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

Texas National Guard soldiers arrive in Houston, Texas to aid citizens in heavily flooded areas from the storms of Hurricane Harvey. (Photo by Zachary West, 100th MPAD)

Things To Know About Flood Insurance

After the spate of hurricane damage in recent years, many people have questions about flood insurance -- and there's a lot of...

Man with empty pockets turned inside out signifying out of money

How to Set-Up an Emergency Fund

You hear a lot about emergency funds, but you probably have questions.

How to Easily Max Out Your Retirement Savings

If you plan it correctly, you won't even miss the money

Military clerk handing money through window

Here's What to Do With Your New, Bigger Military Paycheck

Remember, pay yourself before you pay others.

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

These Tax Filing Tools Are for Military Families

Being in the military can bring some unique questions when it is time to file your income tax returns. Thankfully, there are...

A Computer Programming Error May Contribute Too Much to Your TSP This Year

Contributions to employer-sponsored, tax-advantaged retirement accounts, such as a 401(k) and TSP plan, are limited each year...

Don't Forget Your Travel W-2 When Doing Your Taxes

If you had a PCS move in 2020, you need to include that information in your taxes.

Cash and check with tax form signifying tax refund

The Child Tax Credit Will Put More Money into Your Pocket This Summer

Up to $300 more per child every month will soon be heading to the pockets of families nationwide

Can I Get Unemployment when I Retire from the Military?

Unemployment benefits may be available to retirees, under certain circumstances.

Saving Money by Keeping Your Car Just a Few More Years

Save a ton of cash by driving it longer

Tips for Finding a Rental When the Market Is Hot

Don’t fall for scams and make sure you don’t give up your military rights

Members of Team Barksdale trick-or-treat during Halloween on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., in 2012. Airman 1st Class Benjamin Gonsier/Air Force

11 Reasons to Not Buy a House, and 7 Why You Should

Buying a house in the military? Here are some things to think about.

Man happily standing in a shower of currency

Should Military Members Send Money Home to Their Extended Family?

Now that they are making all that big money, is it right to send monetary gifts to family members?

From The Mailbag: Terminal Leave vs. Selling Back

Should you take terminal leave or sell it back?

FSGLI For Stillborn Children

Recent legal changes now allow FSGLI coverage for stillborn children.

Military News

Get the Military Insider Newsletter

Get the latest on pay updates, benefit changes and award-winning military content. Right in your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice.

Thank you for subscribing!

View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page.

One last step.

Verify your free subscription by following the instructions in the email sent to:

Most Popular Military News

District of Columbia National Guard soldier keeps watch

Walks on the Mall, Shake Shack Burgers and a Car Crash: Scenes from the Guard's Deployment in DC

What started as an 800-troop mission for the D.C. National Guard has ballooned to more than 2,000 troops as Republican...

Gavel and American flag with scales of justice.

Former Space Force Sergeant Fatally Shot Teen in 'Vigilante Violence,' Colorado Officials Say

Orest Schur received a 54-year prison sentence after a jury in June found him guilty of second-degree murder and attempted...

A photo of Senior Airman Joshua Aragon from Basic Military Training.

Airman Killed in Off-Base AK-47 Shooting Near F.E. Warren Air Force Base Identified

An airman stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, who died after being shot by an AK-47 fired through the wall of an off...

This June 21, 2013, file photo shows the seal affixed to the front of the Veterans Affairs Department building in Washington.

VA Processes Record-Breaking Number of Disability Claims This Year, with 62% Approval Rate

The department has made changes in the past several years designed to process disability compensation claims faster and...

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin

Air Force Chief's Sudden Retirement Raises Question of 'Who Is Next' in Leadership Shake-Up

Policy experts told Military.com that the departure raises alarm amid other leadership changes within the Department of the...

A screen from the 2013 movie 'Cliffy,' about an Australian potato farmer named Cliff Young who won a 544-mile ultramarathon in 1983.

