Welcome!

Last September, I had the great opportunity to partake in a program to become an Accredited Financial Counselor through the MSAFCPE (http://www.militaryspouseafcpe.org/pages/page.cfm?page_id=8). I was given a scholarship (worth about $900), and it came at a perfect time. I was at a crossroad in my life as I had just had a little baby boy, but I still wanted to feel like I was doing something in my life besides being a wife and a mom. So, when I received the email saying that I was accepted into the program, I jumped at the chance. Ok, wait..rewind..I actually panicked, because it said that I need to do classtime as well as do 400 hours of either paid or volunteer internship time! How on earth was I going to do that and not pay an arm and a leg for childcare? Luckily, being the resourceful person that I am, I looked on www.myarmylifetoo.com and saw that they had the Financial Readiness Branch on post. I contacted the program manager, and she agreed to let me do an internship through them. And, the best part? Up to 50 hours of free childcare a month! I ended up learning a TON about the military and how hard these soldiers and their families were/are hurting financially. I finished my hours, and my final exams, in April of this year, and I am not an Accredited Financial Counselor! In the process, I learned a lot about myself and our own finances. I have always been intrigued by money but now I am borderline obsessive (Joe gets a little upset about that sometimes!). I just think that it is so important to know where you stand. I will be the first to admit that I do not know very much about investments nor do I want to. They bore me so much. I would rather focus on budgeting, cash flow, and how/why money affects a family so much. I can sit down with anyone and figure out a better financial system for them, and I pride myself on that. I am especially interested in helping the military as I am a fellow military spouse, and I know the inside look at what we get paid and the effect of multiple PCS' and deployments. I always welcome questions and you can send me emails at robyn.mroszczyk1@us.army.mil.