Kate Horrell

Kate Horrell is an Accredited Financial Counselor®, Chartered Financial Consultant®, and Military Qualified Financial Planner® who helps the military community make the most of their pay and benefits. With more than 15 years working with thousands of military families, she helps currently serving, retired and veteran families.

She has been married to a now-retired sailor for 32 years, corralling four girls and two cats across four OCONUS tours and a handful of homes in the U.S. She’s navigated landlording, Overseas Housing Allowances, the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Survivor Benefit Plan decision, and transition to civilian life.

Latest Articles

State of Legal Residence vs. Home of Record

When talking with military families about taxes, residences and driver's licenses, one thing keeps coming up: the misuse of...

In a large room photographed from the back, people are pictured sitting in chairs looking up at a rising graph projected on a screen.

Investing for Junior Troops: A Guide to Making Your Money Multiply

If you have a lot to learn about investing, be aware that some of the information out there is not so good. Where should you...

Screenshot of portion of military Leave and Earnings Statement

What to Look for on Your January Leave and Earnings Statement

It's important to check your military Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) each month, but the January LES is more important...

US $100 bills, bent into four sections resembling paper airplanes or birds, fly in a V through the blue sky.

Should You Borrow from Your TSP Account?

Financial experts don’t recommend taking out loans against retirement accounts such as the military’s Thrift Savings Plan...

A stack of bills looks blurry, as though it's in the process of being flipped through, with one president's face in focus.

Basic Needs Allowance Overview

The Basic Needs Allowance can potentially add hundreds of dollars to the paycheck of a military member with a family whose...

7 Cheap and Fast Halloween Costumes

Looking for a cheap Halloween costume? Your closet probably has all the components you need to make a great costume. Here are...

Flames appear to burn a pile of $50 bills, which take up the whole frame.

5 Reasons for Service Members to Avoid Borrowing from Their Thrift Savings Plan Accounts

While taking a loan from a TSP account may be a simple solution, it is important to understand the long-term reasons a...

Vanessa Arzabala, right, a military spouse and Truman Army Education and Personnel Testing Center guidance counselor, will help operate the new Fort Leonard Wood Spouse Resource Center. The center, opened Jan. 30, 2024, is designed to provide military spouses with community, education and employment resources on and off the installation. (Brian Hill/Army)

The DoD Just Expanded Its Education Benefit for Military Spouses. Here's How to Choose a Reputable School

As military spouses become newly eligible for educational funding assistance, it's important to know how to shop for a...

Transition Funds Vital for Exit from Military, Financial Adviser Says

One of the most important, yet overlooked, parts of transition to civilian life is a transition fund.

Air Force airmen in camouflage uniforms sit at a table in front of laptops, while one counts out fake money from a stack.

5 Reasons to Pay Attention During the Military's Financial 'Touchpoint' Training

Taking full advantage of financial touchpoint training can be one of the smartest moves service members make to build a...

In a photo illustration, a blurry white house is in the background, while in the foreground, a red stick declaring "scam!" obscures the house's for-sale sign.

Why Military Homeowners May Be at Greater Risk of Title Fraud

Title fraud is still relatively rare, but the military lifestyle makes service members more vulnerable than their civilian...

Family loading moving van for PCS military transfer

Can You Make Money Off a DITY Move?

Should you believe those folks who claim they made bank on a PCS move?

Six men and women, most in uniform, stand in a row in front of an American flag draped as a backdrop.

4 Things 'Gray Area' Reservists Need to Do When They Turn 60

Finally receiving that hard-earned military retirement pay at age 60 is a big deal, and you definitely want to get that...

PCS Efficiency: How to Set Up Your New Home so It Costs Less to Run

Decisions you make when you move into your new home will affect the ongoing costs of running it.

What You Need to Know About Virginians' Fight to Restore Benefits for Families of Vets

Veterans' families are geared up for Friday's special session of the Virginia General Assembly to review the massive changes...

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Most Popular Military News

Hegseth Wants $50,000 for 'Emergency' Paint Job to Move into Military Family Housing, Lawmakers Say

While it is not unprecedented for a defense secretary to live in military housing, it is far more common for them to find...

Veteran Affairs building near the White House

Elon Musk Aide Is Now Working at VA and Accessing Its Computer Systems

A VA spokesman said the Department of Government Efficiency employee was given access to find waste and improve operations...

