Kate Horrell

Kate Horrell is an accredited financial counselor® and personal financial educator who helps the military community make the most of their pay and benefits. With more than 10 years working with thousands of military families, she understands the concerns of currently serving, retired and veteran families.

Kate has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Maryland, volunteers with the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society and is a member of the Military Officers Association of America, or MOAA, currently serving spouses advisory board. She has been married to a sailor for 27 years, corralling four girls and two cats across four OCONUS tours and a handful of homes in the U.S.

Latest Articles

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.

Air Force airmen in camouflage uniforms sit at a table in front of laptops, while one counts out fake money from a stack.

5 Reasons to Pay Attention During the Military's Financial 'Touchpoint' Training

Taking full advantage of financial touchpoint training can be one of the smartest moves service members make to build a...

In a photo illustration, a blurry white house is in the background, while in the foreground, a red stick declaring "scam!" obscures the house's for-sale sign.

Why Military Homeowners May Be at Greater Risk of Title Fraud

Title fraud is still relatively rare, but the military lifestyle makes service members more vulnerable than their civilian...

Family loading moving van for PCS military transfer

Can You Make Money Off a DITY Move?

Should you believe those folks who claim they made bank on a PCS move?

Six men and women, most in uniform, stand in a row in front of an American flag draped as a backdrop.

4 Things 'Gray Area' Reservists Need to Do When They Turn 60

Finally receiving that hard-earned military retirement pay at age 60 is a big deal, and you definitely want to get that...

PCS Efficiency: How to Set Up Your New Home so It Costs Less to Run

Decisions you make when you move into your new home will affect the ongoing costs of running it.

What You Need to Know About Virginians' Fight to Restore Benefits for Families of Vets

Veterans' families are geared up for Friday's special session of the Virginia General Assembly to review the massive changes...

Three apartment towers arranged around a central drive

Get Your PCS Priorities in Order with This House-Hunting Checklist

When it's time to PCS, military service members who identify their priorities before they start house hunting can save time...

Facing away from the camera, male veterans stand amid folding chairs while wearing vests embroidered with military affiliations.

VA Benefits Likely Won't Cover All of a Veteran's Funeral Costs

A veteran's surviving family members may be caught off guard if they expect the VA to cover all the costs of a funeral or...

A hand places the fourth colored 'slice' into a pie-chart type of pie on a wood surface.

Pieces of a Pie: How to Start Saving for Retirement Right Now

Your retirement income will likely come from a variety of sources. Imagining retirement income as pie pieces can make the...

Military News

Get the Military Insider Newsletter

Get the latest on pay updates, benefit changes and award-winning military content. Right in your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice.

Thank you for subscribing!

View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page.

One last step.

Verify your free subscription by following the instructions in the email sent to:

Most Popular Military News

Lights shine inside the U.S. Capitol Building as night falls in Washington.

Troop Pay Safe After Congress Approves Extension of Government Funding

Troop pay is no longer in jeopardy after Congress approved legislation to keep the government funded through mid-March and...

Weeks before his retirement, Marine Col. Aaron Cunningham, left, and his wife, Jennifer, joined their only son, Mason, this summer when he was commissioned as a Marine second lieutenant.

They Fought in Iraq’s Bloodiest Battle. Will Their Kids Be the Next Generation of Marines?

No matter the profession, parents and children in both civilian and military families must navigate delicate decisions about...

14.5% Junior Enlisted Pay Raise, Restriction on Care for Transgender Military Kids Headed to Biden's Desk

The 4.5% raise will be added to all service members' paychecks at the beginning of January, while the remaining 10% extra for...

Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division receive the Army Commendation Medal.

Army Set to Debut Master Combat Badges in Spring, Memo Says

The Army is set to begin awarding Master Combat Badges, which will combine expert and traditional combat badges, next spring...

Handcuffs lay on a table at Ramstein Air Base, Germany

Police Say Marine Charged with Escort's Murder Googled Whether It's Possible to Scream While Being Strangled

In what a local official called a "chilling" case, an active-duty Marine stationed in Florida was arrested and charged with...

Lessons from the Air Force Kitchen Police: Volunteer for Everything. Even Pots and Pans

When Ed Meagher reported to Air Force basic training on June 15, 1966, he was a 19-year-old college dropout. Despite two...

