J.J. Montanaro, USAA Certified Financial Planner

Latest Articles

Stacks of 100 dollar bills in the foreground with shadows of troops cast on a wall

A Military Approach to Managing Your Money

Lessons learned in the military can translate into ideas to better manage your money. Taking a few liberties, here are five...

A silhouetted person pushes the letters of the word debt off a cliff

5 Rules to Fight ‘Apocalyptically’ Dangerous Debt

Here are five rules to live by, whether you find yourself in an unlikely post-apocalyptic scenario or just trying to cope...

Graph and number imagery rendered in a spooky presentation

5 Reasons to Conquer Your Fear and Start Investing Systematically

Investing can be a scary proposition, but it doesn't have to be that way. A simple solution to eliminate fear from the...

How to Define Your Reason for Saving in 5 Steps

When it gets difficult to save, you need to focus on your goal.

100-dollar bills spread out on a surface

6 Ideas for Cleaning Up Your Finances

With all that's happened in the world over the past couple of years, it's a good time to focus your energy on cleaning up...

Take the 'S-M-A-R-T' Approach to Getting Out of Debt

Goals are good. Or perhaps more accurately, good goals are good.

Service members show off their hobby cars in a parking lot

7 Ideas to Tackle Rising Auto Insurance Premiums

As insurance companies scramble to make up for losses, here are ways to help lower your rates.

Two people's hands are showing as they look over paperwork.

Survivor Benefit Plan or Term Life Insurance?

Here's why term life insurance may not be a better option than the military's Survivor Benefit Plan.

An alarm clock sits on a table next to a jar of coins labeled Pension

Faced with the Survivor Benefit Plan Decision? 5 Things to Know

If you need to decide whether to opt in to the Survivor Benefit Plan, here are five factors to consider.

A binder labeled pension is pictured with some printed charts and reading glasses

5 Signs SBP Open Season Could Make Sense for You

Here are five financial red flags that should have you considering the Survivor Benefit Plan open season.

Four stacks of coins increase in size with graphical elements that look like charts of increasing money.

4 Strategies to 'Enhance' Your Retirement

Here are four things you can do to put yourself in a better place financially, regardless of what happens in the broader...

a binder marked retirement plan arranged with some data charts and reading glasses

7 Ways the New Secure 2.0 Act Could Help You Save for Retirement

To help Americans save for retirement, the Secure 2.0 Act includes promising provisions that will be implemented over the...

a silhouetted person at a computer holds their head in their hands

5 Steps to Less Financial Stress for Military Families

A financial plan that ties together daily budgeting, short- and long-term savings, investments, insurance and estate planning...

a military child's face is painted in camo colors

What to Consider With Increase in Servicemembers Group Life Insurance

Effective March 1, 2023, the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance maximum benefit increases from $400,000 to $500,000.

100-dollar bills are stuck in the sand at the beach

4 Tricks to Change Your Attitude Toward Saving Money

Sometimes a slight shift in perspective can yield big results when you're trying to save money. Here are four ways to do it.

Military News

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Most Popular Military News

Spc. Daysha Cartagena, Mya Cortez and Staff Sgt. Isaiah Cortez

An Army Couple Had Their Daughter at a Military Hospital. Then the Collections Calls Started for $600,000.

Missteps by Womack Army Medical Center and Tricare landed a Fort Liberty couple in collections.

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic

Human Remains Have Likely Been Recovered from the Titan Submersible Wreckage, US Coast Guard Says

The news came hours after the announcement that debris from the Titan, collected from the seafloor more than 12,000 feet...

Navy recruiter discusses opportunities with a prospective recruit

Navy Recruiters Will Work 6-Day Weeks, Face Changes to Orders Amid Recruiting Struggle

The move comes as the Navy, like most of the other military branches, struggles to meet its recruiting goals for the year.

Soldier Crashed Helicopter Before Running to and Crashing a Second in 2022 Suicide, Investigators Find

The documents obtained by Military.com said Bellew had no history of diagnosed mental illness or suicidal ideation.

The 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David H. Berger, speaks

The Man Who Started to Transform the Marine Corps Leaves with 'No Regrets at All'

The Marine Corps' top officer -- the man who has overseen a sweeping and much-debated transformation of the branch -- is...

