You know that old saying about Murphy, and how he always seems to show up during a deployment?

I’m here to tell you he likes to visit during retirement, too. In fact, Murphy followed us all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, although it did take him awhile to catch up.

We left Stuttgart, Germany, on terminal leave in August, 2016, and spent most of the next year traveling the country in our RV, with a cat and two teenagers.

It’s tax time! That’s right, time to figure out how to configure your most recent PCS move, combat pay and file income from two different states, or more!

Military life has its challenges. Tax season may present one of the toughest. Between the extra pay, taxed at different rates, moves between states and collecting paperwork from multiple employers and locations doing your taxes for many military families takes more than a few hours at a computer.

Luckily, there is help.

The U.S Chamber of Commerce Foundation has long been a supporter of military families and veterans as they transition out of the military. Every month the foundation sponsors job fairs around the nation for military spouses.

The chamber also often sponsors planning sessions for families leaving the military and networking conferences. In February, the chamber’s calendar is especially full with spouse hiring events in every corner of the U.S.

By Amy Nielsen

There are 22 years between when I earned my Bachelor’s degree and when I made my decision to get a Master’s degree. In that time, a whole lot of life happened, including a career in the field I graduated into, two kids, and a stint as a Navy spouse.