2023 BEYA Stars and Stripes Awards Ceremony

Military Drops Recruiting Efforts at Prestigious Black Engineering Awards Event

Until this week, Army Recruiting Command had a public partnership with the Black Engineer of the Year Awards, or BEYA, an...

Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington

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Nurses had been among those who received the original offer, but their unions had discouraged them from accepting, saying an...

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Sensitive veterans data, including information about Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, are among the Treasury...

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Air Force Has Troops Remove Names, Unit Patches from Uniforms During Deportation Flights

The Air Force is the only one of the military branches involved in President Donald Trump's mandated border mission to not...

Latest Military Videos

Freed Israeli Hostage Returns Home to Jerusalem

Recently released Israeli hostage Karina Ariev waved from a car to crowds welcoming her as she was transported home...

Russian Spacecraft Carrying Military ‘Devices’ Blasts off From Northern Cosmodrome

The Russian Defence Ministry released on Wednesday footage showing a Soyuz spacecraft blasting off from Russia's northern cosmodrome in...

Soldiers From El Salvador Join U.N.-Backed Mission in Haiti as U.S Pulls Funding

A military contingent from El Salvador arrived in Haiti on Tuesday to bolster a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan...

U.S. Aid Freeze Puts at Risk Ukraine’s Wartime Help for Frontline Evacuees

In what used to be this Ukraine town’s concert hall, cots are arranged on the stage and instead of...

Investigations and Features

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark reality.

Army Capt. Jeremy Kuykendall and his wife Kate, cradle their daughter

Unsupervised: Military Child Care Centers Slow to Report Abuse with Little Oversight

A Military.com investigation into military day care centers revealed that service branch rules generally prioritize protecting the institution, keep parents in the dark while officials formulate a public relations response.

Army News

2 Charged in Gruesome Murder of 101st Airborne Soldier in Home Near Fort Campbell

Sophia Rodas faces charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, while Reynaldo Salinas-Cruz, who was married...

Fort Liberty Will Be Fort Bragg Again. But There’s a Twist to the Controversial Name

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Navy News

Naval History and Heritage Command’s web portal on women in the U.S. Navy.

Army, Navy Restore Webpages Highlighting Women's Service as Other Military Diversity Efforts Are Erased

The pages were removed last week while the services examined their content to ensure they met an executive order issued Jan...

Smoke rising from a fire aboard the Russian spy ship Kildin off the coast of Syria.

A Russian Spy Ship Caught Fire off Syria's Coast, Officials Say. Here's Audio of its Broadcasts

The Associated Press obtained audio of what military officials say is a broadcast from a Russian spy ship that suffered a...

Air Force News

Warrant Officer Training School inaugural class

Air Force's Big Reorganization Effort Focused on China Paused by Defense Secretary

The pause does not require reversing actions that have already been taken by the Department of the Air Force, such as the...

U.S. Air Force Academy cadets form ranks and prepare to march towards Mitchell Hall

Air Force Academy Board of Visitors Dismissed by President

President Donald Trump announced he is dismissing the boards that advise military academies, including the Air Force Academy.

Space Force News

Space Force Brig. Gen. Kristin L. Lanzenhagen, right, talks with moderator Walt Jackim

Ready for 156 Space Coast Launches This Year, Space Force Targets Bottlenecks

The Space Force is prepped to support an average of 13 launches of month from the Space Coast in 2025, but it’s a juggling...

The Buckley Space Force Base sign is photographed July 7, 2021

Colorado Military Base to House Migrants as ICE Widens Crackdown

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Marine Corps News

The body of a victim is covered with a blanket as members of security forces stand around wreckage of airplane in a rice field in Maguindanao del Sur province, Philippines.

US Marine From California Identified as One of 4 People Killed in Philippines Plane Crash

Sgt. Jacob M. Durham died in the crash of an aircraft that was conducting a routine mission “providing intelligence...

U.S. Marines conduct a jungle patrol near Cotabato City, Mindanao, Philippines

US Marine and 3 Defense Contractors Killed in Philippines Plane Crash

The aircraft was conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at the request of -- and in support of -- the...

Coast Guard News

Coast Guard Member Dies During Eastern Pacific Deployment

Seaman Bryan K. Lee, 23, had been missing since early last week.

ome, Alaska, awaits the first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race musher

Missing Commuter Plane Found Crashed on Alaska Sea Ice and All 10 Aboard Died, Coast Guard Says

Mike Salerno, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard, said rescuers were searching the aircraft's last known location by...