MSW: 90th MW commander signs proclamation

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Chad Thompson
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  Col. Mike Morgan, 90th Missile Wing commander, signed a proclamation Feb. 6, declaring Feb. 22 to March 1 as Military Saves Week.

The proclamation shows Colonel Morgan's support of Military Saves to motivate service members and their families to take financial action in building wealth through saving money and reducing debt, said Shauna Lacey, 90th Force Support Squadron.

Military Saves is a Department of Defense financial readiness campaign that coincides with America Saves, both of which are designed to help people get out of debt and start saving, Ms. Lacey said.

"Commanders' support of Military Saves is vital," Ms. Lacey said. "Financial problems often result in loss of security clearances, stress, marital issues and time away from duty to try and correct those issues. Reducing debt loads, creating savings and becoming financially literate translate to better unit readiness and cohesion, especially when it comes to deployments, whether they're in-place or off station."

Financial readiness plays a big part in mission readiness, and Colonel Morgan said all of us can do better.

"Financial readiness is a major concern for members who deploy, and I hope with Military Saves our Airmen can learn some valuable lessons. Saving money and avoiding debt is more than self discipline. It is a learned behavior, so we need to teach our Airmen how to better manage money."

One piece of advice Colonel Morgan gave was starting a retirement plan early.

"Thrift Savings Plan is the single most important investment opportunity that our young Airmen can start," Colonel Morgan said. "Over the next few years, if they would invest 1 percent of their pay every time they receive a promotion or annual pay raise, they would soon find themselves saving 10 percent of their income and they would never miss it."

Some classes offered during Military Saves Week include creditability, how to build a basic budget, how to invest in a volatile market, retirement planning and wise use of credit.

For more information about Military Saves Week visit http://www.militarysaves.org, or call 773-5848.