UNCLASSIFIED// RTTUZYUW RHSSXYZ0001 0381436-UUUU--RHSSSUU. ZNR UUUUU R 072003Z FEB 11 FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO AL NAVADMIN NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS PASS TO ALL OFFICE CODES: FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// NAVADMIN 045/11 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/FEB// SUBJ/FAMILYGRAM 01-11 FAMILY FINANCES// RMKS/1. THIS FAMILYGRAM IS THE TENTH IN A SERIES DESIGNED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON SUPPORT SERVICES, ASSISTANCE, AND ENTITLEMENTS AVAILABLE TO NAVY FAMILIES. THIS MONTH 'S FOCUS IS ON SAILOR AND FAMILY FINANCES. THE AFTERMATH OF THE HOLIDAYS AND THE START OF A NEW YEAR PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FAMILIES TO FOCUS ON THEIR PERSONAL FINANCES BY TAKING CONTROL OF THEIR FINANCIAL FUTURE, BETTER MANAGEMENT OF THEIR MONEY, ESTABLISHING A PLAN FOR PAYING OFF HOLIDAY OR OTHER DEBT, SAVING FOR A MAJOR PURCHASE, PLANNING FOR RETIREMENT OR PREPARING FOR TAX TIME. NAVY'S PERSONAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM HAS THE INFORMATION, TOOLS AND TIPS TO SUPPORT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY IN REACHING BOTH SHORT AND LONG-TERM FINANCIAL GOALS. 2. AS A MILITARY MEMBER, YOU AND YOUR FAMILY HAVE ACCESS TO SEVERAL VALUABLE FINANCIAL RESOURCES, SUPPORT SERVICES AND PROGRAMS: A. "MILITARY SAVES" REPRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SERVICE MEMBERS TO ENCOURAGE, MOTIVATE, AND EDUCATE THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILY ON HOW TO SAVE. PLEASE WATCH FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE UPCOMING "MILITARY SAVES" WEEK SCHEDULED FROM 20-27 FEBRUARY 2011. MAKE A SAVINGS PLEDGE AT WWW.MILITARYSAVES.ORG. B. THE THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN (TSP) EXISTS TO PROVIDE AN EASY AND CONVENIENT WAY FOR SAILORS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO AUTOMATICALLY AND REGULARLY SAVE AND INVEST FOR THE FUTURE. SAILORS HAVE LONG RECOGNIZED THE VALUE OF THIS EXCELLENT BENEFIT WITH 56 PERCENT PARTICIPATING IN THE TSP. IF YOU ARE NOT ENROLLED, YOU ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO DO SO AND IF YOU ARE IN TSP, CONSIDER INCREASING THE AMOUNT YOU CONTRIBUTE; EVEN A SMALL INCREASE PER MONTH CAN YIELD THOUSANDS OF MORE DOLLARS IN THE FUTURE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TSP SEE YOUR COMMAND FINANCIAL SPECIALIST, FLEET AND FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER FINANCIAL COUNSELOR, OR VISIT THE TSP WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW .TSP.GOV. C. MILITARY ONESOURCE PROVIDES SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES FREE NEWSLETTERS, WEBINARS, FINANCIAL PLANNING ASSISTANCE AND A VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS THAT ARE CUSTOMIZED TO MEET YOUR UNIQUE NEEDS. GO TO HTTP://WWW.MILITARYONESOURCE.COM/MOS/NAVY .ASPX AND CLICK ON THE "FIND INFORMATION" TAB; CHECK OUT THE TOPICS IN THE "FINANCIAL AND LEGAL" SECTION. D. THE NAVY'S FLEET AND FAMILY SUPPORT CENTERS OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF PERSONAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT CLASSES AND SEMINARS FOR SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THEY ALSO HAVE ACCREDITED FINANCIAL COUNSELORS AND FINANCIAL EDUCATORS, AVAILABLE AT NO COST, THAT OFFER INDIVIDUAL AND CONFIDENTIAL HELP YOU AND YOUR FAMILY CAN USE IN REDUCING DEBTS AND WORKING WITH CREDITORS, MAKING AND ANALYZING A BUDGET, AND ESTABLISHING A PLAN FOR SAVING AND INVESTING TO REACH YOUR GOALS VISIT WWW.FFSP.NAVY.MIL FOR MORE INFORMATION 3. TAX SEASON IS HERE. THE DEADLINE FOR FILING IS 18 APRIL 2011. SAILORS