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Hiring Our Heroes Job Fair Calendar ready for 2019

By Salute to Spouses Staff

If you are looking for a job in 2019, begin your search at www.hiringourheroes.org . The organization has posted its 2019 calendar of hiring events and there is sure to be one near you.

In January and February alone military only hiring fairs and networking receptions will be held across the nation in Washington, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, California, Japan and Washington D.C.

In 2011 the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation launched the Hiring Our Heroes initiative to connect veterans and spouses with meaningful employment opportunities.

Since then 31,000 veterans and spouses have found jobs through the Hiring Our Heroes events. More than 2,000 companies take part in the campaign from all corners of the U.S.

Ready to see what Hiring Our Heroes has in store for you? Visit their site, click on the event you want to attend. Be sure to register. These events fill quickly.

Not looking for a job at the moment but want to brush up on your interview skills or re-write your resume? Hiring Our Heroes can help you too. The organization hosts an online resume building tool and hosts regular networking receptions to help you build your rolodex and brush up on career building skills.

In 2019 make a resolution to improve and move onward and upward. Check in with Hiring Our Heroes to take the first step. 

A Christmas letter to military families everywhere

If we actually wrote a Christmas letter, this might be what it would sound like. Part nostalgic, part sentimental, part sarcastic … but all of it a pretty good reflection of our retired life.

 

Dear friends and family,

 

We haven’t written a Christmas letter for years.

 

For one thing, we can’t keep up with all your addresses. Our apologies if this letter was forwarded three times before it reached you!

 

For another, we went years with nothing much exciting to say. We moved, a kid was born, we went through a deployment, another move, another deployment, another kid, another deployment, another move … you get the picture.

 

Twenty-six years of military life went by in a flash. Sometimes it seemed like the movie “Groundhog Day,” where every day is exactly, monotonously the same. Other days it seemed like a blurry lap around a spinning race track at 200 miles an hour, where nothing remains constant.

 

But mostly, it felt like a time warp. The rest of American society passed us by while we were living overseas, or just too focused on trying to survive and keep our family in one piece to notice. We missed significant events in pop culture and politics. We lost track of time and family milestones. Every once in awhile, we even lost ourselves.

 

Now, in retirement, we should have more time to keep in touch. We should be able to reconnect and gather everyone’s current address. We should have time to actually go to the Post Office and buy stamps. (Side note: How much is a stamp now days?)

 

We have the luxury now to watch movies and pay attention to new music and take photos of our kids. Of course, since they are nearly adults now, we’ve adopted two cute fur babies to take their places.

 

We didn’t even move this year. In fact, we actually finished unpacking everything. For the first time since we moved into this house 15 months ago, there is not a single plastic tote sitting in the corner of the living room or hiding behind the couch. Most of the windows even have curtains!

 

We have time to enjoy an adult beverage. Or, one too many adult beverages.

 

We eat dinner together as a family most nights, although the kids complain that they no longer get a steady diet of Easy Mac in front of the TV, “like we used to when Dad was gone all the time.” They report that they also miss fish sticks and cereal for dinner.

 

And speaking of Dad, my husband has time to be a parent now. A lot of it, actually, since he doesn’t have a job. What a joy it is to have him home 24/7 to help around the house!

 

All that being said, our biggest accomplishments this year were choosing among the 122 new dental plans offered to military retirees, and managing to actually get our flu shots before the clinic ran out.

 

We know many of you are also recently retired or nearing that stage. We hope your transition is a smooth, stress-free, happy occasion. Maybe you’ll be the only person we know who doesn’t struggle with the change that retirement brings. Maybe you’ll be more well-adjusted than we are.

 

Or maybe you’ll join us on the patio for a drink, or two, or three. That’s what got us through.

 

Here’s wishing you all a peaceful and joyous holiday season. Be sure to follow us on Facebook for all the mundane details of our daily lives!

 

XOXO!

