The problems you mention, make me wonder if, any personal finance/money management education, is part of any military education or training programs.
Especially with young service members, for whom the military is their first real job, and in most cases being stationed far from family and friends, it’s easy to see how they fall prey to predatory credit card or loan schemes.
> “The problems you mention, make me wonder if, any personal finance/money management education, is part of any military education or training programs.”
Some commands have in the past required its members to attend credit and financial counseling.
President Trump needs to be briefed on this aspect of military life and how it became so negative to military families.
Historically, one of the biggest attractors to military service members were the benefits to on-base living. Along the way, starting with Bush 41, military families were pushed out into the high-cost civilian sector and their pay falls further behind.
Economically, it makes much more sense to restore the older practices pre-Bush 41 that worked and were attractive rather than blow budget holes via military pay raises.
I think POTUS would get that in a NY second.
There are all sorts of finance/money management classes available, along with other life skill classes like keeping a resume up to date. The classes are not usually mandatory, but some commands do require some or all lower enlisted to attend. When it is not mandatory few attend the class. It also seems those that need the classes the most are those that tend to skip it.
I have had family in the military all my life and it seems to me it worked better for lower enlisted to live in military housing. They are young, and easily led into even a rental they can’t afford. As they gain rank their pay goes up so that it is easier for them to rent or buy a decent house they can afford.
Honestly what I see the lower enlisted doing now is renting the cheapest apartment they can find so they can have the difference between the rent and their BAH to spend on other things. The cheap apartment is usually small, in a not nice area, and not maintained so that leads to family stress too.