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

Montage of a pile of cash, a stethoscope and a calculator.

Tricare Premiums vs. Enrollment Fees: Here's Why the Difference Matters

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

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...

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

U.S. Marines inspect a destroyed Japanese tank in the Gilbert Islands, 1943.

Why Japanese Tanks Were Doomed in the Pacific Theater

Today, the Pacific remains a prominent strategic interest for the U.S. military, but the Marine Corps recently deactivated...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a ceremony at the Pentagon

Hegseth Says Wounded Knee Soldiers Will Keep Their Medals of Honor

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that he has decided that the 20 soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for...

U.S. Navy SEALs conduct Visit, Board, Search and Seizure training

The Italian WWII Frogmen Who Inspired the U.S. Navy SEALs

While uniquely American, SEAL doctrine owes a technical and conceptual debt to Italy’s WWII combat divers, who first combined...

New Mexico's Health Care Crisis Is Forcing Military Personnel to Decline Assignments

At New Mexico's three Air Force bases — Kirtland in Albuquerque, Cannon near Clovis and Holloman outside of Alamogordo — the...

Democrat Mikie Sherrill responds to questions during the first general election gubernatorial debate with Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli in Lawrenceville, N.J.

Democratic Candidate for Governor of New Jersey Pushes Back After GOP Questions Her Service Record

Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic candidate for governor of New Jersey in this year’s high-stakes race, is defending her Navy...

Hegseth Abruptly Summons Top Military Commanders to a Meeting in Virginia Next Week

The directive did not offer a reason for the gathering Tuesday of senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their...

Latest Military Videos

Trump Says Netanyahu Has Agreed to His Plan to End the War in Gaza

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday they’ve agreed to a plan to end the...

Oregon Sues over Federal Deployment of National Guard to Portland, Calling it Unlawful

Armed federal agents patrolled Chicago’s downtown streets on Sunday and President Donald Trump called up 200 National Guard troops...

North Carolina Governor Calls for Red Flag Law in Wake of Coastal Bar Shootings

A man charged with firing an assault rifle from a boat at patrons of a North Carolina waterfront bar...

Israeli Tanks Seen at Gaza Border as Smoke Continues to Rise over the Strip

Tanks and smoke were seen at the Israeli border with Gaza on Sunday. (Sept. 29) AP

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

The BOD POD utilizes air displacement plethysmography to measure body composition, specifically the proportion of fat mass and lean mass. The device measures how much air one’s body displaces, allowing it to calculate body density and provide a detailed breakdown of body fat percentage and lean muscle mass (Janecze Wright, DVIDS).

The New Army Body-Fat Standard: A Step In The Right Direction?

As obesity rates climb across America, the Army’s new body-composition policy arrives at a critical moment. This is not just...

Why Japanese Tanks Were Doomed in the Pacific Theater

Today, the Pacific remains a prominent strategic interest for the U.S. military, but the Marine Corps recently deactivated...

Navy News

Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill are facing off to become governor of New Jersey.

Did Sherrill Violate Naval Academy’s Honor Code? Classmates Speak out About Notorious Cheating Scandal

Mikie Sherrill, a New Jersey Democratic congresswoman running for governor, says she did not cheat but was penalized because...

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.'s Stratford headquarters.

Sikorsky Awarded $11 Billion Contract for Marine Corps Helicopters

Sikorsky Aircraft, the Stratford-based helicopter manufacturer, has been awarded a nearly $11 billion contract with the U.S...

Air Force News

NASA astronaut Victor Glover Jr., center, is flanked by former Tuskegee Airmen Lt. Col. James Harvey, left, and Lt. Col. George Hardy

Tuskegee Airman Who Served in 3 Wars Dies at 100

Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. George Hardy died at the age of 100, the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. announced.

U.S. Air Force Airmen with the 66th Training Squadron’s Pre-Team 26-02 carry the American and POW/MIA flags during the annual POW/MIA memorial ruck march through Fairchild Air Force Base’s main gate during a memorial ruck march

Fairchild Air Force Base to Delay PFAS Cleanup Under Department of Defense Directive

Cleanup of chemicals at Fairchild Air Force Base could be delayed through 2032 as part of a nationwide directive.

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

Marines Say They Hit Recruiting Goals and Point to 'Unapologetic' Standards

Data provided by the Corps shows that it has recruited 30,536 active-duty and reserve enlisted Marines — just one person over...

Marine Veteran Charged in Deadly North Carolina Waterfront Shooting Appears Subdued in Court

Nigel Edge, 40, a Purple Heart recipient whose last assignment was with a Wounded Warrior battalion, made his first court...

Coast Guard News

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Motor Lifeboat CG-36538 was restored by dozens of volunteers after more than 8 years of hard work.

Cape May Maritime Museum Brings 73-Year-Old Coast Guard Lifeboat Back to Life

The CG-36538 was built in a Baltimore shipyard in Curtis Bay in 1952 and was primarily used for winter rescues and winter...

Bill Huizenga (R-MI) at House Committee on Financial Services hearing regarding navigating the digital payments ecosystem examining a Federal framework for payment stablecoins and consequences of a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency at the United States Capitol on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Huizenga bill would pay immigration agents, Coast Guard during government shutdown

Michigan U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga introduced legislation Wednesday aiming to ensure that Department of Homeland Security law...