Fairchild kicks off Military Saves Week

Col. Brian Newberry, 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander, poses for a picture with his wife, Jill, and Christopher Marble, Airman and Family Readiness Center chief, to proclaim the week of Feb. 25 through March 3 as Military Saves Week at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., Feb. 8, 2013. Military Saves Week is a program to persuade, motivate and encourage military families to save money every month. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Janelle Patiño)

Fairchild kicks off Military Saves Week

Published Feb. 19, 2013
By Airman 1st Class Janelle Patiño
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- More than 80 of Team Fairchild members a month visit the Airman and Family Readiness Center because of financial hardship.

Fairchild is helping to make its community move fiscally-resilient by adopting the Department of Defense's Military Saves Week beginning Monday.

Fairchild's Military Saves Week is Feb. 25 to March 2. The week's schedule is as follows:

Feb. 25: Moving off base - 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Feb. 26: TSP/Investing - 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Home Buying - 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 27: Know Your Credit Report - 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Teen Money Management Class - 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Couponing 101 - 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 28: Car Buying - 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
March 1: Healthy Eating on a Budget - 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

This financial readiness campaign is designed to persuade, motivate and encourage military families to build personal wealth through reducing debt and establishing savings goals.

"These free classes focus on promoting financial resiliency," said Marble, Airman and Family Readiness Center chief. "The aim is to help people stand on their own two feet and be responsible when it comes to dealing with money.

"It's important to set a personal savings or debt reduction goal, make a simple savings plan and pledge to sustain that action during the following year," said Marble.

Any DoD ID card holder is eligible to sign up for any Military Saves classes.

"When people attend these classes, they will understand the importance of starting young, hence the theme 'Start Small, Think Big'," said Brian Bennett, community readiness technician. "The classes are diversified so different age groups can gain knowledge that meets their needs."

For more information or to sign up, call (509) 247-2246 or visit www.militarysaves.org