MILMO Show

October 26 is Day of the Deployed, a day to recognize the service members who have deployed or are currently deployed and the families supporting them back home. Having experienced deployments myself, I know there's a lot that happens during that time that people don't always see. Life keeps moving, unexpected things happen, and families find ways to manage it all while they're apart. In this epis...

Military life has a way of changing your career plans, especially when you're the spouse. Between moves, deployments, and raising a family, it's easy for your own goals and interests to take a back seat. But finding your way back to those things can open up opportunities you never expected. In this episode, I'm talking with Jessica Cunningham, the military spouse behind the social media brand CAPT...

Social media can create opportunities to make money, grow a business, and build a personal brand, but that doesn't mean you need a massive following or should start chasing brand deals right away. In fact, sometimes focusing too much on monetizing can get in the way of building the trust and community that make those opportunities possible in the first place. In this episode, Kendall Mariah and I...

Sometimes the goal of saving and investing isn't just to have more money later. It's to give yourself more choices along the way like leaving the military when you want, taking work sabbaticals, changing careers, or focusing on your health and your family. In this episode, David Robinson and I talk about financial independence, mini retirements, and how to know when you may have enough financial f...

We have more financial information available to us than ever before, yet knowing what to do and actually doing it are two different things. And with so much attention on financial independence and retiring early, better known as F.I.R.E., it's worth talking about what financial freedom really means and what it takes to get there. In this episode, Paula Pant and I talk about what sparked her own fi...

There's a big difference between knowing what an interest rate is and knowing what to do when someone puts a credit card application in front of you. The same goes for budgeting, investing, choosing a career, or deciding whether you can really afford something. In this episode, Serenity Coats and I talk about what financial literacy should actually look like for young people, where schools may be...

It's my birthday episode, so I handed the microphone over to my longtime friend and fellow podcaster Joe Crane, host of Veteran On the Move, and let him interview me. Joe and I have known each other for years through podcasting, entrepreneurship, and the military community, so he came prepared with questions. We talk about what I'm cheap about (and didn't realize), what I'm willing to spend money...

Leaving the military doesn't always go according to plan. You may think you know what your next career will look like, only to have an opportunity, a setback, or a major life change send you in a completely different direction. In this episode, I talk with Army veteran and Chick-fil-A Operator Jon Harmeling about his unexpected path out of the military, the five-year process that eventually led hi...

Going through a medical board can be confusing, and it's happening at a time when you may already be dealing with health issues and an unexpected change to your military career. On top of that, there are two disability ratings, different rules for medical retirement versus medical separation, and benefits that can depend on the details of your situation. In this episode, Heather Walrath and I talk...

There are more tools, apps, services, advisors, and now AI options than ever before that can help you manage your money. On the surface, that sounds great. The problem is that all the convenience can make it easy to become disconnected from your own finances and start relying on someone or something else to manage your money for you. That matters because even if you're paying for help, using a fre...

There are some expenses that are really easy to question. You look at the charge and think, why did I spend money on that? But spending money on your kids is different. It's easy to justify because you're doing something for them. You want them to be happy and have what they need. You don't want them to feel left out. Sometimes, you just want to say yes and be the fun parent. But all those yeses c...

Military and veteran benefits can have a major impact on your finances, but finding them is not always easy. The information is spread across federal agencies, states, counties, and different programs, which means you may qualify for something without ever realizing it exists. In this episode, Jackson Jerdee and I talk about why he created Benefitry, an app designed to help members of the military...

Four hundred episodes is hard for me to take in fully. I'm proud of reaching this milestone. I love this show, I love the people I get to talk to, and I love helping the military community. But reaching 400 episodes has also made me realize how much more I want to do. What I have now isn't something I would have imagined when I began. I have a show I care deeply about, a community I am honored to...

The things we have cost money. And the care and attention we give them matter to our bottom line more than we realize. Today's episode isn't exactly about money, but it's also not not about money. It's about door thresholds and more. In this episode, I'm talking about one of the easiest ways to save money that has nothing to do with earning more or spending less. It has everything to do with takin...

This episode is a little different than what I normally do. I love interviewing guests and sharing their stories and expertise, but sometimes life has a way of changing your plans. Over the last few weeks, I've had one of the hardest experiences I've ever gone through as a parent, and honestly, I haven't felt like talking. I went back and forth on whether I should record this episode at all. But a...

A lot of military entrepreneurs know they need to market their business, but it can be hard to know what is actually worth your time and money.  In this episode, Aaron Tellier shares how service members, veterans, and military spouses can approach marketing in ways that drive revenue rather than just create more work. We talk about how to stop wasting money on random marketing and start building a...

A military move comes with orders, packing, paperwork, timelines, and a lot of stress. But for some service members, a Personally Procured Move, also known as a PPM or DITY move, can be a way to take more control and potentially make money. In this episode, Lt Col Jonathan "Peso" Clason shares how he and his family completed two full PPM moves, what he learned, and why planning, paperwork, weight...

Leaving the military does not always come with a perfectly mapped-out plan. Sometimes the next step is a stepping stone. Sometimes it opens doors you didn't even know existed, and sometimes it leads you to build something completely new. In this episode, I'm talking with Sinon Bennett, a former Navy submarine officer who went on to work in private banking at J.P. Morgan before co-founding Wavvest,...

We hear the word "networking" all the time, especially around military transition, career growth, and business. But building real partnerships is different. It's not about collecting contacts, pitching yourself, or asking people for favors. It's about building trust, adding value, and creating relationships that help people move forward together. In this episode, Katherine Torres-Pummill shares wh...

Annuities are among the financial products that can spark a lot of strong opinions. Some people love them, while some people warn everyone to stay far away from them. A lot of people are stuck somewhere in the middle, trying to figure out what an annuity actually is, what it does, and whether it makes sense for their situation. The hard part is that annuities come with a lot of jargon, fees, surre...

Sometimes, the reason money feels tight is not that you're bad with money. Sometimes your money just needs more structure. In this solo episode, I'm talking about financial discipline and why it is not about shame, perfection, or taking all the joy out of your life. It is about giving your money direction, keeping small promises to your future self, and creating enough structure so your paycheck d...

Military retirement comes with some big financial decisions, but few create stronger opinions than the Survivor Benefit Plan. Some people believe SBP is essential protection for military spouses. Others say you're better off declining it and buying term life insurance instead.  In this episode, retired Army officer and Certified Financial Planner™ Kyle Packard breaks down the Survivor Benefit Plan...

Memorial Day is one of those days I never want to rush past, but I also never feel like I have the right words for it. In this special solo episode of the MILMO Show, I'm taking a moment to reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day, the men and women who died in service to our country, and the families who carry that loss every day. This isn't about having a perfect message. It's about remembering we...

People often assume Guard and Reserve finances work the same way as active duty, but they don't. The income can be inconsistent, benefits can be confusing, and transitions on and off orders can create financial stress that catches families off guard.  In this episode, Accredited Financial Counselor® and military spouse Terri Bailey shares real-world insight into the financial realities Guard and R...

Life in the military is full of change. PCS moves, deployments, and leaving the service can all come with a long list of decisions and a lot of pressure to make them quickly. In those moments, even smart, disciplined people can make financial choices that quietly set them back. In this episode, I talk with Stacy Miller about why money mistakes tend to happen during life transitions and how to navi...