and help is available. The Problem Asampling of security clearance hearings from the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals found that about 50 percent of clearance denials involved “financial considerations.” And in recent Blue Star Families’ Military Family Lifestyle Financial stress as a result of Surveys, 41 percent of respondents listed pay/benefits as one of their top three military family life issues. Additionally, 84 percent of respondents who mentioned pay and benefits said that they were having trouble making ends meet or felt their servicemembers’ military pay was low, and 65 percent said they experience stress related to their current financial condition. While there are a lot of resources available to the military financial managementchallenges challenges, many servicemembers resource for servicemembers, vet- community to overcome these or veterans may not know which are relevant or how to access the ones that are. A New Solution A financial education program for veterans, servicemembers and their families called VALOR, or Veterans Assistance for Learning, Opportunity & Readiness, can help. It features an online tool known as LifeCents that offers veterans a free financial health assessment focused on helping them understand the factors affecting their financial well-being. This preventative financial education program can help you understand and identify threats to your financial security before they becomeserious. Created by a team of experts in the impacts servicemembers on the front line and at home, butit’s a problem that can be solved. field of consumer financial education at Financial Education & Literacy Advisers (FELA), it personalizes the learning experience to makeit relevant and rewarding. PRA Group, a financial services company that helps customers resolve their debt, provided financial support to launch VALORas a erans and their families to overcome financial challenges and gain long-term financial security. Veterans, servicemembers and their families can take thefirst step toward achieving financial independence by signing up for LifeCents to get their free personalized financial health assessment and guide to resources most relevant to them at http://valor usa.org/sign-up. Learn More For additional information about FELA and VALOR, please visit www.myfela.com and www. valorusa.org. Mr. Allison is president of Financial Education & Literacy Advisers.