 

2019, the year to track your insurance benefits

How old were you when you realized how much, or how little, your health insurance pays of your needed treatment?

This year. I figured that out, this year, in my 40s. Previous to this, our dental, vision and medical insurance through the military pretty much covered all of our needs. The military’s dental insurance even covered roughly half of my oldest son’s braces.

The VA covered 100 percent of my husband’s multiple surgeries after he served in Iraq so those $300,000 and $400,000 explanation of benefits forms we received were just scary reminders that a serious injury could be disastrous financially.

Still, I didn’t realize how much we relied on insurance until I had to have a tooth pulled, and replaced. It seemed simple and small in the greater plan but, as it turns out, that’s an expensive procedure.

And months later, I needed a filling. And was promptly told I would need to pay the full $250 cost. Umm, yeah, I have insurance. Nope, I used it all up with the other procedure to pull my tooth.

If you don’t use all your insurance in one year, you don’t really realize that it has a limit. And, it does.

This year Tricare held its first open enrollment period for military members to purchase vision and dental insurance. It was a rocky process. It was confusing. And even though that enrollment period is over it is not clear what we, or our providers, have gotten ourselves into.

This is the year to pay attention, even if you are in your 20s, young, healthy and never need a filling. Someday, you will.

Once the new plans take effect in 2019, talk to the insurance offices for your providers. They will be working to calculate how much of the plan covers each typical procedure. If you have a secondary insurance through a civilian employer, then talk to them as well. Find out which insurance is considered your primary? Also, know that once your primary insurance covers their portion, the secondary insurance doesn’t simply cover the rest of the tab, there is a calculation for what they will pay and it’s not the same as it would be if they were your primary insurance.

It’s going to be a lot of numbers and probably some confusion. But this is the year to pay attention to the plan you enrolled in and compare it to the other plans. That way when open enrollment begins in November of 2019 you will have the tools at the ready to make a decision that fits your family’s needs.

In 2019, make a resolution to track and improve your health benefit choices. You may not need many of those benefits now, but someday, you will. And you need to be certain to use every one of them to help you, and your financial bottom line, improve.

White elephant gifts in the office, a helpful guide to not losing your job at the office Christmas party

I know, I know. You desperately want to give the Donald Trump shaped troll doll (complete with giant, fuzzy, yellow hair!) to the lone Republican in your office during the Secret Santa gift exchange. It would be hi-lar-ious, you tell yourself as your plop it into your Amazon cart.

It’s not. Don’t do it. Back away from the keyboard. Quickly.

The office Christmas party and gift exchange/ white elephant game, can be a hoot. It can also be the fastest way to win a one-way ticket to the HR office.

Let’s make a short checklist, shall we?

Do you work at:

  • Rolling Stone
  • A newly minted, legal marijuana exchange
  • The Saturday Night Live studios

If you checked yes, you are probably safe to give just about anything you find funny. Chances are your co-workers will too.

Did you mark no? Carry this list with you in your wallet when you do your shopping. 

For the office gift exchange I will NOT buy anything that has to do with:

  • Politics
  • Religion
  • Sex

See, simple, right? Now, depending on where you work, alcohol-related paraphernalia may need to be thrown on there as a safe bet too.

So what is left, you ask? Are we all doomed to lame, scented candles and bags of crumbling homemade cookies that our co-workers’ children made while fighting off this season’s latest cold?

No, there are creative and funny gifts that can win you points even with the guy that keeps accusing you of stealing his crusty, leftover meatloaf from the office fridge.

