MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.- -- Can you imagine going through life without ever worrying about money? Even those with plenty of it have to make decisions on how to invest it, protect it and in some cases, spend it. For those of us unable to hire our own personal accountants, dealing with money on a daily basis can get extremely challenging.
Marine Corps Community Services at Camp Pendleton offers free personal financial assistance to military members and their families, focusing on financial education, counseling and information.
“Everyone needs to know their different financial goals, their budgets and other money basics,” said Gerald A. Williams, MCCS Financial Management Consultant. “We want to educate everyone.”
Basic financial classes are offered every Friday at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and have an emphasis on educating service members and families on how to spend and allocate their money and manage other financial assets. Some of the topics include financial planning, budgeting, the use of credit, debt, major purchase planning, investment and retirement.
Another key element is understanding credit and realizing the huge impact it has on everyone’s life, not only economically, but also professionally. Financial assistance classes teach service members how to build credit, improve it, and more importantly, how to keep it in good standing. Counseling provided is based on different cases and situations. Williams said many Marines are also affected by their credit whenever a clearance is required, depending on the severity of each case, before re-enlistments and promotions.
The professionals at MCCS Financial Services have more than 45 years of experience in the financial field and can provide valuable information on specific financial plans. These include a good understanding of Roth and traditional Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRA’s), the Thrift Savings Plan, mutual funds, investing online, stocks, saving bonds, buying property and risk assessment.
“We also offer a Command Financial Specialist Training Program designed for E6’s and above,” Williams said. “They are trained to educate and counsel with the basics on financial issues.”
The CFSP helps students to identify financial problems within their units and helps them teach how to deal with them. It consists of approximately 36 hours of training and attendees are provided with all the materials and curriculum required to successfully complete the certification process.
With mission readiness being one of the primary objectives of the Marine Corps, good financial responsibility among its members and families is essential to success. Marines and their families prosper when they are in control of their finances and able to put money aside for the future.
MCCS Financial Services is located in Mainside, building 13150 (behind the 13 Area Medical Center). Walk-ins are welcome; however, appointments are highly encouraged. You can set an appointment by calling MCCS Financial Services at (760) 725-9790 or (760) 725-6098.