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

Montage of a pile of cash, a stethoscope and a calculator.

Tricare Premiums vs. Enrollment Fees: Here's Why the Difference Matters

Being aware of your Tricare catastrophic cap can help you plan your medical budget and make smart decisions about carrying...

A stethoscope lies on top of fanned-out US $100 bills.

Understanding Your Tricare Catastrophic Cap

Being aware of your Tricare catastrophic cap can help you plan your medical budget and make smart decisions about carrying...

Two recent graduates of Hohenfels Middle High School at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, Germany, pose for a photo during the school's graduation ceremony June 6, 2025, at the school's football field. (Bryan Gatchell/U.S. Army photo)

How to Change Tricare Coverage After a Qualifying Life Event – and Which QLEs Count

Many service members experience one or more qualifying life events, or QLEs, each year, unlocking opportunities to change...

Advisers stand behind a table and talk to U.S. Air Force members.

When to Be Wary of Free Financial Advice, Plus Alternatives Available to Military Households

Financial companies offering free financial advice usually make their income by selling financial products such as insurance...

Why Service Members Need to Be Wary of Financial Advice on TikTok

While the app is full of energetic creators who present fun content, the financial guidance circulating on the platform is...

Numbers and symbols appear on Ben Franklin's currency face.

How Stock Turbulence Has Affected Thrift Savings Accounts, and How You Can Strategize

The value of Thrift Savings Plan funds has been volatile over the past year, reaching new highs and producing some big dips...

A mans arms are pictured taping shut a cardboard moving box.

Personally Procured PCS Moves Are Changing. Here’s What You Need to Know.

If you’re considering a personally procured move (PPM) this year, how can you keep any potential out-of-pocket costs as low...

Preschoolers around a low table play with big Legos.

Think You'd Like to Work as a Family Child-Care Provider for the Military?

If you're good with kids, becoming a family child-care provider can be a great way to support your fellow military families...

An orange and black lawn mower pictured from above crossing green grass.

Can I Pack This? The Items You Should and Shouldn't Ship with Your Household Goods This PCS Season

Knowing what can and can’t be shipped, and what probably shouldn't be shipped, can make your move easier.

A lot of printed bills, presumably representing debts, along with credit cards appear on a table top with a man's torso in the frame, arms shuffling papers.

Here’s a Tool to Easily Calculate Your Debt Repayment Strategy

PowerPay lets you enter your debt information and how much money you have to put toward debt repayment each month, then helps...

What a Government Shutdown Looks Like for the Military and Veterans

A federal government shutdown can have a direct impact on U.S. service members and military families.

State Tax Filing Options for Military Households: What You Need to Know

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act grants special protections to military service members and their spouses so that they don...

Pictured from inside the back of a moving truck, a mover rolls a stack of boxes inside on a dolly.

How to Prepare for Your 2025 PCS Move Amid New Contractor Changes

How can you be prepared for the uncertainty of this summer's military moving season?

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...

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Most Popular Military News

Handcuffs rest on a table inside the security forces building during a training exercise

Tennessee Man Shot Dead After Flipping Middle Finger at War Memorial

Albert Sturgill Jr., 63, was confronted by a group while gesturing at the flag and monuments at Cumberland County Veterans...

U.S. soldiers with the West Virginia National Guard conduct a routine patrol at the Stadium-Armory Metro Station in Washington, D.C.

Chicago Braces for Potential National Guard Deployment Amid Trump Threats

Illinois politicians are sounding an alarm and bracing for possible National Guard deployments to Chicago amid President...

After Sept. 11, 2001, this is what the NEADS operation floor looked like. Above the Q-93 (the large green radar scope) is the NORAD contingency suite that was installed immediately after 9/11 to provide radar data of the entire country. Photo courtesy of Master Sgt. Stacia Rountree, Eastern Air Defense Sector

9/11 Air Defense Stories You Might Not Know

As hijacked planes turned into weapons on September 11, 2001, inside a quiet Air National Guard facility in upstate New York...

California National Guard stand guard as protesters gather during the No Kings protests in Los Angeles.

Is Trump's Troop Buildup in US Cities a Declaration of War — or Something Else?

As President Donald Trump goads Democratic-led cities, Americans are grappling with a fundamental question of American...