Airman reads pamphlets on the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., on March 10, 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Alyssa M. Akers)

Former CEO of Tech School Receives 5-Year Sentence in Largest Post-9/11 GI Bill Fraud Case

The Justice Department worked with the VA Office of Inspector General and the Education Service of the Veterans Benefits...

Latest Military Videos

Russian General Detained After Uprising

Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, is believed to have...

Iraqi Muslims Protest Quran Burning in Sweden

Hundreds of followers of the influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr protested this week's burning of the Quran in...

Plans For World's Tallest Flag Divides Maine Town

Residents of a tiny community in Maine are balking at measuring patriotism by the size of a flagpole. (June...

Rebellion Shows 'Cracks' in Russia System, Per NATO Head

NATO's chief said on Thursday that the weekend rebellion by a mercenary warlord in Russia revealed "cracks and divisions...

Investigations and Features

Poisoned Water: How a Navy Ship Dumped Fuel and Sickened Its Own Crew

A years-long investigation reveals that the Boxer unintentionally compromised its own water supply in 2016.

The Threat from Extremist Groups Is Growing. Service Members and Vets Are Getting Sucked into the Violence.

The U.S. intelligence community deemed racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism -- with adherents such as white...

Army News

Future soldiers recite the oath of enlistment before an NFL game in Phoenix.

What an All-Volunteer Force Looks Like Today 50 Years After America Ditched the Draft

Despite what Americans experienced in the 20th century, the United States does not have a long tradition of conscription.

Army Combat Veteran to Take Over Key Election Security Role Working with State, Local Officials

Cait Conley will coordinate with federal, state and local officials responsible for ensuring elections are secure ahead of...

Navy News

Contractors conduct monitoring operations at tank seven during tank tightness testing at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility

Military Ready to Drain Red Hill After Finishing Repairs

The tanks currently hold 104 million gallons of fuel and sit just 100 feet above a critical aquifer most of Honolulu relies...

The U.S. Naval Academy welcomes the midshipman candidates, or plebes, of the Class of 2026

Class of 2027 Plebes Report for Duty at Naval Academy: 'This Is Not a Normal College Experience'

Nearly 1,000 first-year entrants reported to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis on Thursday for Plebe Summer, the first part...

Air Force News

Pentagon: Chinese Balloon Did Not Collect Intelligence Over US

Relations between Washington and Beijing had already been tense when the U.S. military detected what U.S. officials at the...

Soil excavation at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex

Space Force Still Figuring Out How Bad the Fuel Spill Atop a Sacred Hawaiian Volcano Was

In the months since the fuel spill at a facility perched on the summit of Haleakalā, the Department of the Air Force has been...

Space Force News

Space Force Still Figuring Out How Bad the Fuel Spill Atop a Sacred Hawaiian Volcano Was

In the months since the fuel spill at a facility perched on the summit of Haleakalā, the Department of the Air Force has been...

Sen. Katie Britt departs after the final Senate votes

Alabama US Sen. Katie Britt Puts Space Command Spending Requirement in Defense Budget

Britt's addition to the Senate spending bill comes as Alabama's delegation pursues reports that the head of the Space Command...

Marine Corps News

The Man Who Started to Transform the Marine Corps Leaves with 'No Regrets at All'

The Marine Corps' top officer -- the man who has overseen a sweeping and much-debated transformation of the branch -- is...

Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth appeared on the June 28, 2023 edition of "CBS Mornings." (CBS)

Anheuser-Busch CEO and Marine Vet Answers Hard Questions About Bud Light Marketing

Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth hired by Anheuser-Busch in 2013, and by 2021, he was leading the company as its chief...

Coast Guard News

Edward Cassano speaks during a news conference on the Titan submersible.

Recovering the Titan 12,500 Feet Underwater Was Dangerous, Complex, Emotional

Investigating the debris is a crucial part of a multiagency investigation into why the Titan imploded.

a building at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.

Coast Guard Apologizes for Mishandling of Sexual Assaults at Academy

The service also acknowledged it did not widely disclose its six-year internal investigation into dozens of cases from 1988...