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

A commissary worker puts pasta on a shelf.

5 Spending Strategies to Fight Bill Creep From Inflation

How do you maintain a spending plan when your bills are creeping up each month?

An arm places a can of oatmeal on a shelf.

Start Preparing for the Next Government Shutdown Now, Before It’s Too Late

Having a plan can make a pay or benefits disruption an inconvenience instead of an emergency.

Tricare Demo in Two Cities Lets Users See a Specialist Without a Referral

Through the demonstration, beneficiaries will receive care through the CareSource provider network instead of the Humana...

Manage Household Utility Costs at Your New Base by Avoiding These Pitfalls

Being stationed at a location with a hot summer or a cold winter may make it harder to pay large energy bills. Budget billing...

Children that attend the Defense Supply Center Richmond Child Development Center place pinwheels in the ground after a Pinwheel Parade at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia

How to Plan for an Extended Government Shutdown

Well, it’s finally happened. After years of reporting on what to expect if the government shuts down and military pay is...

There are steps you can take to survive a government shutdown and potential military pay delay.

What to Do in a Government Shutdown: Don't Panic! Be Proactive

Panic seems like the natural response to the prospect of missing a paycheck due to a government shutdown. But a better idea...

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...

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...

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.

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Most Popular Military News

Exclusive: John Ripley, the Marine Who Blew Up the Dong Ha Bridge, to Receive the Medal of Honor

More than 50 years after hanging beneath a Vietnam bridge to stop a North Vietnamese armored invasion, Marine Col. John...

A man speaks through a bull horn during a demonstration in reaction to the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran outside the Israeli consulate on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

From Iraq to Iran: How Congress Handed Over War Powers to the Presidency

The 9/11 attacks were a sea change in U.S. foreign policy and diminished congressional authority, with partisanship on...

Air Force veteran Jason Morgan is pictured on a mission in Northern Ecuador, a week before he sustained life-changing injuries. (Jason Morgan)

Left Face Down in the Mud: How an Air Force Veteran, Amputee Found Hope

A life-changing injury and having to raise three kids alone made Jason Morgan more resolute in the long run.

Bonnie Carroll, founder of TAPS, hugging a survivor (Photo courtesy of TAPS).

After the Knock on the Door: How TAPS Supports Military Families for Life

After a service member dies, families face a lifetime of grief. TAPS founder Bonnie Carroll explains how the organization...

Colin Jost dressed as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a mock press briefing during a Saturday Night Live sketch. Credit: NBCUniversal / Saturday Night Live

SNL Mocks Iran Conflict as Pete Hegseth Calls It a ‘Situationship’

“This isn’t a war, it’s a situationship.” SNL skewers tensions with Iran in a wild press briefing sketch starring Colin Jost...

Latest Military Videos

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Video showing moment of strike on Iranian school that killed over 165 people.

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Mojtaba Khamenei Chosen to Succeed His Father as Supreme Leader of Iran

Mojtaba Khamenei chosen to succeed his father as supreme leader of Iran; AP explains.

How the Conflict in the Middle East Has Evolved

How the conflict in the Middle East has evolved.

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 Begins Large Military Drill with South Korea While Waging War in the Middle East

The allies’ combined exercise comes amid South Korean media speculation that Washington is relocating some assets from South...

A memorial graphic released by the New York City Police Department honors Police Officer Sorffly Davius of Brooklyn’s 79th Precinct, who died March 6, 2026, after suffering a medical episode while deployed to Camp Buehring in Kuwait with the New York Army National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division. (NYPD)

NYPD Officer Serving in Army Guard Dies During Kuwait Deployment

The officer's death prompted tributes from New York leaders and members of Congress.

Navy News

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Gilbert Elliott, an engineer equipment mechanic with Combat Logistics Battalion 12, 3d Marine Logistics Group, kneels for a portrait while on an Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel off the coast of Naval Base Point Loma, Calif., on June 13, 2024. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sergeant Patrick King)

Unmanned Naval Fleet Bolsters Marine Corps Force Design in Pacific

Blue Water Autonomy's Liberty Class autonomous ships are poised to revolutionize Marine Corps Expeditionary Advanced Base...

General Dan Caine and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listen as President Donald J. Trump oversees Operation Epic Fury at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, FL, March 1, 2026. (White House photo by Daniel Torok)

Strike on Iranian Frigate Triggers Debate Over Law, Morality and Congressional Authority

A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in international waters. Whether the strike was justified, whether survivors should...

Air Force News

US Begins Large Military Drill with South Korea While Waging War in the Middle East

The allies’ combined exercise comes amid South Korean media speculation that Washington is relocating some assets from South...

Left Face Down in the Mud: How an Air Force Veteran, Amputee Found Hope

A life-changing injury and having to raise three kids alone made Jason Morgan more resolute in the long run.

Space Force News

After the Knock on the Door: How TAPS Supports Military Families for Life

After a service member dies, families face a lifetime of grief. TAPS founder Bonnie Carroll explains how the organization...

A Vulcan rocket carrying the USSF-87 mission successfully launches from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Feb. 12, 2026. (U.S. Space Force photo by Staff Sergeant Samuel Becker)

The Ultimate High Ground: Space in US Defense Strategy

The 2026 Defense Strategy elevates space as the new high ground. In an exclusive interview, Stephen Kitay explains how AI and...

Marine Corps News

Unmanned Naval Fleet Bolsters Marine Corps Force Design in Pacific

Blue Water Autonomy's Liberty Class autonomous ships are poised to revolutionize Marine Corps Expeditionary Advanced Base...

US Begins Large Military Drill with South Korea While Waging War in the Middle East

The allies’ combined exercise comes amid South Korean media speculation that Washington is relocating some assets from South...

Coast Guard News

U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Tyler Jaggers

A Wedding Proposal and a Promotion Honored a Coast Guardsman Before He Died of Injuries From Mission

The Coast Guard awarded Tyler Jaggers the Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the highest military awards for heroism.

A U.S. Coast Guard 36-foot Special Purpose Craft-Training (SPC-T) boat maneuvers in front of the USCG Cutter Fredrick Mann (WPC1160) in Women's Bay during ARCTIC EDGE 2026 (AE26) at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak in Kodiak, Alaska, Feb. 27, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Thirteen Bahizi)

Coast Guard Bidding Process For New Facility Was a 'Formality': Lawmaker

A U.S. congressman told Military.com that the Coast Guard's bid process was just a "formality" and not transparent.

Kate Horrell

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