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

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 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...

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...

Screenshot of portion of military Leave and Earnings Statement

What to Look for on Your January Leave and Earnings Statement

It's important to check your military Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) each month, but the January LES is more important...

US $100 bills, bent into four sections resembling paper airplanes or birds, fly in a V through the blue sky.

Should You Borrow from Your TSP Account?

Financial experts don’t recommend taking out loans against retirement accounts such as the military’s Thrift Savings Plan...

A stack of bills looks blurry, as though it's in the process of being flipped through, with one president's face in focus.

Basic Needs Allowance Overview

The Basic Needs Allowance can potentially add hundreds of dollars to the paycheck of a military member with a family whose...

7 Cheap and Fast Halloween Costumes

Looking for a cheap Halloween costume? Your closet probably has all the components you need to make a great costume. Here are...

Flames appear to burn a pile of $50 bills, which take up the whole frame.

5 Reasons for Service Members to Avoid Borrowing from Their Thrift Savings Plan Accounts

While taking a loan from a TSP account may be a simple solution, it is important to understand the long-term reasons a...

Vanessa Arzabala, right, a military spouse and Truman Army Education and Personnel Testing Center guidance counselor, will help operate the new Fort Leonard Wood Spouse Resource Center. The center, opened Jan. 30, 2024, is designed to provide military spouses with community, education and employment resources on and off the installation. (Brian Hill/Army)

The DoD Just Expanded Its Education Benefit for Military Spouses. Here's How to Choose a Reputable School

As military spouses become newly eligible for educational funding assistance, it's important to know how to shop for a...

Transition Funds Vital for Exit from Military, Financial Adviser Says

One of the most important, yet overlooked, parts of transition to civilian life is a transition fund.

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Most Popular Military News

Sen. Tommy Tuberville attends a confirmation hearing

Military Moves, School Enrollment and Spouse Employment Were Upended by Tuberville Promotions Blockade

For the bulk of 2023, Tuberville placed the hold on all nominations for general and flag officers, which must be approved by...

Jesse Olsen died Oct. 24, 2024, in a hotel in Fukoaka, Japan.

Navy Officer Charged with Murdering Wife Last Year in Japan Hotel

The family of Jesse Olsen said the Navy has provided little support since notifying Olsen's parents of the news.

Medical technician prepares to draw blood from a sailor

Pentagon Will Use Health Screenings, Commanders to Ferret Out Trans Troops for Separations

Despite the unresolved legal challenge, defense officials now say that they plan to utilize the military's regular health...

Retired Marine Master Sgt. David Crosby and his family

'They Don't Care About My Kids': Marine Families Take Military to Court After Child Abuse at Yuma Day Care

In November, the families filed a federal tort claim, which allows individuals to litigate against the government. The filing...

Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett of The War Horse

One Trillion Dollars?! Nine Charts to Help Demystify the Pentagon's Budget

Golden Dome, shipbuilding, warrior ethos: Here’s your primer to start following the Defense Department’s billions.

Theo Von arrives at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville

Theo Von Riffs on Drugs, Disabilities and Homosexuality Before Trump Speaks at US Base in Qatar

When President Donald Trump addressed U_S_ and Qatari troops at a military base in Qatar, he assured the rank and file “we...

Latest Military Videos

Master Class: Translation Lab: How To Translate Your Military Experience for a Civilian Audience

In our 60-minute Translation Lab, we will examine your job title and bullet points and translate your experience LIVE...

Master Class: Interview Genius: Strategies for Veterans to Excel When Everything Is an Interview

This engaging course is specifically designed for veterans like you, giving you all the tips and tricks to turn...

Russia Marks 80 Years Since Defeat of Nazi Germany With Massive Parade - AP Explains

Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II with a massive military...

Village in Pakistani-Controlled Kashmir Assesses Damage After Shelling From India

Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged heavy volleys of shells and gunfire across their frontier in Kashmir overnight, killing at...

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

Deportation officer with Enforcement and Removal Operations

DHS Asks for 20,000 National Guard Troops for Immigration Roundups, Pentagon Reviewing Request

DHS asked for the troops to help carry out President Donald Trump's “mandate from the American people to arrest and deport...

A U.S. Army Stryker oversees the southern border

Judge Throws Out Cases of Migrants Charged with Crossing Military Zone at Border

New military zones in that state and Texas are part of the administration's effort to reduce border crossings by snaring...

Navy News

Navy Officer Charged with Murdering Wife Last Year in Japan Hotel

The family of Jesse Olsen said the Navy has provided little support since notifying Olsen's parents of the news.

Coal Shed Brewery on Mare Island in Vallejo, Calif.

Navy Subs, Nuclear Secrets and Beer: The Riveting History of Bay Area’s Mare Island

Mare Island supported the Navy during both world wars and helped spy efforts during the Cold War by using nuclear submarines...

Air Force News

Air Force pararescueman conducts hoist operations from a MV- 22B Osprey

Airmen Given Just Days to Reenlist to Claim Bonus for High-Skill Jobs

The selective retention bonus, or SRB, for fiscal 2025 will end Tuesday, a statement from the service said, citing "high...

Then Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife

Claims a Fired Air Force General Was Sentenced to Death Have Spread Online. They're Not True.

Social media accounts have falsely been spreading a claim that a former top official in the Air Force who was fired by...

Space Force News

House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense oversight hearing

Space Force, Governors at Odds over Plans to Pull Talent from National Guard Units

Space missions are some of the most lucrative across the military and private sector and the states that lose space mission...

Dr. Troy E. Meink appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee

Meink Confirmed as Air Force Secretary in Senate Vote

The Senate voted 74-25 to confirm Troy Meink, who has been principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office...

Marine Corps News

'They Don't Care About My Kids': Marine Families Take Military to Court After Child Abuse at Yuma Day Care

In November, the families filed a federal tort claim, which allows individuals to litigate against the government. The filing...

The Gundam 22 dedicated cenotaph memorial in Japan

Osprey Safety Investigation Stalls in Congress, Angering Gold Star Families

Congress' probe into the safety of the military's V-22 Osprey last summer following multiple deadly crashes has been stalled...

Coast Guard News

Homeland Security Looks to Buy New $50M Jet for Kristi Noem and Coast Guard Officials

The request for funding, to come from the Coast Guard's 2025 fiscal year budget, came up during a House appropriations...

Suspected smuggling panga that overturned in the surf in Del Mar

Congressman Asks for Surveillance Towers Along San Diego Coast to Prevent Maritime Smuggling

The move comes a week after three people died when a panga with 18 people aboard capsized off the coast of Del Mar. A 10-year...