Military Saves Week promotes financial resiliency

'Bernard Rey, Navy Fedral Credit Union, Camp Henry, provides financial fitness information to young Area IV children during military saves week.'

DAEGU GARRISON — A prominent financial expert once said, "The way to build your savings is by spending less each month." The advice is priceless. So, while Military Saves Week, which ran Feb. 23- 28, 2015 has come and gone, such advice is as rich as ever. Launched in an effort to improve the financial stability of military members and their families, the week serves as an extension of "America Saves" and since 2007, has encouraged and promoted saving for the future.

According to Sonya M. McCaw, AFC, Financial Readiness Program (FRP) Manager and Army Emergency Relief (AER) Officer, ACS, Camp Henry, "The purpose of Military Saves Week is to motivate and support all military members, their families, and civilian employees to think about their future and save money to reduce debt or build wealth in the military community.”

Pointing out some of the programs and activities associated with the week, McCaw said, "During Military Saves Week, U.S. military installations around the world celebrated by doing many different things. There were a lot of classes for kids, and adults. Here in USAG Daegu and Area IV, we taught people the importance of saving even as young as second grade. The message to convey was that instead of spending it all, they should learn how to save more efficiently for something that they really want in the future."

Also playing an active role in the Military Saves Week activities was Col. Jim Bradford, Commander, USAG Daegu, who took a moment out of his busy schedule to share with the community the importance of Military Saves Week. Clearly, there was no shortage of support and participation in the Area IV community. On Camp Carroll, and Camp Walker, facilities such as the Exchange, commissary and gymnasium, set up information tables displaying a variety of money-saving literature and handouts.

The fact sheets and tips aligned perfectly with the theme for Military Saves Week --.'Set a Goal. Make a Plan. Save Automatically'. Said McCaw, "The week encourages individuals to save long after this period of recognition. To successfully accomplish this first requires setting a goal of how much you want to save. From there, it is important to make a plan specifically tailored toward that goal. Finally, you need to save automatically."

As the interview came to an end, McCaw wanted to leave the USAG Daegu and Area IV community with a few words of encouragement. She said, "Getting to know and understand financial fitness is important. Every person who is connected to the military will have to leave at one time or the other. Therefore, it is important that you make a commitment to save so that you can have a financially secure future."

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