Financial Readiness Program

Financial Readiness Program Classes 2026

Ready to boost your financial knowledge? The Financial Readiness Program offers a variety of helpful financial classes – find details for each one below! Registration is required, to enroll in the training, please use the registration link provided below. Access the virtual training session through the MS Teams link also listed below. For additional information, please contact the FRP team at +1 (706)  545-4043.

Register Here  ·  MS TEAMS Link

Tax Preparation for Service Members:  January 8, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Tax Preparation for Service Members’ class. Want to know more about how to prepare your individual federal income tax return? This lesson covers the terminology associated with federal income taxes, where the information needed to prepare IRS Form 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return comes from, and where figures are entered on the form. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn how to prepare your own taxes! 

Insurance Basics:  January 22, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Insurance Basics class. Learn about the fundamentals of insurance and its role in managing financial risk. Explore the importance of insurance, various coverage types, and how insurance needs evolve with major life events and discover practical tips for maximizing savings and making informed decisions.

Consumer Awareness: February 5, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Consumer Awareness’ class. Gain the knowledge to become more informed consumers. This class covers identifying and avoiding fraudulent practices, understanding marketing tactics, making smart purchases, preventing identity theft, and managing consumer issues effectively.

Identity Theft and Scams: Prevention to Recovery Class:  February 19, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Identity Theft and Scam: Prevention to Recovery’ class. Did you know that it takes an average of six months and 200 hours of work to recover from identity theft? Learn how to protect yourself from identity theft, and how to complete the recovery process if it happens to you. This training is designed to help you recognize the signs of scams and how to protect yourself and your identity during these challenging times. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn how to prevent and recover from identity theft and scams!

Credit Management Class:  March 5, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Credit Management’ class! Learn how to build your credit, improve your credit score and effectively manage and reduce your debt. This class is designed to help you establish and maintain good credit and avoid excessive debt. Topics include qualifying for credit, establishing a credit history and wise uses of credit. Don’t miss this great opportunity to ensure you are making wise decisions about credit!

Saving and Investing:  March 19, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Saving and Investing’ class! This course introduces the fundamentals of saving and investing to build financial security. Learners will explore key principles, types of investment accounts, and resources to make informed financial decisions.

Thrift Savings Plan:  April 2, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Thrift Savings Plan’ class! This course provides an overview of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), a key retirement savings program. Learners will explore TSP fundamentals, account options, and resources to maximize retirement benefits.

Preparing for Your Financial Future:  April 16, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Preparing for Your Financial Future’ class! Join us as we discuss how setting financial goals inspires purpose, focus, and direction for individuals. It will also discuss how to avoid some of the pitfalls of failing to set SMART goals. 

Smart Car Buying Class:  May 7, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Smart Car Buying’ class! Demystify the process of purchasing a vehicle.  Arm yourself with proactive steps and information that can lead to a pleasant and smart car-buying experience. Don’t miss this great opportunity to ensure you make sound decisions when buying a car!

Budgeting and Money Management: May 21, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Budgeting and Money Management’ class! You’ve earned your paycheck, and the Financial Readiness Program can show you ways to make the most of it. Learn to manage your money and create a spending plan to help you reach your financial goals. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to manage your money for financial success.

Home Buying Seminar:  June 4, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Home Buying Seminar’! Back by popular demand, our ‘Home Buying Seminar’ will cover the home buying process including information on how to decide when it is the right time to buy, how to qualify for a mortgage, the importance of home inspections and more. Speakers from the VA, Mortgage and Banking industry and personal finance will cover VA loan basics and the mortgage application and qualification process and saving to purchase a home. Don’t miss this great opportunity to ensure you make sound decisions when buying a house!

Credit Management Class:  June 18, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Credit Management’ class! Learn how to build your credit, improve your credit score and effectively manage and reduce your debt. This class is designed to help you establish and maintain good credit and avoid excessive debt. Topics include qualifying for credit, establishing a credit history and wise uses of credit. Don’t miss this great opportunity to ensure you are making wise decisions about credit!

Insurance Basics:  July 2, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Insurance Basics’ class. Learn about the fundamentals of insurance and its role in managing financial risk. Explore the importance of insurance, various coverage types, and how insurance needs evolve with major life events and discover practical tips for maximizing savings and making informed decisions.

