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

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin

Air Force Chief's Sudden Retirement Raises Question of 'Who Is Next' in Leadership Shake-Up

Policy experts told Military.com that the departure raises alarm amid other leadership changes within the Department of the...

Boxes of the medications Wegovy and Zepbound

Pentagon Drops Coverage of GLP-1 Weight Loss Meds for Medicare-Eligible Retirees

Tricare officials said the Defense Health Agency is eliminating coverage for its Tricare for Life beneficiaries and others to...

Darryl Chavis, 62, served in the U.S. Army for 2 years as a watercraft operator. He stands outside the Borden Avenue Veterans Residence, a short-term housing facility in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., where he lives.

New Work Rules Could Deny Food Stamps to Thousands of Veterans

Able-bodied SNAP recipients who are between 18 and 54 and don't have children have always been required to work. Veterans...

Armed Officers place handcuffs on a man northwest Washington DC

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The White House has credited Trump's crackdown with hundreds of arrests, while local officials have criticized the aggressive...

A screen from the 2013 movie 'Cliffy,' about an Australian potato farmer named Cliff Young who won a 544-mile ultramarathon in 1983.

How an Australian Potato Farmer Changed Running Forever

Released in 2013, the movie “Cliffy” chronicles Australian Cliff Young’s rise from a potato farmer to an ultramarathoner and...

A boat from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound is shown in Elliott Bay, Seattle.

Family Questions Coast Guard Response to Fatal Sinking

The U.S. and Canadian coast guards responded to a sinking boat last week just off Point Roberts, a U.S.-controlled tip of a...

Latest Military Videos

Smoke Seen over Khan Younis in Gaza as Israel Set to Expand Military Operation

Smoke was seen billowing into the sky in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. (Aug. 20) AP

European Union officials gathered in a video conference call on Tuesday to discuss the outcome of a meeting between...

What to Know About Israel's Plan to Call up 60,000 Reservists

Israel is preparing to launch an expanded military operation in Gaza City, possibly in the coming days, even as...

US Special Envoy Tom Barrack Holds Meetings with Lebanese Leaders in Beirut

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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

District of Columbia National Guard soldier keeps watch

Walks on the Mall, Shake Shack Burgers and a Car Crash: Scenes from the Guard's Deployment in DC

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(Photo courtesy of author Jesse Schraub's family)

100-Year-Old Veteran Kept Jewish Prayer Book over His Heart as He Confronted the Holocaust

Among the challenges I faced was the growing, horrific knowledge of what Hitler was doing to my fellow Jews. I was angered...

Navy News

A U.S. Navy Sikorsky MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 maneuvers toward the U.S. Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE-14) during a vertical replenishment with the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA-5), not pictured, in the Pacific Ocean.

USNS Cesar Chavez Will Keep its Name, DoD Says

The USNS César Chavez will retain its name after Reps. Gil Cisneros and Sam Liccardo -- both Democrats from California --...

US Destroyers Head Toward Waters off Venezuela as Trump Aims to Pressure Drug Cartels

The USS Gravely, the USS Jason Dunham and the USS Sampson are expected to arrive soon, said an official, who was not...

Air Force News

A photo of Senior Airman Joshua Aragon from Basic Military Training.

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An airman stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, who died after being shot by an AK-47 fired through the wall of an off...

Air Force Chief's Sudden Retirement Raises Question of 'Who Is Next' in Leadership Shake-Up

Policy experts told Military.com that the departure raises alarm amid other leadership changes within the Department of the...

Space Force News

New U.S. Space Force dress uniform at Buckley Space Force Base, Colo.

Space Force Finally Has its Own Rulebook on Dress, Appearance Guidelines for Guardians

Since being established as the smallest service branch in 2019, the Space Force has used the same guidance given to the Air...

Gavel and American flag with scales of justice.

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Marine Corps News

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Coast Guard News