Latest Military Videos

Trump Claims Government Knows What Drones Are

In a far-ranging interview news conference, President-elect Donald Trump said the U.S. government "knows what is happening" with the...

Russian Forces Seen Withdrawing Toward Northern Syrian City of Tartus

A lengthy convoy of Russian military vehicles were seen withdrawing from Latakia toward the Syrian city of Tartus on...

Schumer Calls on US Agencies to Use Advanced Technology to Identify Mysterious Drones

After weeks of fear and bewilderment about the drones buzzing over parts of New York and New Jersey, U.S...

Mother of American Found in Syria: 'We All Want You Home'

An American citizen who disappeared seven months ago into former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s notorious prison system said he...

Investigations and Features

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...

A patch in the home of retired missileer Paul Hunke

They Stood Sentry over America's Nuclear Missile Arsenal. Many Worry It Gave Them Cancer.

For years, it was an open secret among missileers that the Cold War-era missile alert facilities and launch control centers...

Army News

A photograph of the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint against Joshua James.

Army Veteran Sentenced to Probation for Milestone Conviction in Oath Keepers Sedition Plot

The judge described Joshua James as a “true American hero” for his military service and praised him for having the courage to...

U.S. Army soldiers conduct a tactical movement in Northeast Syria

Pentagon Reveals 2,000 US Troops Are in Syria – More than Double What Was Previously Reported

In a surprise announcement, the Pentagon revealed that it has not been offering an accurate count of how many U.S. troops it...

Navy News

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B takes off from the a USS Boxer

Ospreys Cleared to Fly Again, But Problematic Gearbox Gets More Scrutiny

The Navy office that oversees the military's use of the V-22 Osprey is allowing the services to resume flying the aircraft...

'Warfare,' from writer, director and Navy SEAL veteran Ray Mendoza, is in theaters in 2025. (A24)

‘Warfare': A Real-Time Iraq War Combat Film from a Navy SEAL and the Director of 'Civil War'

Scheduled for release in 2025, "Warfare" follows a team of SEALs holed up in an Iraqi home, following their action in real...

Air Force News

NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs

Is the NORAD Santa Tracker Safe from a Government Shutdown?

NORAD's annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War, predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics.

A sign at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

Air Force Tears Down Historic Wright-Patterson House After $1.2M Renovation

A little over a decade after the Air Force spent some $1.2 million to renovate a former officer's home on Wright-Patterson...

Space Force News

President-elect Trump and Elon Musk at a SpaceX Starship rocket launch

As Space Force Marks 5-Year Anniversary, Republicans and Trump Aim to Take it Higher

In a month, the president who created the Space Force will be back in the White House, and one of the service's biggest...

Chief Master Sgt. Stephen Moore, senior enlisted leader, 138th Space Control Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Air National Guard, secures equipment aboard a C-17 Globemaster.

Senate OKs Move of Space-Focused National Guard Units. Colorado Governor Says Air Force Wouldn't Negotiate.

The Senate approved the annual defense bill Wednesday that moves National Guard units into the active-duty Space Force after...

Marine Corps News

U.S. Marine reenlists during a ceremony on Camp Courtney, Okinawa

How the Marine Corps Is Changing to Keep Talented Marines in the Service

For decades, the Marine Corps incurred a "remarkably high turnover rate" among its first-term Marines as it prioritized, and...

This 2023 age-progressed photo, released by the FBI Washington Field Office, shows what Austin Tice may look like in his 40s. Tice disappeared at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus, Syria, in August 2012.

Mystery Surrounding Abducted Marine Veteran Austin Tice Enters New Chapter with Syrian Manhunt

The search for missing Marine Corps veteran Austin Tice that stumped the U.S. government for 12 years has entered a new...

Coast Guard News

The SS United States is docked at Pier 82 in Philadelphia.

Coast Guard Halts Departure of Historic Ocean Liner Destined to Become a Giant Artificial Reef

The historic ocean liner the SS United States appears to be staying at a Philadelphia dock for now after the U.S. Coast Guard...

The crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s 35-foot, long-range interceptor small boat prepares to conduct a joint search-and-rescue exercise in Kagoshima Bay, Japan, with a Japan Coast Guard AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter aircrew.

US Coast Guard to Participate in First-Ever Drill in Tokyo Bay

The coast guards of Japan, the United States, Australia and India are to conduct their first four-country drill at the Port...