Thrift Savings Plan:  July 16, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Thrift Savings Plan’ class! This course provides an overview of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), a key retirement savings program. Learners will explore TSP fundamentals, account options, and resources to maximize retirement benefits.

Budgeting and Money Management:  August 6, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Budgeting and Money Management’ class! You’ve earned your paycheck, and the Financial Readiness Program can show you ways to make the most of it. Learn to manage your money and create a spending plan to help you reach your financial goals. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to manage your money for financial success.

Smart Car Buying Class:  August 20, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Smart Car Buying’ class! Demystify the process of purchasing a vehicle.  Arm yourself with proactive steps and information that can lead to a pleasant and smart car-buying experience. Don’t miss this great opportunity to ensure you make sound decisions when buying a car! 

Emergency Financial Preparedness:  September 3, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Emergency Financial Preparedness’ class. This course prepares learners to handle emergencies with confidence. It covers financial preparation, building an emergency kit, recovering from natural disasters, and accessing essential resources.

Consumer Awareness:  September 17, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Consumer Awareness’ class. Gain the knowledge to become more informed consumers. This class covers identifying and avoiding fraudulent practices, understanding marketing tactics, making smart purchases, preventing identity theft, and managing consumer issues effectively.

Wealth Building & Planning for Retirement:  October 1, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Wealth Building & Planning for Retirement’ class! Topics include basics to investing, general details about Stocks, Bonds, and IRAs, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) basics and goal setting/achievement. This class also discusses risk tolerance and investment avenues to achieve long- and short-term goals.

Thrift Savings Plan:  October 15, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Thrift Savings Plan’ class! This course provides an overview of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), a key retirement savings program. Learners will explore TSP fundamentals, account options, and resources to maximize retirement benefits.

Holiday Spending:  November 5, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Holiday Spending’ class! This course helps learners plan and manage holiday expenses wisely. It focuses on creating a holiday spending plan, saving costs, and controlling spending to avoid financial stress.

Home Buying Seminar:  November 19, 1 – 3 p.m.  The Financial Readiness Program offers a free ‘Home Buying Seminar’! Back by popular demand, our ‘Home Buying Seminar’ will cover the home buying process including information on how to decide when it is the right time to buy, how to qualify for a mortgage, the importance of home inspections and more. Speakers from the VA, Mortgage and Banking industry and personal finance will cover VA loan basics and the mortgage application and qualification process and saving to purchase a home. Don’t miss this great opportunity to ensure you make sound decisions when buying a house!

Join us every Monday from 1:00-2:00 p.m. on MS TEAMS for “Milestone Monday”. These classes are designed to increase your knowledge on each of the Common Military Milestones: Pre-Deployment, Post-Deployment, PCS, Marriage, Divorce, Vesting in the TSP, Promotion, First Child, Continuation Pay, and Disabling Sickness or Condition. The Common Military Milestones cover various life events you may encounter during your military career. Any of these classes can be scheduled for your unit, at ACS, or as a one-on-one session. Please call at least 2 weeks in advance to schedule a unit class.

Please call us at +1 (706) 545-4043 for more information.

TEAMS link for virtual Classes

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Move, every Wednesday, 1:45 – 2:30 p.m.:  Discover how to optimize your resources for an upcoming move without overspending. This course satisfies the common military training requirement for PCS moves for Soldiers with pay grades of E-4, O-3, WO-2, and below. G09-COM-0002. 

Pre-Deployment Financial Preparation: This training addresses income & tax changes, military benefits, insurance, estate/retirement planning, and other financial considerations before deployment. Additional topics include credit basics, SCRA protections and how to prevent ID theft. This training is valid for 3 years.  G09-COM-0003

1. Class Dates:  March 9, May 11, July 20 and September 28

Prepare Finances for Return from Deployment:  This training includes income, tax, insurance, and estate planning changes that may need to be addressed upon returning from deployment. This training is valid for 3 years.  G09-COM-0004.

1. Class Dates:  March 16, May 18, July 27 and October 5

Vesting in The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP):  Better understand the vesting process for the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Learn how to manage your TSP account, update beneficiaries, and weigh current contributions against additional financial considerations.  G09-COM-0005.

