Military Community and Family Policy Weekly Tips

Nutrition Tip of the Week - Counting Portions

We often hear that we should have a certain amount of vegetables a day or a certain serving of grains. But how exactly do we count how much grain, fruit, and dairy we eat? All food group recommendations for the USDA Food Patterns - the basis for the USDA Daily Food Plans - are made in household units (cups for fruits, vegetables and dairy, and ounce equivalents for grains and protein foods). To find out more about foods in the food groups, how much is needed, and what counts as an ounce or cup equivalent, visit the ChooseMyPlate website. Then, click on the individual food groups.

The USDA Food Patterns list the number of cups or ounce equivalents for each food group for each specific calorie level. Remember, your Daily Food Plan takes into account your age, sex, height, weight and physical activity level to determine your recommendations from each food group.

Parenting Tip of the Week - The Land Grant University as a Resource for Parents?

Since 2010, the Department of Defense has had a formal partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Land Grant Universities Cooperative Extension System which leverages the resources of faculty and staff in support of military families.

One excellent resource for parents is Iowa State University's Science of Parenting Blog provides a venue for the sharing and discussion on a number of issues important to parents. This is accomplished through weekly blog postings as well as quarterly webinars that are offered at no charge to interested individuals. What's more, you can watch archived webinars on your own time line through the webinar archive.

Check out the Science of Parenting Blog today.

Let's Move/Childhood Obesity Tip of the Week - Interactive Portion Distortion Quiz

You can learn how today portions compare to the portions available 20 years ago while completing a quick, interactive Portion Distortion quiz. Also, learn about the amount of physical activity required to burn off the extra calories provided by today's portions.

Go to the NHLBI Portion Distortion Quiz to test your knowledge and find the answers to these and more questions.

• A standard cup of coffee 20 years ago was 8 ounces and had 45 calories. How many calories do you think are in today's coffee?
• How long you will have to walk in order to burn those extra calories?
• A muffin 20 years ago was 1.5 ounces and had 210 calories. How many calories do you think are in a muffin today?
• How long you will have to vacuum in order to burn those extra calories?

Financial Tip of the Week - Is Money Tight? Don't Ignore Your Retirement Plan!

During challenging economic times, it can be tempting to forego contributions to your retirement account, or even to pull money out of an existing account to cover other expenses. Some plans allow you to withdraw money for certain hardship reasons (to prevent eviction or foreclosure, for instance), but there can be some pretty tough financial consequences for tapping or ignoring your retirement plan.

The FINRA Investor Education Foundation offers the following good reasons to keep your retirement savings intact (note these rules are regarding U.S. laws):

1. Tax Liability -unless you're over the age of 59 ½, you will not only have to pay income taxes on the amount you withdraw, but you will also be subject to a 10 percent tax penalty. In most cases, your employer will withhold 20 percent in federal taxes, so the amount you receive will be significantly lower than the amount you requested.
2. Opportunity Costs -the repercussions of withdrawing funds from your 401(k) could be enormous in terms of lost growth opportunity. For example, let's assume you are 30 years old, and have a 401(k) balance of $20,000. If you leave that money alone, and your account averages a 6 percent rate of return over the next 32 years, your balance at retirement will be $129,068 when you're 62-even if you do not make any additional contributions during that time. If you take it out, you'll have nothing. Even if you have a shorter time horizon, you will forgo significant savings opportunities by taking money out of your 401(k). For a 45-year-old, that $20,000 will grow to $53,855 in 17 years.
3. Opening Assets to Creditors - Under the Bankruptcy Abuse Protection and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, your creditors cannot touch your 401(k) balance or similar retirement savings account - even if, as a last resort, you file for bankruptcy protection. Balances in traditional and Roth IRAs are also protected up to a limit of $1 million. But if you take money out of your retirement plan through a loan or a hardship or regular withdrawal, your creditors can go after that sum.

Another warning: watch out for products that allow you to withdraw your retirement funds and reinvest them elsewhere. FINRA warns that 72(t) withdrawals from an IRA and 401(k) debit cards can deplete your retirement savings and damage your retirement security.

It's best to look at other ways to save or borrow - tightening your belt on expenses, taking advantage of employer match programs to keep funding your IRA or 401(k), contributing pre-tax dollars to a retirement plan, etc. You may also be able to borrow from your 401(k) without actually taking a withdrawal; this would reduce your tax burden and would likely come with a lower interest rate than a bank loan. Check with your plan administrator on whether or not this option is available.

For more information on this and other financial topics, check out the SaveAndInvest.org website.

Spouse Tip of the Week - Work-Life Planning for Military Spouses

What does it mean to be "married to the military?" It means compromise. It means sacrifice. It means taking turns focusing on his career and her career. It means sharing parenting responsibilities in-between deployments. It means looking at a military career and seeing opportunities for both of you.
When you're married to the military, the military comes first. There are orders that have to be followed and places you have to live. Because of military obligations, there are many decisions that have already been made for you. But you can still have it all if you are creative and plan ahead.

Before you get married, it's important to think about what you want out of life - a career, children, adventures living overseas, high-demand positions that will take you to levels you've never known before. Whatever combination you choose, there are trade-offs and windows of opportunity. So, plan ahead and spend your time wisely. It all starts before you "marry the military."

One great advantage of marrying the military is their education benefits, especially the Post 9/11 Education Benefits which can be transferred to family members if the service member so chooses. Regardless of your level of education, learning is never over. It's an ongoing process for both of you. Some education is formal (e.g., offered by the military as well as post-secondary institutions) and some is gained by volunteer or paid work experience. In order to stay at the top of your game, you will need to seek the level of education and training that is recognized and required by your chosen fields of interest. The Department of Labor's Career OneStop website will help you explore portable career fields, occupations, licenses, certificates, degrees and other credentials needed for career success - now, at time of transition out of military service and at time of retirement.

