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

On red background, cash money with handwritten note EMERGENCY FUND, financial goal to save money for contingency fund, set money aside for unexpected expenses or safety net for future distress.

Your 2025 Emergency Fund: How Military Households Can Weather the Storm

A readily accessible pool of cash in the form of an emergency fund provides a crucial buffer against financial shocks...

Social security card and American money dollar bills close up concept

Retirement Savings To-Do Lists for Military Households

The key to a successful retirement isn't just saving; it's setting up guaranteed lifetime income so that your essential...

A pie baking in a dark oven with sideways lighting appears to be made out of U.S. bills.

7 Financial Fundamentals for Military Families

Let’s take a look at the essential ingredients that make up a well-rounded financial life.

Man is dropping coins into a blue piggy bank, symbolizing the act of saving and financial responsibility.

How Military Families Can Take Control of Their Finances

The fundamental principle of financial success boils down to a simple yet powerful concept we shared with our kids: Spend...

Hands hold a printed mock-up of a credit report, implying a person is reading the report.

How Military Families Can Manage Debt and Build a Stronger Credit Score

Approach debt with caution, respect and a plan, and you'll ensure it works for you -- not against you.

A close-up of Benjamin Franklin's eye, eyebrow, nose, cheek and hair from the U.S. $100 bill.

Military Households: Here's the Most Important Financial Advice You'll Ever Receive

Without a financial plan, your budgeting, saving, investing, tax, insurance protection and retirement planning just float...

5 Ways Military Families Can Start to Get Ahead Financially

Here are five actionable ideas derived from certified financial planner JJ Montanaro's take on the first Military Financial...

Pictured from directly above, a hand holds folded cash in the foreground and a belt, jeans and a wood floor appear blurry.

More Money, Less Debt: New Study Reveals Military Households' Financial Trajectory Since 2019

While many military families appear to be doing better than their civilian counterparts financially, they still face...

A man's hands form a roof over people-shaped green paper cutouts.

Protecting Your Family as You Leave the Military: 3 Options and an Imperative

As you prepare to take off the uniform, take the steps necessary to ensure that in the event of your death, your family won't...

Four stacks of coins with the digits of 2025 on top increase in size from left to right until arriving at a white piggy bank.

Your Year-End Financial Action Plan, Part 4: Maximizing Retirement

Use this year-end evaluation as an opportunity to discuss and get aligned on your retirement goals and portfolio.

A silhouetted person pushes the letters of the word debt off a cliff

Your Year-End Financial Action Plan, Part 3: Tackling Debt

While you may not be able to dig all the way out of debt in 2024, you can clearly chart a path that will allow you to get...

A blue binder features a handwritten label on its spine, "Tax preparation," set on a wood desk amid office supplies.

Your Year-End Financial Action Plan, Part 2: Stay Ahead of the Tax Man

By proactively managing your taxes at the end of the year, you can avoid surprises and ensure that your finances are in top...

Situated diagonally, a US $100 bill takes up about the left half of the frame, while a generic month of the December calendar page takes up the right half.

Your Year-End Financial Action Plan, Part I: Setting the Stage

A year-end financial review, when done right, acts as a recalibration for the goals that matter most to you and your family.

In tones of light blue and red, a piggy bank in a Santa cap, a calculator, gifts and a tree decoration make up an arrangement.

4 Steps to Maximize Your Holiday Budget

By planning ahead and sticking to these four tactics, you can enjoy the spirit of the holidays without the stress of...

The frame is divided diagonally with U.S. bills arrayed chaotically on the top left and multicolored fall leaves on the bottom right.

Why Thanksgiving Is the Perfect Time for Important Financial Conversations in Your Military Family

In military families, where change is constant and the future is sometimes uncertain, Thanksgiving offers a rare and valuable...

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

Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., left, confronts House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Federal Government Shutdown Grinds into a Second Week as Tempers Flare at the Capitol

As the federal government shutdown enters a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) questions U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Trump Targets Blumenthal, Calling for Investigation into Senator's Vietnam Service Claims

President Donald Trump is targeting U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal again after Connecticut’s senior U.S. senator grilled U.S...

Pvt. Paul Douglas, age 50, performs a rifle inspection with his drill instructor aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot S.C., 1942. Douglas, at age 50 was the oldest recruit in the history of Parris Island, and went on to become a purple heart recipient and Chicago senator (DVIDS).

At 50, He Survived Marine Boot Camp — Then Fought at Peleliu and Okinawa

When 50-year-old Paul Douglas showed up at Marine Corps boot camp in 1942, the white-haired economics professor looked more...

Pack and transport platoon of the Russian army. Southern Military District. Ministry of Defense of Russia (Wikimedia Commons).

Ukrainian Drones Attack Russian Cavalry Troops in Rare 21st-Century Encounter

A short video circulating online this month appears to show a Russian mounted patrol being struck by a Ukrainian drone near...

When The Government Can Afford Everything Except The Essentials

Every shutdown forces the government to decide what counts as “essential.” Air traffic controllers and TSA agents fall into...