1. Class Dates:  January 5, March 23, June 1, August 31 and October 19

Continuation Pay under The Blended Retirement System (BRS):  During this course, you will learn the components of Continuation Pay (a one-time, mid-career bonus), potential tax implications, the importance of updating your spending plan and how to protect yourself from scams and fraud.  G09-COM-0006 

1. Class Dates:  March 30, June 8 and August 10

Financial Preparation for Marriage:  Learn the “how-to” in communicating family values and setting goals together as a couple.  We will discuss how habits or attitudes influence your actions and decisions regarding money. Learn about changes to taxes, income, benefits, insurance, retirement, and estate plans. G09-COM-0007 

1. Class Dates:  January 26, April 6, June 15, August 17, October 26 and November 2

Preparing for Divorce:  Don’t let separation/divorce wreck your financial health. We provide tools necessary to make informed decisions reduce the stress and financial uncertainty associated with divorce as we discuss topics such as taxes, income changes, credit, debt, and the implications of divorce on retirement programs. G09-COM-0008 

1. Class Dates:  February 2, April 13, June 22, August 24 and Nov 16

Welcoming Your New Child:  Whether you are having a baby, adopting, or becoming a stepparent through marriage, this course will help you organize your finances efficiently and prepare you for the changes that come with your growing family. G09-COM-0009

1. Class Dates:  February 9, April 20, June 29 and September 7

Prepare Finances for a Disabling Sickness or Condition:  Are you or a family member facing a disabling sickness/condition or are caring for aging parents? We discuss tax changes, insurance options and benefits, estate planning basics and adjusting spending and savings plans. Learn ways to manage stress through financial preparation as you work through your life changes.  G09-COM-00010 

1. Class Dates:  February 23, April 27, July 6, September 14 and November 9

Congratulations! You’re Getting Promoted:  Understand the upcoming changes to your income, how it affects TSP contributions, and options to best address your debt and savings with the additional funds.  G09-COM-00011

1. Class Dates:  January 12, March 2, May 4, July 13 and September 21 

All In-Processing Soldiers E1-E6 / O1-O3 / WO1-WO2 must complete the required in-person Money Management in-processing briefing which covers topics to help improve your personal money management skills, as well as your leadership skills relating to the financial readiness of the Soldiers and Families in your Unit.  All Soldiers E1-E4 / O1-O3 / WO1-WO2 must also fulfill the mandatory DoD requirement to complete a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Milestone Class within 60 days of their PCS. Soldiers have 2 options for completing this requirement: 

1. Attend the Money Management and PCS Milestone class in-person every Wednesday at 1300 in the ACS Auditorium at Building 7.  Both parts of the requirement will be offered If you attend in-person.  We will clear you and furnish a PCS Milestone certificate upon completion. 
2. Attend the Money Management class in-person every Wednesday at 1300 in the ACS Auditorium at Building 7. If you have completed the PCS Milestone training on-line or in-person at your last duty station and you can furnish your certificate proving your attendance, you will only be required to attend the first portion of the session.  To access the online PCS Milestone training, use the following link: https://www.financialfrontline.org/soldiers/
   1. Under AFWP Online Learning, select the banner “Click here to earn your certificate of completion.”
   2. When you access the portal website, scroll down the list of courses, and choose “Permanent Change of Station (PCS)” under Financial Readiness Touchpoints 
   3. Enroll in and take the course (approximately 45 minutes to complete). 
   4. Bring your saved/printed certificate to the in-person class, and you can choose to be excused after the first session. 

All Out-Processing Soldiers E1-E4 / O1-O3 / WO1-WO2 must complete the PCS Milestone training within 60 days of their PCS move.  You have the option of attending the class in-person during the regularly scheduled session (Wednesdays at 1 p.m. in Building 7), or you can complete the online PCS Milestone Training.  If you choose to complete the training online, please see the instructions under “Option 2” above.  After you have completed the class, please save/print your certificate and e-mail it to ACS-FRPBenning@army.mil or bring it to ACS/FRP (Building 7) in-person, so we can clear you for the out-processing requirement.  

Technical Support: If you have technical difficulties, you will need to contact the portal help desk at https://www.armyfamilywebportal.com/contact . ACS/FRP staff cannot resolve technical issues with the web-based training.  

