Military saves week <br> DOD promotes financial readiness Feb. 19-26 Published Feb. 8, 2012 By 81st Training Wing Airman and family readiness center KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Military Saves Week is Feb. 19-26. As it enters its sixth year, the Military Saves program has now become an integral part of the Department of Defense's Financial Readiness Campaign. Military Saves is co-sponsored by the Consumer Federation of America and the Department of Defense. The Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Departments of the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps and the National Guard Bureau all formally support Military Saves Week. The goals of Military Saves for service members and their families include increased household savings for short and long-term needs and decreased consumer debt. Military Saves seeks to develop a military command climate and overall culture that supports prudent financial behavior by creating a focus on financial literacy education and counseling; supporting the availability of bank and credit union savings products, especially regular (automatic) deposits and encouraging service members and their families to take financial action to improve their financial well-being. Over the past five years, more than 100,000 military members and families have taken the "saver's pledge" to save money, reduce debt and build wealth over time. During 2011, across all the military services, more than 600,00 poeple were reached through Military Saves financial fairs and almost 40,000 people were reached hrough seminars and classes. In addition, many military banks and defense credit unions promoted Military Saves Week and offered financial seminars and special savings products. "There are an abundance of success stories that began with 'Military Saves,'" said Rose Janosik, community resource specialist at the airman and family readiness center. "Many of them had to do with no longer living paycheck to paycheck, paying off debt, no longer wasting money on high interest rates, bounced check fees, and overdraft fees while being in debt, building an emergency fund and saving enough money to purchase a first home. "The objective is you taking care of yourself, and caring enough about yourself to do just that," she added. "You can get off to a good start by taking the saver's pledge at www.militarysaves.com."