MakingCents with Navy Federal

In this episode, Navy Federal's Assistant Vice President Corporate Economist, Robert Frick and Manager of Personal Finance Management, Thomas Racca join the podcast to share their thoughts on the current state of the economy and offer tangible tips to help you budget during rough economic conditions. 

In today's economy, inflation and market volatility can change your financial plan. Rates are rising and prices are going up. For most of us, it's a great reminder to adjust our investments and strategies. In this episode, we're joined by Navy Federal Financial Group's Kevin Driscoll, Vice President of Investment Services and Certified Financial Planner, and Katie Hill, Financial Advisor and Chartered Financial Consultant. Tune in as they advise what you can do to manage your finances during these times.

In honor of Military Appreciation Month, Operation Gratitude President and CEO, James Johnson, joins the MakingCents podcast and new host, Brandi Gomez, to share his own military experience and discuss the non-profit's work and partnership with Navy Federal. Tune in to learn more.

We partnered with Hire Heroes USA to survey 2,000+ military spouses on what matters most in a career for them. The results? A list of the top 10 industries and career paths that offer flexibility and mobility. In this episode, we're joined by Matt Vean, Assistant Manager of Commercial Business Lending, to discuss his personal experience as a military spouse in search of a fulfilling career, hiring tips that served him well and his takeaways from this project. Tune in to take a closer look at the military spouse experience and Navy Federal's resources for military spouses. Visit navyfederal.org/militaryspouse for more information. 

No matter when you're navigating the student loan journey, we want to make sure it's as simple to understand as possible. In this episode, we're joined by Brittany Mills, Assistant Manager of Education Lending at Navy Federal. Listen as we dive into all things student loans—from choosing between loan options, to meeting loan requirements and to creating healthy financial habits as a student. Tune in to get a closer look at what the changes this past year has meant for student loans and what to expect going forward.   

Buying a home for the first time can seem like a daunting task, especially in today's market. In this episode, real estate agent and military family member Josh Chapman joins us to discuss his history of working with servicemembers during their home-buying journeys. Emily and Josh will cover home-buying tips, VA loans, today's market and common mistakes to avoid when searching for your dream home. 

In this episode, we're joined by Operation Homefront for a wrap-up of our Military Appreciation Month celebrations. Hear from Robert Thomas, Operation Homefront's COO, as he shares about the organization and their mission. The conversation also touches on military lifestyle and personal finance, and the key moments in servicemembers' careers. Tune in to hear more and visit operationhomefront.org.

In this episode, we welcome back our corporate economist Robert Frick, an expert in behavioral economics and former journalist. Join us as Robert and Emily chat through the current economic climate, COVID-19's impact on travel and small businesses, what we can expect going forward for our own finances and investments, and more. 

In this episode, we're joined by Angela Caban, Director of Military Saves at the Consumer Federation of America, and a military spouse herself. She shares info about Military Saves Month, including what the month means, how to take the pledge and how the organization partners with Navy Federal. Expect conversation around the work Military Saves does to help servicemembers and vets commit to better savings habits, savings misconceptions in the military and more.These products are not NCUA/NCUSIF or otherwise federally insured, are not guaranteed or obligations of Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU), are not offered, recommended, sanctioned, or encouraged by the federal government, and may involve investment risk, including possible loss of principal.

Join as we continue our timely retirement planning discussion with Kevin Driscoll, Vice President of Advisory Services at Navy Federal Financial Group. In this episode, we'll talk emergency and rainy day funds, certificates, financial pressures, the choice between a credit union and a bank and more.These products are not NCUA/NCUSIF or otherwise federally insured, are not guaranteed or obligations of Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU), are not offered, recommended, sanctioned, or encouraged by the federal government, and may involve investment risk, including possible loss of principal 

In this episode, we share retirement planning guidance from our team at Navy Federal Financial Group. Hear from Kevin Driscoll, the group's Vice President of Advisory Services and a certified financial planner of over 20 years, as he talks through what you need to know. Expect conversation around retirement planning, IRAs, the effect of COVID-19 on retirement accounts, tips to help you choose between blended retirement system vs. traditional 401(k) or IRA and more. These products are not NCUA/NCUSIF or otherwise federally insured, are not guaranteed or obligations of Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU), are not offered, recommended, sanctioned, or encouraged by the federal government, and may involve investment risk, including possible loss of principal

In this episode, career expert Jon Barton, a Marine Corps Sergeant and combat veteran, talks about tips for transitioning to a civilian career. After he retired from service in 2010 to focus on his own business ideas, Jon vowed that any businesses he created would be dedicated to helping vets find jobs--guiding and mentoring risk-seekers like himself who were driven to become entrepreneurs. Jon offers tangible guidance to help servicemembers and veterans navigate career shifts in 2021 and tips for how to translate your military service into civilian terms on a resume.

Following Veterans Day, Navy Federal Regional Outreach Manager and retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel, Clay Stackhouse discusses important considerations during the transition to civilian life, including discussing Navy Federal's "Best Cities After Service" list. Clay Stackhouse is a regional outreach manager with Navy Federal and a retired Marine Colonel who spent 25 years as a Marine Aviator, traveling to 34 countries and completed 5 combat/contingency deployments. For more information on NFCU's "Best Cities After Service" visit https://www.navyfederal.org/bestcities today. 

VA loans are a great perk for servicemembers to take advantage of when buying or refinancing homes. In this episode, Navy Federal's Vice President of Field Mortgage, Kevin Parker, makes it clear what to expect when getting a VA loan, including understanding funding fees and navigating eligibility confirmation. Kevin Parker is Navy Federal's Vice President of Field Mortgage; a long-time mortgage professional, he has helped Navy Federal members become homeowners for the last 7 years.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the economy and left many Americans concerned. In this episode, we bring on Navy Federal's economist, Robert Frick, to discuss how the economy has shifted in 2020 and offer tips and tricks to make your money go further in this uncertain moment. Robert Frick is Navy Federal's corporate economist, an expert in behavioral economics, Robert was a local and national business journalist for 3 decades before joining Navy Federal.  

While you should always be focused on saving, with the holiday season right around the corner, Navy Federal's Senior Vice President of Savings Products, Jaspreet Chawla, gives us the lowdown on what you should be focused on right now. Jaspreet Chawla is Navy Federal's Senior Vice President of Savings Products. With over 15 years of experience at Navy Federal, she manages the strategy and performance of all savings and checking products.

Welcome to first ever episode of MakingCents, a podcast brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union. Your host, Emily Bigham will be chatting with Navy Federal's experts on how to help you make sense of your money. As members of the military, veterans and their families, financial health can mean anything from transitioning to civilian life, re-thinking your budget during a time of economic uncertainty, discussing how to have “the money talk” with family, and so much more. Emily is here to ask the right questions and make sure you're getting the information you need to make the most of your money. Subscribe today and tune in each week. Tell us the financial questions you want answered, today. You can reach Emily and the team at makingcents@navyfederal.org. From Emily and the team, welcome to MakingCents—"Making Your Financial Health Our Mission."