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Chapel class gives Airmen financial peace

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jason Wiese
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  Twenty-two students, including Airmen and family members from across the 90th Missile Wing, graduated from the wing chapel’s Financial Peace University in a ceremony held in the Chapel Activity Center Jan. 11.

The 12-week course is available to service members and their families and is paid for by the chapel, making it free for participants. It covers a variety of financial topics using financial author, radio host and motivational speaker Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace Military” as a basis. During the course, students paid off a combined total of close to $76,000 in debt, cut up credit cards with available credit surpassing six figures and turned down an additional $132,900 in credit card offers.

Maj. Jeremy Russell, 90th Missile Maintenance Squadron commander, followed Ramsey’s work for years, and when he came here, he worked with the chapel to become one of the class facilitators.

“We just want to be able to give back, especially to the Airmen and their families,” Russell said. “It’s easy. It’s simple. You just follow the steps, and you’ll change your life.”

Boiled down, FPU teaches students to build a budget, save an emergency fund, pay off debt and build wealth, he said.

Building the budget is the foundational step, and one of the first topics covered.

“I think it’s eye-opening,” said Russell. “You’ll look at your budget and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know I was spending that much on eating out,’ or, ‘Whoa, I didn’t know I was blowing money on just whatever.’ Once you build a budget and see where your money goes there tends to be extra money because you’re more careful.”

The comments made by class graduates about their experience were overwhelmingly positive. Many spoke at the graduation about the progress they made toward resolving financial woes and planning for the wealth-building stage.

“I used to be afraid to look in my bank account; now I’m excited,” said Senior Airman Mallorie Galicia, 90th Maintenance Group Training Flight, “It totally changed how I look at money.”

Galicia and her husband, Senior Airman Ferdie Galicia, 90th MXG quality assurance evaluator, attended the course at the urging of Ferdie who said he wanted his burgeoning family to be better at handling money and prioritizing purchases.

“Before, I was worried about being able to save for college for [my daughter],” Mallorie said. “Now I’m confident we’ll have a college fund for her and for another kid that’s on the way.”

Senior Airman Darin Smith, 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron hazardous materials technician, and the Galicias attended FPU under very different circumstances. While the Galicias are married with a child, Smith is a single Airman only months away from separating from the Air Force.

He also lauded the course as greatly beneficial.

“I’m going back to a state that’s expensive to live in, [New Jersey],” Smith said. “I was worried about what money I would have and how I would handle it. Now, I’m way more confident for when I get out of the military.”

Smith added that being around people with similar goals who want you to make these positive changes is part of the reason the course was so successful.

“Everyone there was really supportive,” he said. “It was a great experience, not just to learn, but to get that camaraderie. A lot of people go through it alone and think they’re the only person who goes through [financial struggles] and makes mistakes. We had a whole classroom of people who made mistakes and are there to learn just like you are.”

One of the ways the students supported one another was by being an accountability partner, which is someone who helps keep their wingman on track and encourages them to follow the course guidelines.

“Having an accountability partner really stood out to us,” Ferdie said. “It helped teach us to give more thought to things we buy and give it some time — at least 24 hours.”

Another graduate, Staff Sgt. Kya Sanders, 90th Security Support Squadron administration, said the course will be useful for a lifetime because you leave the course with reference materials. She also said she felt the course teaches rudiments of higher-level financial concepts, such as investments and mortgages—preparing students for a variety of financial goals.

The graduates recommended the course to everyone, several saying it would be great if all Airmen attended the training.

There is already a new class in session, however, Russell said that those eligible can sign up for future courses, but they tend to fill up fast. Students are expected to attend one of the two weekly sessions held on Mondays, 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturdays, 1 to 3 p.m. Each session covers the same material.

Those interested in attending the course and achieving “financial peace” can contact the wing chapel at 773-3434 or contact their unit’s first sergeant.