Here are the 2022 military pay charts, according to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. Troops received a 2.7% pay increase. The final pay raise is in line with President Joe Biden's budget proposal and the Employment Cost Index (ECI) … Read More
Latest Articles

VA Disability Ratings for Back Pain
Lower back pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting about 4.3 million Americans – twice the burden of any other health condition. About 20% of such cases are chronic, lasting a year or more, according to the National … Read More

2023 Defense Budget
With summer meetings of the Congressional appropriations committees underway, the defense budget watch for fiscal year (FY) 2023 has officially begun. The annual United States defense budget affects service members, DOD civilian employees and … Read More

Amazon Prime Discounts for Military Members and Veterans
While Amazon does not currently offer a military discount, an Amazon Prime membership gives military members and veterans access to exclusive deals like Amazon Prime Day, among other deals. You can get Prime Day started early and shop our curated … Read More

VA Loan Inspection Requirements
VA home loans, like most mortgage-loan transactions involving a new purchase loan, require an appraisal. The VA appraisal process is sometimes referred to as an inspection, which often misleads homebuyers. Here's a look at the differences between a … Read More

What Can (And Can’t) You Buy With a VA Home Loan?
The VA loan is a powerful tool service members and veterans can use to become homeowners. However, everyone has a different idea of what homeownership looks like, whether that’s a townhome or several acres of land. Let’s talk about what home can … Read More

How to Get a TS-SCI Security Clearance
TS/SCI stands for Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information. Here’s what you need to know about getting a TS/SCI security clearance? Security Clearance Levels For members of the Department of Defense (DOD), there are three levels of security … Read More

American Express Military Fee Waiver
There are many credit card options that feature perks for being a military member. You will find military fee waivers offered by a variety of high-profile credit cards including American Express, which means you may be eligible to access high-value credit cards (assuming the applicant is otherwise financially qualified) that can push your access to credit to a new … Read More

VA Loan Requirements
Eligible borrowers can buy a home with no down payment with the VA loan. Service members and veterans need to meet VA loan requirements to qualify for this benefit. Here’s what you need to know about VA loans. VA Loan Overview For eligible … Read More

2022 VA Disability Rates
2022 VA Disability Rates saw a 5.9% cost-of-living increase based on the Social Security Administration's 2022 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). Congress passed legislation in early October to increase veterans’ disability compensation and other … Read More

COLA Increase Watch 2022-2023
What might the 2023 cost of living allowance (COLA) increase look like? It's too early to tell definitively, but we'll keep tracking inflation data and other factors that could impact 2023 COLA rates here. 2022 COLA Back in October, the Social … Read More