Financial readiness is mission readiness

One of the largest employers in the world — the United States Defense Department — teaches financial readiness to all the women and men in its service. It has an

Office of Financial Readiness that offers tools, courses and resources to military members from the moment they start basic training to the time they transition into civilian life.

Soldiers, sailors and Marines who are financially secure can focus on their jobs when they’re deployed, facing fire, or performing mission-critical tasks. Military personnel with high debts also pose a security risk.

So, anytime someone in the military gets married, deploys, returns from deployment, has a child, moves to a new duty station, gets a promotion, etc. they are offered a course that teaches them how their new situation impacts their finances. They learn how to plan for those changes, adjust their budget, review their insurance, tweak their retirement plans, and more.

There are good lessons here for the private sector. Building financial confidence and security removes the distraction of instability, and helps boost focus.