Service
    • Military Retirement

Preparing Financially for Life Events

    • Marriage
    • Divorce
    • Addition of a First Child
    • Disabling Sickness or Condition

TAKE COMMAND Testimonials

“I enjoyed this course and wish I had this available when I first enlisted.”

“The Retirement course, in particular, had a lot of great resources- the before, during, and after budget sheet as well as the handbook.”

“I believe that this course would be extremely valuable to our new service members and any service member that has not completed a financial education course”

TAKE COMMAND Mobile App

Developing a mobile app will deliver TAKE COMMAND content to a broad age demographic in an enhanced, intuitive user experience allowing for gamification, badging, and expansion of additional content to fresh audiences. This app, coupled with accreditation of TAKE COMMAND curriculum, represents an extraordinary opportunity to further help service members and their families develop positive financial behaviors.

How you can help put TAKE COMMAND in the hands of those who need it!

We are challenging our supporters to help us raise the capital of $98,000 to develop, launch, and deploy this app. Thank you for joining us in the movement to end financial insecurity in our nation’s military. Your 100% tax-deductible gift says our service families are worth it!

Give Today via Credit/Debit Card or ACH

Give Today via PayPal/Venmo

Military Financial Education Guides and Presentations

Military Financial Education Presentations

Request Military Financial Education Presentations

If you are interested in having FCEF provide a presentation or would like to be a volunteer speaker, please fill out the form and email it to us at edufoundation@fcef.com.

Our financial readiness presentations and programs for service members and their families cover topics specific to military families, as well as a variety of general personal finance principles. We can also create more comprehensive programs that educate service members on several financial principles and sound practices. Our presentations and seminars can either be conducted by one of our volunteer speakers or train individuals from a military unit or organization to do them. Below is a list of presentations available and several free financial education guides for the military community.

Quick Reference Guides

Quick reference guides offer valuable and practical financial information vital in a service member’s personal life and military career. In addition to the downloadable versions, organizations can contact us about our “pocket-size” Quick Reference Guides.

Military Financial Education Guides

These website learning modules provide valuable and detailed information on select military-related topics.

Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)

Provides basic information about the Survivor Benefit Plan, including premium and benefit calculations, eligibility, beneficiary categories, changing beneficiaries, disenrolling, and Reserve Component SBP (RCSBP).

Military Life Insurance

Provides basic information on military life insurance programs including SGLI, TSGLI, FSGLI, and VGLI, and converting these policies to a permanent commercial insurance policy.  It also discusses the Survivor Benefit Plan, Veterans’ Mortgage Life Insurance, and the VA Beneficiary Financial Counseling and Online Will Preparation programs.

Veterans Disability Benefits

Provides basic information about filing with the VA for a disability rating and appealing a decision, and information about various special programs for disabled veterans.

VA Home Loan Program

Provides information about the VA Home Loan Program, its advantages, loan types, “full” and “remaining” entitlement, how to obtain a Certificiate of Eligibility, the VA Funding Fee and other costs, and how to spot misleading solicitations.

Approval Letters

In recognition of our commitment and our continual adherence to established guidance, First Command Educational Foundation has been granted official approval to conduct educational programs for five military services.

Air Force Approval Letter

Coast Guard Approval Letter

Navy/Marine Corps Approval Letter