How an Australian Potato Farmer Changed Running Forever

Released in 2013, the movie “Cliffy” chronicles Australian Cliff Young’s rise from a potato farmer to an ultramarathoner and...

Latest Military Videos

Trump Thanks Ukrainian Serviceman for Veteran's Golf Putter Presented to Him by Zelenskyy

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a golf putter that had belonged to a Ukrainian...

This Ukrainian Startup Makes Drones – and, Soon, Cruise Missiles – to Strike Deep Inside Russia

When a Ukrainian-made drone attacked an ammunition depot in Russia last September, it showcased Kyiv’s determination to strike deep...

Fire on US warship in Japan Leaves 2 Sailors with Minor Injuries, Navy Says

A fire broke out Wednesday on the USS New Orleans warship off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, leaving two...

Smoke Seen over Khan Younis in Gaza as Israel Set to Expand Military Operation

Smoke was seen billowing into the sky in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. (Aug. 20) AP

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

Walks on the Mall, Shake Shack Burgers and a Car Crash: Scenes from the Guard's Deployment in DC

What started as an 800-troop mission for the D.C. National Guard has ballooned to more than 2,000 troops as Republican...

(Photo courtesy of author Jesse Schraub's family)

100-Year-Old Veteran Kept Jewish Prayer Book over His Heart as He Confronted the Holocaust

Among the challenges I faced was the growing, horrific knowledge of what Hitler was doing to my fellow Jews. I was angered...

Navy News

U.S. Marines fast rope off a CH-53E Super Stallion onto the USS New Orleans

Fire Extinguished After 12-Hour Fight on USS New Orleans Off Okinawa

Two sailors received minor injuries in the response, U.S. 7th Fleet officials said.

The Harpers Ferry-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) departs Naval Base San Diego and sails through the harbor.

Jury Convicts Chinese-Born US Navy Sailor of Espionage, Spying for China

The jury convicted Jinchao "Patrick" Wei, 25, on six counts of conspiracy, espionage and charges related to unlawfully...

Air Force News

Airman Killed in Off-Base AK-47 Shooting Near F.E. Warren Air Force Base Identified

An airman stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, who died after being shot by an AK-47 fired through the wall of an off...

Air Force Chief's Sudden Retirement Raises Question of 'Who Is Next' in Leadership Shake-Up

Policy experts told Military.com that the departure raises alarm amid other leadership changes within the Department of the...

Space Force News

New U.S. Space Force dress uniform at Buckley Space Force Base, Colo.

Space Force Finally Has its Own Rulebook on Dress, Appearance Guidelines for Guardians

Since being established as the smallest service branch in 2019, the Space Force has used the same guidance given to the Air...

Former Space Force Sergeant Fatally Shot Teen in 'Vigilante Violence,' Colorado Officials Say

Orest Schur received a 54-year prison sentence after a jury in June found him guilty of second-degree murder and attempted...

Marine Corps News

Marine Veteran Charged with Threatening to Shoot Schoolchildren Now Out of Jail

Once held on $1 million bond for livestreaming threats to shoot elementary school children, a military veteran is now out of...

US Naval Academy Gets First Marine Superintendent

Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1991.

Coast Guard News

A boat from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound is shown in Elliott Bay, Seattle.

Family Questions Coast Guard Response to Fatal Sinking

The U.S. and Canadian coast guards responded to a sinking boat last week just off Point Roberts, a U.S.-controlled tip of a...

Some of the 32 survivors of the stricken tanker Pendleton that broke up and sank in a northeast storm near Chatham, Mass., Feb. 18, 1952, are pictured as they were rescued by a Coast Guard vessel.

How the Coast Guard Pulled off One of its Greatest Rescues During a Nor'easter

A menacing nor'easter pummeled the SS Pendleton on Feb. 18, 1952, causing the oil tanker to be broken in two a mile off the...