  • Cool office gadgets – USB cables shaped like animals and various characters are all the rage and they are inexpensive. Paperweights, magnets, even trash cans and funky pencil holders can be fun, functional and appreciated. Win, win
  • Food – good food. Not stuff you make at home, unless your sausage balls are all the rage at the office parties and people are throwing down to get to them. Then go with the sausage balls. Otherwise, buy a few pieces of expensive chocolate at the best shop in town or some other delectable treat. One piece of chocolate that they would never buy themselves is a delight to open when the guy next to you is looking down at a daily cat-a-day photo calendar.
  • Gift cards – you simply can’t go wrong. Book stores, dessert stores, even $10 to a restaurant is much appreciated.
  • Socks – Let’s be clear. Cool socks, not the aloe infused fuzzy socks they pull out of storage at big box stores every holiday season for people to blindly throw into grandma’s stocking. Rather, socks with a nifty design or picture on them, i.e. flamingos, bananas, or their favorite cartoon character. Slightly goofy and funny but still relatively safe.
  • Include a hand-written note. Did you pull a name in the drawing of someone you truly appreciate having as a co-worker? Tell them. Include a short, sincere hand-written note with your $10 treasure to tell them just how much you value both them and their work in the office. It will make their day.
How Families Today are Paying for College

(StatePoint) The way families pay for college is a good indicator of how much planning takes place before the first tuition bill arrives. A new study by Sallie Mae suggests that while families are feeling confident in their decision making, nearly 40 percent do not have a plan to pay for college.

Last year, family income and savings covered 47 percent of all college expenses, according to “How America Pays for College 2018,” the national study from Sallie Mae -- the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company -- and Ipsos, an independent global market research company.

The annual report examines how families pay for college, how much they spent, and how they made their funding decisions. The average amount spent on college in 2017-18 was $26,458.

While income and savings cover the largest portion of college costs, scholarships and grants cover 28 percent of college costs, and students and parents use loans to account for 24 percent of college costs. Extended family and friends paid an additional 2 percent of college costs.

While no single resource is used by all families, the most prevalent college funding sources -- scholarships, grants, and parent income -- are each used by about three in five families, with scholarships being the single most-used resource. In addition, 57 percent of families used scholarships last year, paying for almost a fifth of total college costs. Unfortunately, about a third of families don’t even apply for scholarship opportunities.

More than half of families, 53 percent, borrowed money to help pay for college last year and two-thirds of these families said they had always planned to borrow to pay for college. When it comes to planning to repay loans, however, 39 percent of families say they haven’t researched any repayment topics.

“It’s gratifying that families are so confident in the financial decisions they make regarding paying for college,” says Raymond J. Quinlan, chairman and CEO, Sallie Mae. “Still, there’s more work to do to equip families with the tools and information that will help them manage education expenses, whether it be applying for financial aid earlier in the process or taking steps to minimize student loan financing costs.”

When it comes to completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, (FAFSA), three-quarters of families report filing the form last year. However, the majority of them are not taking advantage of the earlier availability of the form: 69 percent of families are waiting until January or later to complete the FAFSA, which is now available on Oct. 1, and are potentially missing out on aid that’s awarded first-come, first-served.

The complete report and other resources are available at SallieMae.com/HowAmericaPaysForCollege. To join the conversation, use #HowAmericaPays. For more information, or to start your plan to pay for college, visit SallieMae.com.

Experts say that with the right tools and knowledge, families can develop a smart strategy for paying for college.

In your words: retirement struggles

Military retirement comes with a lot of lessons learned. Many of those revolve around being better prepared.

 

Specifically, a lot of spouses find that they – and their veteran – were not financially or emotionally ready to face such a huge transition.

 

I recently asked a group of “retiree spouses” what their biggest struggle was when their servicemember left the military.

 

Here are their answers, raw and unedited:

 

“After 21 years of the military telling my husband what to do, where to go, how to dress … it was just a culture shock to all of the sudden have the freedom to do what you want. The stress to find a new job after retirement was also very real so until that was secured, we were nervous about the financial hits.”


“I know it is said all the time but I would have saved more money and paid off the rest of the debt just to hopefully take off the anxiety of not finding a post-retirement job right away.”

 

“I think it’s just so many changes at once. I read a book about coping with life transitions and usually just one sets people off. There are several at retirement. I think I took it harder than my husband.”

