Security Levels
![Health, Safety & Work-Life Directorate](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090827063541im_/http://uscg.mil/hq/cg1/cg11/img/header.jpg)
Office of Work-Life Programs -
Financial Management![dollar bill](img/financial.jpg)
Who is Eligible for this Program?
The Financial Management Program is available to the
following members of Team Coast Guard:
- Active Duty, Reservists, Retirees and their dependents
- Civil Service employees
- Exchange System and MWR employees
Purpose of Program
The Financial Management Program is intended to provide
practical information and financial planning tools to eligible members
experiencing financial difficulties.
Program
Confidentiality
Discussions of individual personal finance are confidential.
Services and Resources Available
- Employee Assistance Program Coordinator (EAPC)
EAPC's are located on the
Work-Life Staff at each
Integrated Support Command and the Headquarters Support Command. EAPC's can
assist you with obtaining help with financial issues, and with any problems
that may accompany those difficulties. Information on contacting your EAPC
is provided below.
-
Employee Assistance Program (1-800-222-0364) Financial Consultation
Program
Offers objective, targeted information on a wide range of issues including
retirement planning, education funding, debt management, estate planning,
savings and investment strategies. Also offers counseling regarding any
problems that may accompany the financial difficulties. Registration
required.
Related Program Information
Often financial difficulties are accompanied by other problems. Anyone
experiencing financial problems is encouraged to talk to their regional EAPC,
or call the EAP toll-free number at 1-800-222-0364. In addition to
addressing the financial issues, the EAPC or EAP counselor can help you
identify and address any other problems you may be facing.
Related Web Sites
The following web sites provide information related to the Financial
Management Program:
- Coast Guard
Mutual Assistance -
CGMA offers financial assistance and counseling. To learn more about
these services visit the
Coast Guard Mutual
Assistance web site.
-
Air
Force Crossroads -
This Air Force website provides links for everything from Car Buying and
College Planning to Personal Investing and State/Federal Taxes. A good
portal to a wealth of useful information.
-
The Council of Better Business Bureaus (BBB) - This organization
has a program devoted to providing Coast Guard and DoD members and
civilian employees and their families with consumer education, related
workshops and advocacy. It provides custom educational materials,
breaking news on consumer issues affecting the military, access to BBB
reliability reports and complaint systems, and subscriber information
for a free monthly BBB Military Line e-newsletter. In addition, all 165
local BBBs and branches stand ready to assist callers.
- Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) - FDIC is an independent
agency of the federal government whose mission is to preserve and
promote public confidence in the U.S. financial system. Their website
provides a wealth of consumer information related to the banking
industry. The site also offers resources to educate and protect
consumers including the
Money Smart Computer-Based Instruction (CBI) course, a friendly and
easy to use learning tool that teaches the 10 modules of the Money Smart
curriculum through a computer. Each module generally takes between 20-30
minutes to complete. Students receive ongoing feedback and, upon
successful completion of each module, can print out a personalized
certificate of completion.
-
Feedthepig.org - Sponsored by the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants and The Advertising Council. The goal of
the Feed the Pig campaign is to encourage and help Americans aged 25 to
34 to take control of their personal finances. This site is a lot of fun
and its “spokespig,” Benjamin Bankes, is a real hoot.
-
LIFELines Services Network -
This well-maintained Navy and Marine Corps Quality of Life website
provides useful information on a wide-variety of military-related issues
including pay and benefits and financial information. Click on the
"Financial Basics", "Planning", "Financial Problems", "Real Estate
Purchases" or "Retirement Planning" links to access information and
resources.
- Military Saves -
A Joint DoD and Consumer Federation of America initiative committed to
helping and supporting military members and their loved ones to build
personal savings arsenals to provide for their immediate and long term
needs. The site provides information on how to save on auto purchases,
save for emergencies, save for a home, get out of debt, and manage
savings and investments.
- MyMoney.gov
- This web site was created by The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions
(FACT) Act of 2003. The FACT Act established the Financial Literacy and
Education Commission which consists of 20 federal agencies. The
Commission helps develop national policy on financial literacy and
coordinates Federal financial education resources so people can better
access needed education. Provides access to an extensive array of
financial tools and educational materials.
- National
Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) - A great site for
useful information and services related to debt management. NFCC is the
nation's largest and longest serving national nonprofit credit
counseling organization. Coast Guard Mutual Assistance has long
partnered with NFCC and will pay reasonable fees for counseling services
provided by their member agencies, Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS)
offices, nation-wide. To find a CCCS office near you go to
www.debtadvice.org/TakeTheFirstStep/locator.cfm or call
1-800-388-2227.
-
National Military Family Association -
This organization's website provides information for military families
concerning their rights. benefits and services available to them.
Includes links for services available through the military branches. It
also advocates on behalf of military families.
- PayDay
Loan Website -
Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has developed this site to make
people more aware of the pitfalls of payday lenders. It is excellent and
has information broken out by state.
- SaveAndInvest.org -
SaveAndInvest.org is a great source for objective answers, unbiased
investing resources and straight-talking financial information and
tools. It's a free service of the Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority Investor Education Foundation, formerly known as the National
Association of Securities Dealers’ Investor Education Foundation and was designed with military
members in mind. Includes lots of sound advice.
-
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) - While protecting the
United States during the war on terrorism, some servicemen and
servicewomen may face difficulty in meeting certain financial
obligations at home, such as rent or mortgage payments, if they are
activated for military duty. This Department of Housing and Urban
Development website describes SCRA and provides information that
servicemembers can use to avoid losing their home.
-
The 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy - A public service website
of the American Institute of Certified Professional Accountants. It
offers 260 different financial tools, over 300 articles on financial
topics and answers to over 500 frequently asked questions. Information
is tailored to “Life Stages” including “Military and Reserves.” A unique
and completely free additional feature is that visitors can submit
financial questions and receive answers from volunteer Certified
Professional Accountants. Click on “Ask the Money Dr.”
-
Treasury Department Technical Assistance Center - (202)
622-9372. This link and telephone number will put you in touch with
extensive information on establishing and improving financial literacy
programs.
-
Veteran's
Administration (VA) Home Loan Guaranty Services - The
Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2008 gives the VA the authority
to restructure subprime mortgages. Veterans with conventional home
loans now have new options for refinancing to a Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) guaranteed home loan. Veterans who wish to refinance
their subprime or conventional mortgage may now do so for up to 100
percent of the value of the property. The maximum loan amount for
these types of refinancing loans has also been raised from $144,000 up
to $729,750. To obtain help from a VA Loan Specialist, veterans may
call VA at 1-877-827-3702.
- What’s
The Cost? - WhatsTheCost contains free financial
calculators which let you calculate the “true” long term costs of
financial products such as loans, mortgages, credit cards etc., and
costly habits such drinking and smoking. You can reduce your debt faster
by calculating how much you could save by overpaying on a mortgage,
which debts to pay down first and more.
Point of Contact
If you are unable to contact the Employee Assistance Program Coordinator on your
Regional Work-Life Staff, or need additional
assistance beyond the information provided here, please contact the
Headquarters Employee Assistance Program Manager, Mr. John Reibling at (202)
475-5161 Fax: (202) 475-5907 or Email at
John.S.Reibling@uscg.mil.