AND THEIR FAMILIES, WORLDWIDE, CAN RECEIVE FREE TAX ADVICE, TAX PREPARATION, AND RELATED ASSISTANCE THROUGH THEIR LOCAL VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA) PROGRAM. VITA VOLUNTEERS ARE SPECIALLY TRAINED AND EQUIPPED TO HELP YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WITH YOUR TAXES (INCLUDING MILITARY SPECIFIC TAX ISSUES, SUCH AS COMBAT ZONE TAX BENEFITS, ETC). NAVADMIN 415/10 PROVIDES 2011 VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA)/ELECTRONIC TAX FILING (ELF) POLICY AND PROGRAM GUIDANCE. MORE INFORMATION FOR THE MILITARY TAX FILER CAN BE FOUND ON THE IRS WEBSITE BY SELECTING THE "INDIVIDUALS" TAB AND THEN THE "MILITARY" TAB AT HTTP://WWW.IRS.GOV/INDIVIDUALS. ANOTHER GOOD SOURCE IS IRS PUBLICATION 17 (2010), "YOUR FEDERAL INCOME TAX," WHICH CAN BE FOUND AT HTTP://WWW.IRS.GOV /PUBLICATIONS. MILITARY ONESOURCE IS ONCE AGAIN PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED TAX PREPARATION AND FILING SERVICES THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.MILITARYONESOURCE.COM. CLICK ON THE "TAX FILING SERVICES" TAB. 4. RETAIL SHOPPING BENEFITS. A. YOUR LOCAL COMMISSARY. THE DEFENSE COMMISSARY AGENCY (DECA) OPERATES A WORLDWIDE CHAIN OF COMMISSARIES PROVIDING GROCERIES TO MILITARY PERSONNEL, RETIREES AND THEIR FAMILIES. AUTHORIZED PATRONS PURCHASE ITEMS AT COST PLUS A FIVE PERCENT SURCHARGE TO COVER THE COST OF BUILDING NEW COMMISSARIES AND MODERNIZING EXISTING ONES. SHOPPERS SAVE AN AVERAGE OF MORE THAN 30 PERCENT ON THEIR PURCHASES COMPARED TO COMMERCIAL PRICES - SAVINGS WORTH MORE THAN $4,400 ANNUALLY FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR. TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT'S IN STORE AT YOUR COMMISSARY, VISIT WWW.COMMISSARIES.COM. IN ADDITION TO INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR NEAREST COMMISSARY SUCH AS SHOPPING HOURS, SPECIALS AND MORE THIS WEBSITE ALSO PROVIDES INFORMATION ABOUT THE LATEST PROMOTIONS, THE DATES AND LOCATIONS OF UPCOMING GUARD-RESERVE ON-SITE SALES, CASE LOT SALES, INFORMATION ON NUTRITION THROUGH THE "ASK THE DIETITIAN COLUMN," AND TASTY RECIPES AND HEALTHY LIVING THROUGH "KAY 'S KITCHEN." B. NAVY EXCHANGE (NEX). IN 2011, THE NEX WILL CELEBRATE 65 YEARS OF PROUD SERVICE TO MILITARY FAMILIES WORLDWIDE. TO HELP COMMEMORATE THE ANNIVERSARY, A VARIETY OF EXCITING EVENTS ARE PLANNED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INCLUDING SWEEPSTAKES, SPECIAL SALES AND OFFERINGS, AND IN-STORE CELEBRATIONS. WHILE THE LOOK OF THE NEX MAY HAVE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS, THE MISSION AND COMMITMENT TO SERVICE HAS NOT. THE NEX CONTINUES TO PROVIDE SAILORS AND FAMILIES WITH HIGH -QUALITY GOODS AND SERVICES AT AN AVERAGE SAVINGS OF 22 PERCENT. AT THE SAME TIME, NEX ALSO SUPPORTS NAVY QUALITY OF LIFE PROGRAMS BY PROUDLY DISTRIBUTING 70 PERCENT OF ITS PROFITS TO YOUR NAVY MORALE, WELFARE AND RECREATION (MWR) PROGRAMS AND SERVICES; IN 2009, THE NEX GAVE OVER $51 MILLION TO MWR. AUTHORIZED PATRONS OF THE NEX CAN NOW TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE BENEFITS WORLDWIDE BY SHOPPING ONLINE VIA THE WEB-BASED NEX STORE AT HTTPS://WWW.MYNAVYEXCHANGE.COM. THE NEW WEB STORE FEATURES A VARIETY OF MERCHANDISE INCLUDING ELECTRONICS, BABY ITEMS, HOME ELECTRONICS, NAVY UNIFORMS, NAVY PRIDE ITEMS, WATCHES, SUNGLASSES AND MORE. AS AN ADDED BENEFIT, ITEMS CAN BE SHIPPED TO OVERSEAS FPO/APO ADDRESSES. CUSTOMERS PAY THE SAME PRICE ONLINE AS THEY WOULD FIND IN A NEX AND ARE NOT CHARGED SALES TAX. 5. POINT OF CONTACT: MS. BETTY TALLEY, OPNAV N135F, AT (901) 874 -4299/DSN 882, OR VIA E-MAIL AT BETTY.TALLEY(AT)NAVY.MIL. 6. RELEASED BY VADM MARK FERGUSON, N1.// BT #0001 NNNN