We offer:

• Financial Readiness Program (FRP). FRP provides comprehensive educational and counseling programs in personal financial readiness. The program covers indebtedness, consumer advocacy and protection, money management, credit, financial planning, insurance, and consumer issues. Other services offered include mandatory financial literacy, financial planning for transitioning Soldiers, financial counseling for deployed Soldiers and their Families, and the Department of Defense Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance Program.
• Army Emergency Relief (AER). AER is the US Army's own nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating financial distress in the force. AER provides grants and zero-interest loans to active-duty and retired Soldiers and their Families. AER has supported over 4 million Soldiers since 1942. AER offices are conveniently located at installations around the world. Visit ArmyEmergencyRelief.org to learn more.
• Online Support and Education. Go to Financial Frontline for self-service financial literacy education and help.

Here are some other financial resources for Soldiers and their Families:

• Blended Retirement System. The Blended Retirement System (BRS) combines elements of the legacy retirement system with benefits similar to those offered in many civilian 401(k) plans. Get smart on retirement benefits with the Army Retirement Services Office and Joint Knowledge Online Training.
• Financial Readiness Affiliates
  (Government Links)

• Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). The TSP is a federal government-sponsored retirement savings and investment plan available to both federal civilian employees and members of the uniformed services. The TSP offers the same type of savings and tax benefits that many private corporations offer their employees under 401(k) plans. The retirement income a TSP account provides will depend on working-year contributions and the earnings on those contributions. Learn more at the official Thrift Savings Plan website.
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB makes markets for consumer financial products and services work for Americans — whether they are applying for a mortgage, choosing among credit cards, or using any number of other consumer financial products. The CFPB gives consumers the information they need to understand the terms of their agreements with financial companies. Learn more about the CFPB, visit the CFPB on-demand forum and tools website, or order free CFPB publications.

(Non-Government Links, No Endorsement Implied)

• Better Business Bureau (BBB) Military Line. The BBB Military Line provides free resources to our military communities in the areas of financial literacy and consumer protection through the efforts of 112 BBBs across the US. Visit the BBB Military Line to learn more.

Classes are offered on a variety of topics and may be taught at ACS, units or other locations. Classes are provided weekly: First Termers’ Personal Financial Readiness Training, required for E4 and below; Pre-Move Financial Planning, required for E4 and below but open to anyone interested.  Schedule a class for your unit, FRG or organization at least two weeks in advance.

Individual assistance is available to improve financial situations for Soldiers and their families. Debt liquidation assistance may be available. Free financial counseling, contract review and budget development are available. When debt liquidation is necessary, we, or one of our partner organizations, will work with your creditors to reduce interest rates and payment amounts to develop an affordable repayment plan. The first step is to attend the Financial Counseling Intake by scheduling a one-on-one appointment with a Financial Counselor.

Budget Worksheet

Sample Financial Counseling Checklist

Counselors are available by appointment to assist in resolving consumer issues with businesses. Financial counselors work with Soldiers, family members and the business in question to resolve the issue. Complaints are coordinated through the Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. When a pattern of discriminatory or unscrupulous business practices is identified, the matter is raised to the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board, which may recommend a business be put off-limits to Soldiers.

The Army’s Financial Readiness program is a military life-cycle-based financial education and counseling program to bolster a Soldiers’ financial fitness and support Soldiers and Families throughout their military careers. As a Soldier, you will face many changes in your military career such as:

• Marriage
• First Child
• PCS moves
• Pre/post deployment
• Promotion
• Vesting in the TSP
• Divorce
• Disabling conditions
• Entitlement to continuation pay

Your finances can remain steady through every milestone, with proper planning. The Army’s Financial Readiness Program is here to help! The Financial Frontline training course offers financial education and counseling to secure a solid financial future for Soldiers and their families.

Information and mandatory training are accessible at https://www.financialfrontline.org/.

Learn how to optimize your resources and plan your upcoming move without busting your budget! This training satisfies the Common Military Training requirement for PCS for Soldiers in pay grades E1-E4 /O1-O3/WO1-WO2. G09-COM-0002.

Join us every Wednesday 2-3 p.m. in the ACS Auditorium.