If you're not sure what career you are interested in pursuing, call Military OneSource's Spouse Career Center (800-342-9647) and ask to speak with a consultant who can help you with Career Exploration. These career and education counselors can help you with career interest tests, core values self-assessments, skills inventories, career field information, financial assistance resources for education, and other tools and support services that will help you define your way ahead. Also, be sure to check out the Department of Education's new online tool that helps you compare and choose a school that is affordable and provides high quality education, degrees, licenses and credentials that employers value, before you sign any contracts for programs of study or take out educational loans you will have to pay back.

Take a look at your service member's military obligations. How many years will he or she be in the military? Will you have to live overseas? How much time will you spend apart (e.g., military training tours, combat duty, deployments)? These might be perfect times to pursue training and education that will prepare you for your own career opportunities and advancements. So use these times wisely.
Take time to map it out. Put this information on a timeline, so you can see an evolving schedule that highlights when the best times will be to pursue training and education for yourself. Remember, if one of your personal and professional goals is for a portable career, the more education and training you have, the more income you will be able to produce.

With this in mind, there are two resources you will want to check out immediately: The My Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program and the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP).

• MyCAA provides up to $4,000 of financial assistance to eligible spouses who are pursuing an associate degree, license or credential required by portable career employment. To learn more about MyCAA eligibility and to sign up for a MyCAA account, visit the MyCAA website.
• MSEP is a recruitment and employment solution that brings military spouse job seekers together with Fortune 500 Plus employers who want to recruit, hire, retain and promote them into portable career job opportunities. To sign up for an account, visit the MSEP web portal. Post your résumé and look at thousands of jobs posted by over 100 military friendly employers. Make it easy for them to find you. Some will invite you to apply for their job openings.

Now, what about children, parenting responsibilities, child care and transportation needs? When will you be ready to be in the work force? Can you balance the demands of parenting and employment? Again, Military OneSource counselors can help. They have resources and referrals that can help you decide when the right time is for you to enter or re-enter the job market. They can help you find high quality child care on and off base, transportation options that will reliably get you to work on time, back-up plans to help meet emergency child care needs, and work options that will allow you to work flexible hours from flexible locations (e.g., telework and own-your-own business opportunities). These counselors are great coaches, but you will be the decision-maker. After all, it's your work-life plan you are developing.

Finally, the issue of relocation, a key component and something you can expect when you're married to the military. Every few years, your service member will be receiving military orders to a new job. Sometimes this means a move to a new duty station or community. Will you relocate with your service member? That depends on whether you are allowed to accompany him or her, and whether it is in the best interest of your family, especially your children. So check out the relocation assistance tools available on MilitaryOneSource. You should find Relocation Planning Guides, online tools and a MilitaryINSTALLATIONS database that contains valuable information and points of contact at military bases worldwide. This will make moving so much easier.

If you are going to seek employment at the new duty station, you will want to check out military spouse employment preference programs and special hiring authorities so you can ask about them six weeks or so before moving. Visit the Office of Personnel Management's websites to learn more about getting started and maintaining a federal government career - especially one with the Department of Defense. Here are the best sites to visit: Office of Personnel Management, USAJOBS, and Feds Hire Vets.

So, what is your Work-Life Map starting to look like? Where are your windows of opportunity? Which benefits and resources are you going to use to help you reach your goals? Starting with today, when will you go to school? When will you start your career? When will you have children and perhaps, be a stay-at-home parent for some period of time? When will you enter or re-enter the workforce? When so you expect to have an empty nest? When will you retire? It's all up to you. Take advantage of the windows of opportunity provided to you by the military and the wonderful support services and resources it provides.

And good luck! You're about to find out that being married to the military is a good deal!

Relocation Tip of the Week - Keep to your Budget During a Move

Moving doesn't have to break the bank. Here are some ways you can keep to your budget and still have a great moving experience.

Have a large library? Packing and mailing books to your new address - using the U.S. Postal Service's Book Rate - can save you enough money to buy a few new bestsellers. Check with Move.mil or your transportation office about Spouse Pro-Gear.

One of the best ways to save money on your move is to donate belongings-or have a yard sale and make some quick cash! Here's a list of items that you could consider getting rid of:

• CDs (Tastes change; many used-CD stores buy back your old tunes.)
• clothing (If you haven't worn it in a year, chances are you never will.)
• toys (Kids outgrow toys like they outgrow shoes. Make other kids happy with your child's old favorites.)
• tools (Moving from a house to a condo? You probably won't need that lawn tractor.)
• exercise equipment (Do you really want to move 300 pound of weights that haven't been lifted in years?)

If you do donate, be sure to get receipts for tax deductions.

Military OneSource Tip of the Week - Getting Help for Victims of Domestic Abuse

If you think someone you know is involved in an abusive relationship, there are ways you can offer support.

• Show your concern. Let the person know you are ready to listen and provide help.
• Find out about military reporting options by talking to a victim advocate on your installation. A victim can, except in certain circumstances, talk with a victim advocate and receive medical care without it automatically resulting in an abuse investigation.
• Let the victim know that she doesn't have to stay in an abusive relationship and that help is available. You can urge her to contact the installation's Family Advocacy Program (FAP) and speak with a victim advocate, call the command chaplain, or call the toll-free National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-799-7233).

Find out more from the Military OneSource article, Domestic Abuse and Where to Find Help.