Is Working from Home Your Cup of Tea in 2013?

Considering a work from home job? Could It Help You Find Military Financial Success?  Want to be a military family entrepreneur?  Or is a military transition staring at you and you are considering the work from home idea?

It sounds good but is it good for your “Military Wallet”? Reduced commute time, savings on gas, flexible hours and more family time are some of the benefits listed by Ryan Guina, creator of Cash Money Life and The Military Wallet blogs. I met Ryan at the USAA Blogger Conference in November and shared lunch and a wait in the San Antonio airport with him too. Discussion turned to times of Air Force service, family, mutual support of our veterans through information in our blogs and how we made it work. His focus on military finances led me to follow up with a phone interview so I can tell others about his great articles/posts.  It was an easy conversation with my questions leading the way through his efforts to support the military community. 

How did you get started?


Ryan Guina

Ryan and I both work from home but he had a different perspective and I wanted to hear it.  A lot of hard work to make it happen was his response! After leaving the Air Force he worked a full time job as a consultant for the Air Force Material Command at Wright Patterson AFB and started building his blogging reputation with thorough and researched articles. He wanted to be a central source of information for military finances and that led to readers who asked questions that created more writing opportunities. The incredible workload and sacrifices of doing both jobs for 3 years led to a family decision to move onto becoming a full time blogger and a work at home professional.  

What do you see as the biggest problem for day to day military finances?

Low income is the issue for many. He certainly understood the need for a transportable job for spouses as well as augmented income for a military family starting out. He began his efforts while using Tuition Assistance on active duty for education and said the early years are tough due to the low pay issues and many of the military benefits are not fully understood and under utilized.

In order to help other military families in similar situations with their military money matters that  included pay, benefits and legislation affecting those issues, he began to dig by researching and posting about them.  Supporting the military community was the motivation to put in all of the extra hours to get off the ground with Military Wallet and Cash Money Life. His military expertise and audience was certainly recognized by military giant USAA with the invitation to the Military Influencer Conference.  

What are the pitfalls of working from home?

As an at home business he struggled with lack of interaction with peers and no group social involvement. To overcome these drawbacks he goes to conferences, skype chats, IMs with a close/core group of business and professional friends and colleagues that grew together in the last 3-5 years.  He also developed networks from blogging and participates in forums of 30-40 of folks.

What message should I tell military readers about their military finances?

“Understand their benefits!” Research is critical and he covers financial topics; personal finance and benefits; and family and veterans issues that will make it easier for you to stay on track for future financial success. Military Wallet provides “straight information”; explains it in depth; the who, what and why; Veterans health care: how to apply, who is eligible; he completes lots of research before posting and is not selling products. He uses ads, respect for veterans, transparency for accounts and reviews financial products/services from USAA, Chase, Discover, Fifth Third Bank, Trade King, Vanguard and American Express for you.

I hope you find your way over to The Military Wallet and Cash Money Life by clicking on their logos! 

Get prepared for a great 2013! 

Still interested in that work from home job? Just received an email or saw a website offering instant income while working from home? An extremely high percentage of these can be scams and according to Brenda Linnington who also attended the USAA Influencer Conference and is Director of the BBB Military Line you should check out their reputation and credentials at the BBB before responding to any offers.

Join Us

Col K is a retired Air Force pilot who served with the best of the military community from the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Air Force. He flew combat rescue and special operations helicopters, fixed wing trainers and airlift and retired while flying the C-17 as the Vice Wing Commander of the 62nd Airlift Wing at McChord AFB.

He enjoys writing about military issues and is a frequent contributor to the the DoD Blogger Roundtable at DoDLive. A member of a proud military family that created MilitaryAvenue.com to support the troops and their families, he enjoys the continued military ties from blogging.

Photo/Logo Credits:  Used with Permission