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

A stethoscope lies on top of fanned-out US $100 bills.

Understanding Your Tricare Catastrophic Cap

Being aware of your Tricare catastrophic cap can help you plan your medical budget and make smart decisions about carrying...

Two recent graduates of Hohenfels Middle High School at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, Germany, pose for a photo during the school's graduation ceremony June 6, 2025, at the school's football field. (Bryan Gatchell/U.S. Army photo)

How to Change Tricare Coverage After a Qualifying Life Event – and Which QLEs Count

Many service members experience one or more qualifying life events, or QLEs, each year, unlocking opportunities to change...

Advisers stand behind a table and talk to U.S. Air Force members.

When to Be Wary of Free Financial Advice, Plus Alternatives Available to Military Households

Financial companies offering free financial advice usually make their income by selling financial products such as insurance...

Why Service Members Need to Be Wary of Financial Advice on TikTok

While the app is full of energetic creators who present fun content, the financial guidance circulating on the platform is...

Numbers and symbols appear on Ben Franklin's currency face.

How Stock Turbulence Has Affected Thrift Savings Accounts, and How You Can Strategize

The value of Thrift Savings Plan funds has been volatile over the past year, reaching new highs and producing some big dips...

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...

Preschoolers around a low table play with big Legos.

Think You'd Like to Work as a Family Child-Care Provider for the Military?

If you're good with kids, becoming a family child-care provider can be a great way to support your fellow military families...

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 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...

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Most Popular Military News

Recovering service members and caregivers take an evening break

Caregivers Sue VA over Denial of Benefits

Survivors of veterans who died from service-connected conditions have filed a class action seeking changes to a VA practice...

Marine Corps Ranks: A Complete Guide to Enlisted and Officer Ranks

Explore U.S. Marine Corps ranks from private to general. Learn rank structure, pay grades, insignia and promotion paths in...

Contractors hired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers clean up a property damaged by wildfire in Pacific Palisades, California.

Homeowners Say the Army Corps and its Contractors Mishandled LA Fire Debris Cleanup

More than 800 complaints were submitted to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hotline dedicated to the agency's debris removal...

Japan Marks End of World War II as Survivors Remember Wartime Emperor's Surrender Speech 80 Years Ago

A national ceremony will begin at Tokyo’s Budokan hall at noon, the same time then-Emperor Hirohito’s 4½-minute prerecorded...

KC-46 Pegasus aircraft taxis at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson

Flights Restricted over Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit

North American Aerospace Defense Command issued a statement saying it would be enforcing Federal Aviation Administration...

Judge Weighs Whether Trump Violated Federal Law by Deploying National Guard to Los Angeles

A federal judge in San Francisco is weighing whether the Trump administration violated federal law by sending National Guard...

Latest Military Videos

US Discusses Possible Deployment of More Missile Launchers to the Philippines

The United States is discussing the possible deployment of more missile launchers to the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against...

Judge Weighs Trump's Deployment of National Guard in Los Angeles

A federal judge in San Francisco is weighing whether the Trump administration violated federal law by sending National Guard...

China and Japan Commemorate World War II Anniversary on Different Dates

Eighty years after the end of World War II, China and Japan are marking the anniversary with major events...

US Vice President JD Vance Addresses Troops at RAF Fairford in the UK

U.S. Vice President JD Vance spoke during a visit to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire in the UK on Wednesday...

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

Gold Star Widow Fighting to Be Buried Next to Husband Has New Evidence

A Vietnam War veteran’s widow and her family have uncovered a letter they say provides irrefutable evidence that she had a...

Homeowners Say the Army Corps and its Contractors Mishandled LA Fire Debris Cleanup

More than 800 complaints were submitted to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hotline dedicated to the agency's debris removal...

Navy News

The USS Essex transits the Gulf of Oman.

San Diego Espionage Trial Begins for Sailor Accused of Spying for His Native China

Jinchao “Patrick” Wei, 25, is accused of seven counts of conspiracy, espionage and charges related to unlawfully sending...

USS Higgins conducts freedom of navigation operations

US Briefly Deploys 2 Warships to a Disputed South China Sea Shoal After Chinese Collision

Both China and the Philippines claim Scarborough Shoal and other outcroppings in the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia...

Air Force News

Federal law enforcement agents question a couple in Washington DC

Man Charged with Assaulting Border Patrol Agent with Sandwich in DC Is an Air Force Veteran

A man accused of throwing a sandwich at an immigration enforcement officer during President Donald Trump's federal takeover...

Flights Restricted over Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit

North American Aerospace Defense Command issued a statement saying it would be enforcing Federal Aviation Administration...

Space Force News

U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Alabama) speaks to the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber.

Alabama Congressman ‘100% Sure’ US Space Command Coming to Huntsville

U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Alabama) said he has been assured by President Donald Trump that U.S. Space Command is coming to...

U.S. Space Force Brig. Gen. Brian Denaro, newly appointed U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific commander, gives a speech

First Leader of Space Force Pacific Command Ends Tenure

The first leader of the U.S. Space Force’s Pacific command officially ended his tenure in Hawaii in a change of command...

Marine Corps News

Marine Corps Ranks: A Complete Guide to Enlisted and Officer Ranks

Explore U.S. Marine Corps ranks from private to general. Learn rank structure, pay grades, insignia and promotion paths in...

California National Guard members are positioned at the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles

Trial to Start on Whether Deployment of National Guard to Los Angeles Violated Federal Law

A federal judge in San Francisco will consider evidence and hear arguments on whether the Trump administration violated...

Coast Guard News

Some of the 32 survivors of the stricken tanker Pendleton that broke up and sank in a northeast storm near Chatham, Mass., Feb. 18, 1952, are pictured as they were rescued by a Coast Guard vessel.

How the Coast Guard Pulled off One of its Greatest Rescues During a Nor'easter

A menacing nor'easter pummeled the SS Pendleton on Feb. 18, 1952, causing the oil tanker to be broken in two a mile off the...

.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis crew stand during the commissioning ceremony

Coast Guard Commissions New Icebreaker, Sends it Directly to Sea

The scheduled ceremony corresponded with the largest deployment ever of Chinese research vessels to the Arctic.