The Military Family Edition
A verified reference for navigating federal military benefits, protections, tax provisions, and the household decisions that come with them. Built for the active-duty servicemember, reservist, National Guard member, military spouse, dependent, and recently separated veteran.
- 221-page reference volume (PDF)
- Companion operational workbook
- Six interactive calculators
- One year of updates included
A map, not a manual.
The Military Family Edition is a calm navigation atlas — not a checklist and not a how-to. It shows the household the federal routes that exist, in plain English, and then points to a licensed professional or accredited representative to carry out the technical work. The volume is the map. The household chooses the road. A professional drives the vehicle. Every scenario and every lever ends with a "route-to-a-pro" pointer — VSO representatives, the installation legal-assistance office (JAG), Military OneSource, DFAS, the VA Regional Loan Center, and other federally connected resources.
14 household scenarios
The everyday arc of a military household. Each scenario describes what happens, what the household commonly needs to know, where it routes in Part Two, and the common pitfalls.
- S01 First PCS Order Arrives in the Mail or on the Email
- S02 First Deployment Notice and the Household Readiness Packet
- S03 The New-Duty-Station Financial Onboarding (BAH, BAS, TSP)
- S04 Government Move vs Personally Procured Move (PPM/DITY)
- S05 The Military Spouse Keeps Changing State Residency (or Does Not)
- S06 The Reservist or National Guard Member Gets the Mobilization Order
- S07 The Combat-Zone Return: Pay, Taxes, and the Savings Catch-Up
- S08 The Medical Evaluation Board / Physical Evaluation Board (MEB/PEB)
- S09 The Transition Window: TAP Class, Terminal Leave, ETS Day
- S10 The First VA Disability Claim (and the Appeal That Follows)
- S11 The VA Home Loan Purchase
- S12 The Retirement Transition: High-3 or BRS, SBP Election, Lump-Sum
- S13 The Surviving Family at Active-Duty Death
- S14 The Post-Separation Predatory-Finance Situation
30 federal levers
Each lever is a single-page reference field guide to one federal entitlement, protection, or tax provision — same six-block structure across all thirty, grouped by life-event cluster.
Companion Workbook
The Workbook turns the volume's federal-reference content into household-tracking worksheets. Named tabs include:
Six Live-Math Calculators
- 01 PCS Entitlements Total
- 02 Personally Procured Move Incentive
- 03 Thrift Savings Plan Contribution Match
- 04 Combat Zone Tax Exclusion + EITC election
- 05 VA Disability Compensation Estimator
- 06 High-3 vs Blended Retirement System
One consistent visual system
The same colored blocks appear on every lever and scenario, so the eye always knows what it's looking at.
Sample · Scenario S01
First PCS Order Arrives in the Mail or on the Email
The Permanent Change of Station order shows up. A new duty station, a report date, and a long list of forms the family have never seen before. The clock starts the moment the order is cut, and several federal entitlements have filing windows that close before the household reaches the new base.
Every rule links to its official source
Every federal authority cited in this volume — the U.S. Code section, the CFR citation, the Public Law, and the agency portal — was verified as currently in effect as of May 2026. Where a reader benefits, the page carries a QR code to the official government source (VA.gov, DFAS.mil, IRS.gov, and others) so the household can confirm the current rate, procedure, and eligibility threshold before relying on anything.
Good to know
Is this legal, tax, or financial advice?
Does it tell me what to do?
Is it federal or state-specific?
How long do I get updates?
How do I read it?
The Military Family Edition
A calm, verified reference to the federal entitlements, protections, and tax provisions that follow military service and family life.