 

“Choices. So many choices. You have to ask what do we want to do with our lives? Can I support my family on x?”

 

“Military to civilian life. The loss of instant community. Also, the money. We saved and had to use a lot of it in the beginning because of late checks.”

 

“We are close to retirement and living in our first all-civilian community. I'm used to being with spouses who are always trying to improve things. If something needs improving, fixing, help … we get to work. With after action reports or a new policy. For the past year all I've heard is, ‘that's how we've always done it,’ ‘it's tradition.’ . . . Either it doesn't work or could be so much better but they don't care. I have to bite my tongue and go along. We have now decided we have to at least retire near a military installation to be with like-minded people.”

 

“The emotional toll of leaving our comfort zone. My husband truly went through a grieving process at the end of his career … and I lost my military tribe, the ready-made sisterhood of being a military spouse. We moved away from an installation and not being around that familiarity has been hard for us. We also are struggling to find friends. It's not as quick and easy in a civilian setting. The job, finances, medical ... everything logistical fell into place nicely. It was the emotional side that caused us to struggle. We're 8 months in and I still don't feel that we've found our new normal.”

 

“We moved away from military and family. I don’t remember ever feeling this lonely. I have made some friends that are on the kids’ emergency call card but they are nothing like my military tribe. Plus I feel “sidelined” watching all my military friends still living the military family lifestyle.”

 

“One of our downfalls is life insurance. We are hurting now trying to get it. Definitely get it when young and before you retire.”

 

“I miss the structure. I miss the community. Knowing that we all shared the same joys of returns, the same heartache of deployment. The overwhelming support of other spouses in times of need … I miss my military family I made along the way.”

 

 

Final week for Tricare open season selection is here

Last week my dentist held an informational meeting for military retirees to help navigate the maze thousands of military families have suddenly found themselves in – choosing their medical coverage through Tricare, otherwise known as open season.

I was the youngest person in the room, by about 20 years. And the consensus among attendees and medical professionals was: this first year of Tricare open season is a confusing one.

As my dentist’s insurance specialist explained, since it is the first time, there isn’t a lot of solid information. The amounts that each plan will pay for each type of service isn’t completely clear which makes it hard to determine what the enrollee’s payout will be after having a root canal or other costly procedure.

Many of us have additional insurance through civilian employers and the mathematical equations to determine which insurance will pay for what are not simple either.

If you haven’t picked your Tricare coverage, your deadline is Dec. 10, so you need to sit down now and review your options.

Determine your needs. If you have small children you most likely won’t need orthodontics yet. Does everyone in your house wear glasses? Take a closer look at the vision plans for the best option to replace frames for small children who may break or lose them more often. 

You may need to spend the next few days on the phone with both Tricare and your secondary insurance through your civilian employer. Who pays for what? Which one is considered your primary (it’s not always Tricare) and is there a waiting period for certain procedures? Some insurances can make you wait up to a year before using your benefits to pay for a larger procedure such as a root canal.

Now is not the time to be afraid to ask questions. Ask them all but be prepared to spend some serious time both on the phone and on the computer reviewing your options.

But be certain, the time is worth it. When you are staring at a costly medical bill and realize you skipped over the coverage that would have left you with a minimal co-pay you will regret not looking at the fine print during open season.

Worried you’ll miss something with the new open season system? Here’s what you need to know:

A few reminders:

  • Open season applies to both active duty and retired service members and their families.
  • If you are happy with your current choice of Tricare plans, you don’t have to do anything.
  • Open season only applies to those with Prime or Select. Other plans, such as Tricare Retired Reserve, Young Adult and Tricare for Life, are not part of the change.
  • After Dec. 10, you’ll have to wait until next year’s open season to make any changes unless you have a “Qualifying Life Event,” or QLE.
  • Open season will happen at approximately the same time each year – from the second week in November until the second week of October.
  • Changes made to your Tricare plan during open season do not take effect until Jan. 1.
  • A QLE is a major life change such as retirement, deployment, marriage, divorce, birth of a child and certain types of PCS moves, among other things.
  • It doesn’t cost anything to switch plans, but you will have to pay any costs associated with the new plan (for example the enrollment fee for Prime).

