The Coast Guard Personal Financial Management Program policy,
Commandant Instruction 1740.8,
was signed and released on 2 April, 2015.
Register for Upcoming Personal Financial Management
Webinars. Visit www.CGSUPRT.com and click
“Personal Financial Management” under Quick Links for more information.
Who is Eligible for this Program? The PFMP is available to the following members of the Coast Guard:
Active Duty, Select Reservists, and their family members
Civil Service employees
Exchange System and MWR employees
Purpose of Program According to the National Financial Capability Study – Military Survey – Executive Summary (2010), “Financial problems also can have a direct impact on military readiness. Military personnel, who experience serious financial problems can lose their security clearance, face criminal sanctions or be discharged from the military”. The PFMP is responsible for ensuring the necessary financial information and resources are available to Coast Guard personnel and their family members to prevent these situations and others from happening.
Program Confidentiality Discussions of individual personal finances are
confidential.
Services and Resources Available
Personal Financial Management Coordinators (PFMC):
PFMC's are located on the Work-Life
Staff at each Health Safety and Work-Life Regional Practice
(HSWL-RP). PFMC's can assist you with obtaining resources to assist
with financial issues, and with any problems that may accompany
those difficulties. Information on contacting your PFMC is provided
below.
Command Financial Specialists (CFS):
CFSs are members of the military who have been appointed by the
commanding officer to provide financial education and training,
counseling and information referral at the command level. The CFS
should be the first stop for the Military member who has questions
or issues about financial readiness. CFSs are located at most units
throughout the Coast Guard. Please contact your HSWL RP or CO/OIC to
locate a CFS in your unit/area.
CG
SUPRT offers all eligible Coast Guard Personnel enhanced
personal financial management services. The program provides
one-on-one Money Coaching, a personalized website with helpful
tools and calculators, twice a month webinars, and more!
Please visit
www.CGSUPRT.com
and click “Personal Financial Management” under Quick Links for
more information.
Per
Commandant Instruction 1740.3A, non-government organizations must
submit a written request to Commandant (CG-111) and obtain
designation as a qualified non-government topical education
presenter.
Qualified Non-Government Organizations – This list includes
Commandant (CG-111) approved non-government agencies that can
provide Personal Financial Management classes and materials to CG
personnel
Related Web Sites The following web sites provide information related to PFMP -
DISCLAIMER: Links to non-federal entities are
provided as an administrative convenience. The Coast Guard cannot and does
not endorse any of the linked non-federal entities, their products, or their
services
Emergency Assistance:
Coast Guard Mutual Assistance -
CGMA offers emergency financial
assistance and many types of financial counseling. To learn more about these services
visit the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance web site.
Budgeting/Saving:
Military Saves
- Military Saves is a social marketing campaign to persuade,
motivate, and encourage military families to save money
every month, and to convince leaders and organizations to be
aggressive in promoting automatic savings.
Spendster - Face it: you’ve made some lousy
purchases. But don’t worry; you’re not the only one. Spendster
recognizes that everyone has a junk drawer or garage full of
stuff they never use or a spending habit they just can’t break.
That’s why Spendster has created a safe haven for you to clear
the air about what’s cluttering your life or draining your
wallet.
Debt & Credit Assistance
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.
Incharge Debt Solutions -
Military Debt Relief - InCharge Debt Solutions recognizes that service members from all
branches of the US military face the same financial challenges
confronting many Americans, greatly compounded by the nature of
military service where “mobility” is a reality of life. InCharge
is a leading nonprofit organization which has brought debt
relief to over a million struggling Americans, and we’ve
developed tools and alliances to bring specialized help to
military families struggling with debt overload and the unique
challenges of military life.
Consumer Awareness/Affairs:
Better
Business Bureau (BBB) Coast Guard Line - A
Coast Guard Qualified Organization, encourages Coast Guard
personnel (including Reservists), retirees, and their family
members to use the free consumer services and materials
offered by BBB, as well as to partner with their local BBBs.
BBB is proud to work with the Coast Guard Office of
Work-Life to improve the financial readiness of Coast
Guardsmen and their families.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) - The
consumer bureau is working to give consumers the information
they need to understand the terms of their agreements with
financial companies. Like a neighborhood cop on the beat, the
CFPB supervises banks, credit unions, and other financial
companies, and we will enforce Federal consumer financial laws.
FDIC Money Smart - Money Smart is a
comprehensive financial education curriculum designed to
help low- and moderate-income individuals outside the
financial mainstream enhance their financial skills and
create positive banking relationships. Money Smart has
reached over 2.75 million consumers since 2001. Research
shows that the curriculum can positively influence how
consumers manage their finances, and these changes are
sustainable in the months after the training.
FTC Complaint Assistant - The Federal Trade
Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency,
collects complaints about companies, business practices,
identity theft, and episodes of violence in the media.
Homeowners Assistance Program - This program
authorizes the Secretary of Defense to provide financial aid
to eligible military (including Coast Guard), civilian,
certain overseas employees, and non-appropriated fund
employee homeowners who have served or have been employed at
or near military installations which the Department of
Defense (DoD) has ordered to be closed or whose operations
have been significantly reduced and where real estate values
have declined because of the announced closure or
realignment.
Stop Fraud - Fraudulent activities should
always be reported to your local law enforcement office.
This website provides additional information on how specific
types of fraud complaints or cases of suspected fraud can be
submitted to federal agencies.
Investing/Retirement:
my Retirement paycheck -
Explore your
retirement decisions. Gives you information to assist in
making wise decisions that will make your resources go
further so you can enjoy greater financial well-being in
retirement.
SaveAndInvest.org
-
Unbiased financial tools and information for military families
and all investors from the FINRA Foundation.
Thrift
Savings Plan (TSP) - The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
is a retirement savings and investment plan for Federal
employees and members of the uniformed services, including the
Ready Reserve. It was established by Congress in the Federal
Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986 and offers the same
types of savings and tax benefits that many private corporations
offer their employees under 401(k) plans.
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