Rep. Ronny Jackson during the 2024 Republican National Convention

Navy Demotion Reversed for GOP Congressman Who Government Watchdog Found Abused Subordinates

Jackson was quietly demoted to captain in 2022, three years after his retirement from the Navy, following an inspector...

Soldier Dies on Fort Leonard Wood Rifle Range

The Army identified the 18-year-old on Monday but has not provided details into the circumstances of his death.

Latest Military Videos

TRX Wide Row

Military.com fitness writer Stew Smith demonstrates the proper form for a TRX wide row. (Sept. 16) Military.com

TRX Suspended Lunge

Military.com fitness writer Stew Smith demonstrates the proper form for a TRX suspended lunge. (Sept. 16) Military.com

TRX Row

Military.com fitness writer Stew Smith demonstrates the proper form for a TRX row. (Sept. 16) Military.com

TRX Triceps Extension

Military.com fitness writer Stew Smith demonstrates the proper form for a TRX triceps extension. (Sept. 16) Military.com

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...

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...

Army News

US Army reveals Typhon missile system in Japan as tensions rise with China

The U.S. Army has revealed its mid-range missile system, Typhon, at one of its bases in Japan for the first time

Vietnam War veteran John L. Smith is shown at Essex County College.

Black Vietnam Veteran’s Story Reveals War’s Harsh Realities 50 Years Later

It was May 1970, deep in the jungles of Vietnam, and 19-year-old infantryman John Smith stepped to the edge of a hill to...

Navy News

Vice Adm. Timothy 'TJ' White, commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet (FCC/C10F), speaks at the retirement ceremony of Command Master Chief Dee Allen, command master chief of FCC/C10F, on Fort Meade, Maryland.

Texas Governor Names Former Chief of Federal Cyber Command to Run New Unit at Home

The Texas Cyber Command, created by lawmakers earlier this year, will be led by Timothy James “TJ” White – a retired U.S...

Retired 4-Star Navy Admiral Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Bribery Plot

Retired Adm. Robert P. Burke, once the second-highest uniformed officer in the Navy, was commanding its forces in Europe and...

Air Force News

Senate Democrat Tries to Formally Condemn Funeral Honors for Ashli Babbitt

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., went to the Senate floor to request what’s known as “unanimous consent” to pass a resolution...

Pilots of military training planes prepare for future competition

Air Race Championship Takes Flight in New Mexico's Roswell

The National Championship Air Races are kicking off in New Mexico for the first time in the competition's 60-year history.

Space Force News

Col. Edward Segura, director of manpower, personnel and services, Air Force Reserve Command, speaks

Space Force Opens Applications for Air Force Reservists to Sign Up for Part-Time Service

Applications have opened for certain Air Force reservists to join the Space Force under its new one-of-a-kind, part-time...

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle discusses the decision to relocate U.S. Space Command headquarters to Redstone Arsenal

US Space Command Can Be Running in Huntsville Before Trump Leaves Office, Official Says

U.S. Space Command headquarters can be fully operational before President Donald Trump leaves office, a Redstone Arsenal...

Marine Corps News

Student Lt. Andrew Seepe poses next to a T-45 Goshawk, a jet trainer aircraft, during filming of National Geographic's 'Top Guns: The Next Generation.'

‘Top Guns: The Next Generation’ Shows the Successes and Struggles of Aspiring Fighter Pilots

A core group of eight aspiring Navy and Marine Corps pilots are featured in the six-part National Geographic docuseries "Top...

The sign at the entrance at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

Camp Pendleton Officer, Wife Sue Military Housing Company over Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old Son

A Marine Corps family whose 8-year-old son died last year after he was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle on Camp...

Coast Guard News

Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, delivers keynote remarks at the 36th annual international Military Law and Operations strategic engagement to leaders from more than 30 nations during a 4-day discussion in Honolulu.

Military Conference in Hawaii Tackles International Law

At U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s annual International Military Law and Operations Conference, the military’s top officer in the...

A retail services specialist 3rd class, assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) supply department, conducts a command fitness class in the hangar bay.

Fitness at Sea: Workouts You Can Do on a Ship and Ace the Navy Fitness Test

Staying fit in tight spaces with little to no equipment is always a challenge, whether you are in a hotel room or living and...