Need to look over the plans or enroll? Visit https://tricare.mil

Finding Motivation

By Jenna Moede

My last class was tough. I had trouble remembering my ability to handle the workload even though I enjoyed the content and felt excited about it. Now that I have my grade and succeeded in my first class, I have tried to figure out what kept me motivated and moving.

First, those mini goals I set earlier in the beginning of this semester gave me incentive. The goals included reading my book, completing my homework before the deadline, and actively participating in class discussions. They gave me focus when I felt stuck or, when I just didn’t want to do anything at all. And trust me, I had those days.

By celebrating the mini goal victories, I started to believe I could take on the class one step at a time. I know I will doubt my success at times during my program, and I may, at some point, face failure, but I hope the little wins will help keep me moving forward.

Tracking my grades also kept me focused during the last class. In the past, I have looked often at grades but never bothered to really use them as a tool. Following my points earned helped me assess my standing in the class and what I needed to do in order to meet my goal grade which also helped me see how much I’d accomplished and learned since the beginning of the class.   

Grades also pushed me with professor feedback. Each time the professor graded an assignment, I took the time to review their comments, critiques, and scoring rubric. When I studied for my undergraduate degree, I looked at grades only to find out what I had received on assignments and if it dropped or raised my letter grade. I never read or applied the changes suggested by my professor.

Using grades and feedback, helped me boost my comprehension of the content and figure out exactly what my professor expected of my performance. The feedback clarified the expectations from the syllabus and rubric, and my classwork confidence grew because of it. I feel like I have a better grasp of graduate school expectations now with one class behind me.

My support network also helped keep my spirits up throughout the class. I sometimes over focused on the critiques rather than what I had done well in the reviews. Even though I found the value in the changes, I still had trouble feeling good about it all the time. Keeping my support network in the loop helped put grades and critiques in perspective and encouraged me to make valuable use of them.   

While all of those motivators propelled me through a lot of the work, I still just felt myself going through the motions some days. In those cases, I used my long-term goals to push through. I reminded myself over and over (a million times over) why I need to work hard, what I hope to achieve, and how much I value my goals. It worked when nothing else did.

I visualized the big picture and realized whatever my struggle was at that time only made up one part of the path. I also plan to research blogs, videos, and websites featuring people that currently have my dream career to remind me what I want to work towards and why I chose this.

I know the value of motivation when completing any type of college program, but I also know I can easily lose sight of the end goal. I remind myself that I chose this program, and I want to succeed in it. So, I will always look out for anything that keeps me excited and passionate about my choice.  

Still thankful for the military after all these years

Know what I miss most about the military today?

 

Chow hall Thanksgiving!

 

I might be dating myself with that name for the on-post Dining Facility, and maybe even with this whole post.

 

This is our second Thanksgiving after official retirement from the military, and our third if you include the one while my spouse was on terminal leave.

 

When he was still active duty and we were stationed overseas, we often traveled for the long weekend. Skiing in in the Alps, pasta for dinner in Rome or a museum in Prague were our norm. And if we happened to stay home, we went to a Christmas market or other local traditional event to mark the start of the holiday season.

 

Stateside (and sometimes overseas, too), we almost always went to Thanksgiving dinner at the DFAC, especially when my husband was deployed. It was a “family” affair, with our neighbors, friends and battle buddies. My kids still remember Thanksgiving at Ft. Riley, Kansas, where there were pony rides, crafts and a huge dessert table. Like them, just about every kid in attendance had a parent deployed.

 

Our first “after-the-Army” Thanksgiving happened in Houston while we were traveling the U.S. in our RV. In a last-minute stroke of luck, good friends of ours, also recently retired from the military and also traveling in their RV, were in Houston that weekend, too. We arranged to stay next to each other at the same campground, and pooled our resources for the Turkey Day feast.

