JJ Montanaro

Joseph "JJ" Montanaro is a certified financial planner professional (CFP^®). He is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and earned his bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. He also holds a master’s degree in personal financial planning from Kansas State. JJ is a director on the USAA Military Advocacy team.

Montanaro has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is a regular contributor to Military.com and also writes monthly personal finance columns for American Legion and Military Spouse magazines. Before entering the financial services industry, he served in the Army for six years on active duty, and in 2009, he retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve.

Latest Articles

Fingers of a skeleton hand reach into the frame to touch a scattered pile of $100 bills.

Fraud, Debt, Car Prices and More: Here Are 2024's Scary Statistics

Here are 2024's facts, figures and fodder for examining trends in personal finance.

Graphics of an ascending arrow and golden glow overlay a photo of hands on a tabletop sorting a stack of coins.

4 Bad Excuses to Opt Out of the Military's Thrift Savings Plan

Here are four themes driving service members' decision not to contribute to the military's Thrift Savings Plan and why I...

A Marine in cammies and a black T-shirt holds his preschool-age daughter. They both have brown hair.

How the Fed's Interest Rate Cut Could Affect Military Families

From deployments to frequent moves and everything in between, the military experience doesn't always directly match the...

Do Military Households Have Misconceptions About Retirement? Here’s What They Said in a New Survey

From building a solid financial foundation to preparing for emergencies and planning for retirement, the results of a recent...

A golden piggy bank wearing glasses appears against a black background

More Options, Better Predictability: What Military Households Want from Their Retirement Plans

If a new survey is any indicator, building a plan for the execution stage of retirement is clearly on the mind of the...

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Military Families Less Likely to Dip into Retirement Savings, Survey Says -- with One Big Exception

Those who wear or have worn the military uniform, based on this particular survey, appear less likely to have tapped their...

U.S. Marines with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, stand in formation during a retirement ceremony on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Aug. 16, 2024. (Lance Cpl. Xavier Alicea/Marine Corps)

New Survey Confirms Military Service Is a Financial Differentiator

The results of the 2024 Retirement Confidence Survey confirmed what I have long believed: Military service is a...

Financial Trade-Offs: Is Your Money Aligned?

People have to live and do things in a way that aligns with their priorities.

Plant growing in coins glass jar for money saving investment

From Debt to College to the Unexpected, 4 Reasons to Start Saving Money Now

Here are four examples of what I will call "worthy whys" as you look for your own motivation to save.

credit card debt - holding an empty wallet

The 'A-B-C' Path to Credit Card Debt Elimination

Go back to the basics -- the A-B-Cs, if you will -- of turning credit-card debt into a piece of your personal history.

Business woman with long black hair, wearing an orange shirt, holding graph paper and pencil, notebook turn on in front of her and chart performance close a monitor, many document around the table

5 Ways to Turn Your Finances Around in the Second Half of 2024

These money moves are all-important components of your financial wellness, so clean them up as we move through the second...

A house sits at an angle in a grocery cart it doesn't quite fit inside, with a blurred cityscape in the background.

5 Rules for Military Homebuyers

Here's what to do if you're trying to both buy a house and stay out of financial trouble.

Hands type on a laptop displaying the words "life insurance"

5 Reasons Veterans' Group Life Insurance Could Be a Solid Choice

At certain times and in certain situations, Veterans’ Group Life Insurance might work for you and your family like it did for...

A hand holds a big, round magnifying glass over a paper with the words "reality check" printed in marker.

How to Connect Financial 'Rules of Thumb' to Today's Economic Reality

If you hear the so-called "pearls of personal finance wisdom" and think to yourself, "That just doesn't work for me," well...

the hands are shown of three people around a table pointing at financial-looking documents with pens

How to Talk About Money with Your Spouse, Family and Friends

Whether it’s a financial crisis as the result of the current economic environment or just plain old day-to-day finances, here...

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