FORT CAMPBELL, Ky -- Soldiers with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) completed a six-week financial planning class Tuesday, June 24, 2013 at Fort Campbell, Ky.

Capt. Everett Zachary, the rear detachment chaplain for 4th BCT, said that the class is a common sense approach to managing finances.

"[The class] takes you from getting debt free, becoming a person who saves and building wealth. A very common sense approach," he said. "These classes expose [Soldiers] to the language, they expose you to the principles. You can really speak much more educated about it."

The course is usually 13 weeks but was condensed to be more flexible with Soldiers schedules.
"A typical class is 12 to 13 weeks long. We, did an abbreviated class of six weeks," Said Zachary. "What I have found is that Army schedules really make it hard for a long term class. We chose the six top sessions in which Soldiers were interested in."

Soldiers were not the only ones who took part in the class. Military spouses where also welcome and encouraged to take part in the training.

"For me the most impactful part of the training was how [the class] went into detail with retirement funds and college funds," said Lachele Coppins, a human resource specialist with the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center at Fort Campbell. "This was an amazing class and I recommend the Department of the Army offer this class yearly."

The class focuses on showing Soldiers how to mitigate debt but shifted in this particular six-week iteration.

"In this last class, I was surprised that we had a lot of Soldiers who didn't have so much debt, they were looking long term," said Zachary. "They were looking for the investment-type lessons so we were more future-oriented this session."

The class is particularly timely with to the furloughs and unit deactivation, the class is an opportunity for Soldiers and Families to be ever vigilant.

"The military sometimes overlooks many areas in which Families have hard ships or barriers," said Coppins. "Teaching military Service members how to save and become debt free will ensure some of those barriers do not develop into major issues or concerns that could limit the military members future in the service."