 

We grilled a turkey breast and made mashed potatoes in the crockpot, and stuffing and sweet potatoes in the oven. Our friends, meanwhile, cooked a brisket, roasted vegetables and made a tiramisu for dessert.


We ate outside, drank wine and chatted the evening away.

 

Last year, we were in the midst of unpacking our new house here in Florida, and still in recovery mode from Hurricane Irma. We drove three hours across the state to my mother-in-law’s house in our hometown, the turkey and all the fixins pre-cooked and in a cooler in the back of the car. I couldn’t remember the last time we had spent a holiday with her.

 

We ate, drank wine and chatted the evening away.

 

This year? We’re going to enjoy a nice, quiet day at home, just the four of us. We’ll cook, watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, flick the channels between football games, and start decking the halls.

 

We’ll enjoy the peacefulness of the day, the time together as a family, and the first Thanksgiving in our home here.

 

We’ll reflect on what we’re thankful for, and think about holidays past.

 

We’ll probably drink some wine and chat the evening away.

 

We’ll make more new memories in this new life.

 

We’re creating new traditions with every post-retirement holiday, especially now that we are entering our third year. Honestly, I can’t even believe it’s been that long. Sometimes, it seems like just yesterday that we were still an active-duty military family. Other times, it feels like a lifetime ago.

 

For the most part we’ve adjusted to retirement, a new hometown, new school, new friends … new everything.

 

We’re all together. We see each other every day, eat dinner together most evenings and spend the weekends as a family. There are no PCS orders to wait for, no Blackberry going off every hour, no deployment hanging over our heads

 

That’s what I’m most thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving! Be careful on the roads, in your kitchen and avoid politics at all costs!

Thanksgiving can be filled with love and delight.

It can also be the trickiest time of year to gather the entire extended gang around the table. Not to mention, possibly one of the most dangerous days of the year.

The National Fire Protection Association says the chances of a cooking-related fire increase nearly 250 percent on Thanksgiving. Almost half of Thanksgiving Day fires occur from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when meals are being prepared and the cooks may be distracted by the guests and the sheer amount of food that needs to be tended to.

The stretch of days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s also sees two to three times the amount of deaths caused by alcohol-related car crashes.

And when your great Uncle Ernie declares in the middle of the appetizer that President Donald Trump is the greatest thing to ever happen to America, well the ensuing argument might just make this a holiday to forget.

Want to make this a holiday to remember with fondness?

First, delegate in the kitchen and don’t try to do all the work yourself. This is a holiday, not a cooking show. Cut back on the number of dishes if you need and instead savor the friendship and love you are welcoming into your home.

If you are deep frying a turkey, review these safety tips provided by State Farm at https://www.statefarm.com/simple-insights/residence/15-turkey-fryer-safety-tips

Second, if you are traveling this holiday season, follow these safety tips from AAA:

  • Ensure your vehicle is properly maintained. If maintenance is not up to date, have your car and tires inspected before you take a long drive.
  • Map your route in advance and be prepared for busy roads during the most popular times of the year. If possible, consider leaving earlier or later to avoid heavy traffic.
  • Keep anything of value in the trunk or covered storage area.
  • If you’re traveling with children, remind them not to talk to strangers. Go with them on bathroom breaks and give them whistles to be used only if the family gets separated.
  • Have roadside assistance contact information on hand, in case an incident occurs on the road.
  • In case of an emergency, keep a cell phone and charger with you at all times. AAA and many other companies offer smartphone applications that enable motorists to request help without making a phone call.

And finally, if you know politically charged conversations are inevitable, take those family members aside and ask them, politely, to avoid controversial topics this holiday. If they resist remind them that on Monday, they can take to social media and spread whatever message they support.

But today, as we gather as family and friends, let’s focus on being together, appreciating what we love about each other and sharing our time together in harmony.

Happy Thanksgiving!  

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