Troops Will Miss Paychecks Next Week Without Action on the Government Shutdown

The federal government shutdown is raising anxiety levels among service members and their families, because those in uniform...

Latest Military Videos

US Destroyer Crew Fought U-Boat Sailors Hand to Hand

During World War II, the crew of a brand-new destroyer escort, USS Buckley, slugged it out in hand-to-hand combat...

Soldier Born into Life of Crime Received Medal of Honor

Charles Barger's life began under difficult circumstances and never really got any easier.

8 Legendary US Military Snipers

The most notable snipers in U.S. military history aren’t just legends. They include real soldiers, sailors and Marines who...

VIDEO: How a Former Waffen-SS Officer Became an American War Hero Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

A headstone in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery marks the remains of the only known former Waffen-SS member...

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

Portrait of Henry Gunther, the last American soldier to be killed in action during World War I. He died only seconds before the armistice went into effect on Nov. 11, 1918. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Last American Killed in WWI Charged a German Machine Gun Seconds Before the Armistice Took Effect

Gen. John Pershing would officially designate Gunther as the last American soldier killed in World War I. He was one of...

Rin Tin Tin poses in his personalized director's chair during his Hollywood heyday in the 1920s. The German shepherd earned $1,000 per week at Warner Bros.—more than most human actors—and starred in 27 films between 1922 and 1931. Warner Bros. maintained 18 trained stand-in dogs to reduce stress on their canine star. (Vintage Everyday)

Rescued From a WWI Battlefield, This Dog Became Hollywood's Biggest Star and Saved Warner Bros. From Bankruptcy

On Sept. 15, 1918, Corporal Lee Duncan walked through the bombed-out ruins of a German camp near Flirey, France. There, he...

Navy News

U.S. Air Force transport aircrafts are seen on the tarmac at Ramstein Air Base, in Germany.

US Government Shutdown Forces Local Workers at Some Overseas Bases to Go Without Pay

At least 2,000 people working at overseas bases in Europe have had their salaries interrupted since the shutdown began almost...

A U.S. Marine Corps plane captain assigned to the Marine Fighter Attach Squadron (VFMA) 225, signals to a pilot in a F35B Lightning II as it taxis on the flightline after landing in the U.S. Southern Command Area of Responsibility, Sept. 13, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the USSOUTHCOM mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Katelynn Jackson)

U.S. Deploys F-35 Fighters to Cold War-Era Puerto Rico Base as Venezuela Tensions Escalate

The U.S. military has reactivated a Cold War-era naval base in Puerto Rico and deployed thousands of troops to the Caribbean...

Air Force News

US Government Shutdown Forces Local Workers at Some Overseas Bases to Go Without Pay

At least 2,000 people working at overseas bases in Europe have had their salaries interrupted since the shutdown began almost...

Rick Bottoroff with his wife, Stefanie, new owners of an Office Pride business. (Submitted photo)

How a 20-Year Air Force Veteran Made the Leap to Small Business Owner

With tactical and leadership skills honed from decades in the Air Force, along with his wife's business savvy, Rick Bottoroff...

Space Force News

U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Rachel Harmon and Master Sgt. Tom Anderson, weapons loaders assigned to the 174th Attack Wing, checks an inert GBU 12 laser guided missile on an MQ-9 Reaper at Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base in Springfield, Ohio.

Two Space Force Units Bring the 'Invisible Front Line' to Ohio

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting is planned for Friday for the Space Intelligence Production Cell at the Springfield-Beckley Air...

A painting of a Defense Support Program satellite from the Air Force Art collection. DSP provides a variety of national security capabilities. Its flagship mission of launch detection was made famous during the Cold War. (U.S. Air Force image)

Clearing The Orbits: Space Force Partnerships In Orbital Cleanup

The growing congestion of Earth orbit has raised risks to satellites, space stations, and long-term space sustainability. The...

Marine Corps News

Marine K9 Handler Marcus Gill and his Military Working Dog, Izzy, on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2009. (Marcus Gill)

Wounded K9 Handler Overcame Near-Fatal IED Blast, Found Faith to Help Others

Gill would eventually earn a degree in theological leadership and dedicate his life to protecting others—especially children...

Soldiers of the 27th Infantry Division advance inland on Saipan in June 1944. The New York National Guard unit faced brutal terrain in Death Valley while attacking Japanese positions on Purple Heart Ridge and Mount Tapotchau, leading to the controversial relief of their commander, Maj. Gen. Ralph C. Smith. (Wikimedia Commons)

Command Crisis on Saipan: The Only Time a Marine General Ever Fired an Army General

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Holland M. “Howlin' Mad” Smith—commanding the V Amphibious Corps—had just done something unprecedented...

Coast Guard News

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem participates in a tour at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Charleston, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

More Recruits Require More Space: Coast Guard Announces New Training Center

Days after the U.S. Coast Guard announced some of its highest recruiting numbers in decades, it now intends to open a new...

US Coast Guard Recruitment Hits Highest Mark in Decades: 'Workforce of Future'

The service hits its highest numbers since 1991, with bigger plans to come.