What Is a Twitter Chat?
A Twitter chat is like a meeting on Twitter; it has a specific discussion topic and a scheduled start time. Using the hashtag #MilCents at the end of each tweet, MFAN will ask questions to a group of financial experts.
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The MFAN blog spotlights the latest news affecting our community.
Randi Cairns
on Nov 20, 2020
Military Family Advisory Network’s (MFAN) research over three years revealed that an alarming number of military families face food insecurity. One in eight survey respondents in 2019 reported experiencing food insecurity. Our data showed that survey respondents in Texas were experiencing higher frequencies of food insecurity among national respondents, with one in six families...
Read MoreRandi Cairns
on Sep 4, 2020
In this week’s Thursday Three, we talk about the recent executive order to defer payroll taxes. The idea of some financial relief in the midst of COVID-19 is an appealing one. But it’s not one without future consequences. Today’s “extra money” is tomorrow’s problem – when the new year will bring with it...
Read MoreRandi Cairns
on Sep 3, 2020
Back to school season. Cue the round of deep sighs…. We’re talking about it in a blog this week, complete with resources to support you and your favorite military kids during a school year like no other. Also this week, MFAN participated in two panels at the (virtual) Association of Military Banks of America (AMBA) Fall Workshop – talking about how to best ensure military...
Read MoreRandi Cairns
on Aug 28, 2020
Ahhhh, the good old days. When we’d gleefully count down until the end of a school year with the lunch packing and the homework checking and the waking up of the cranky children who just want five more minutes of sleep. We’d let those same children sleep in late and enjoy lazy...
Read MoreRandi Cairns
on Aug 27, 2020
Happy Thursday! This past week registration opened for the Military Spouse Entrepreneur Virtual Launch Camp, an online workshop designed specifically for military spouses interested in exploring the field of entrepreneurship. This event, a collaboration between MFAN and SEED SPOT, is made possible by the Association of Military Banks of America. Interested? Register here. Executive...
Read MoreRandi Cairns
on Aug 20, 2020
Does it seem like another week has passed? Perhaps as kids head back to school (either virtually or in-person), we’ll get one step closer to the good old days when we remembered what day it was when asked! In last week’s Thursday Three, we talked about continued tensions between DoD and DHA over the handover of military medical facilities. In an update...
Read MoreRandi Cairns
on Aug 14, 2020
In case you missed it, MFAN was in the news this week. Executive Director Shannon Razsadin spoke with The Virginian-Pilot about food insecurity and MFAN’s efforts to move the needle in making sure the basic needs of military service members and their families are met. And our very own Nikole Schmidt was featured on an episode of Hearts & Stripes talking about PCS’ing, military marriage (and MFAN). You...
Read MoreRandi Cairns
on Aug 10, 2020
Difficulty finding child care has been a perennial finding in MFAN’s support programming surveys. In the most recent iteration of the survey, child care was a top support military families wish they had. The majority of active duty family respondents (62.3%) said they need child care or have needed it during the past two years. And 77.4% reported finding the search for...
Read MoreRandi Cairns
on Aug 6, 2020
This past week we celebrated International Day of Friendship and the Coast Guard’s 230th birthday. We talked about how you can potentially save thousands using your SCRA (Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) benefit. And, MFAN was featured in The Jacksonville Daily News in an article highlighting the 2019 Military Family Support Programming Survey and our commitment to addressing the challenge of food insecurity among military families. It’s been a busy and productive week for...
Read MoreRebekah Sanderlin
on Jul 30, 2020
Celebrating Friendship In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly designated July 30 as the International Day of Friendship. And how beautiful is that?! During this time of debate and division, we all get to take one day to acknowledge how much it means to have people we like by our sides. There are many hardships...
Read MoreRebekah Sanderlin
on Jul 29, 2020
Just like the old, “If a tree falls in the woods but no one hears it…” question, if a benefit exists but the majority of service members don’t know how to use it, how much of a benefit is it? When MFAN asked respondents to the 2019 Military Family Support Programming Survey about the Servicemembers...
Read MoreRandi Cairns
on Jul 23, 2020
Yesterday, MFAN’s executive director, Shannon Razsadin, joined Angela Caban (an MFAN Advisory Board Alum) at Military Saves to chat about empowering families in personal finance. In case you missed it, you can still catch the video here. Speaking of our amazing people, we’re hiring! MFAN is looking for an exceptional grant and proposal writer to...
Read MoreRandi Cairns
on Jul 16, 2020
As we get closer and closer to the November election, we want to reiterate something we’ve asserted since our incorporation as a nonprofit. MFAN is, has been, and always will be a non-partisan organization. We are passionate about educating ALL military families about the issues that impact them and the importance of voting, but we...
Read MoreThis has already been a year of many things, but calm is not one of them. In addition to COVID-19, movements, protests, and political elections have filled the news and stirred many hearts. But what are the rules for military family members who want to get politically active? What does a military family member who...
Read MoreWith Ft. Carson, Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base, the Air Force Academy, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), U.S. Northern Command, and possibly Space Force, a lot of lucky military families get to call Colorado Springs home, at least for a little while—and many choose to stay forever. Surprisingly mild winters,...
Read MoreThe Good News? States are Starting to Give it to Them Colorado Governor Jared Polis recently signed a bill into law that will make it easier for military spouses moving into the state to transfer their professional licenses and start working. Colorado is the latest state in growing list to take steps to ease the...
Read MoreMilCents’ Twitter chats are an easy way to talk to other military families and financial experts about your money questions. We know that not everyone is a Twitter expert, so we’ve created an easy guide to get you tweeting in no time.
A Twitter chat is like a meeting on Twitter; it has a specific discussion topic and a scheduled start time. Using the hashtag #MilCents at the end of each tweet, MFAN will ask questions to a group of financial experts.
Twitter chats give you an opportunity to discuss your money questions with other military families and with financial experts. You’ll be able to engage with other participants, read their questions, and maybe even answer some — just follow #MilCents during the chat.
Participation in a MilCents Twitter chat gives you access to a group of financial experts who are ready to answer your questions.
To participate in a Twitter chat you will need a Twitter account. Don’t have an account? Click here to learn how to create one.
To follow or join the chat, head over to MFAN’s Twitter page. If you’d like to ask a question during the chat, send it to @Mil_FANet using hashtag #MilCents.
Google Hangouts are an easy way to connect with people, no matter where they are, via video chat.
New to Hangouts? We’ll show you the ropes. Check out our guide below, and you’ll be “hanging out” in no time!
A Google Hangout is a video chat program that allows you to “hang out” and talk to friends, family, and — in the MilCents program—financial experts! Unlike other video chats, Hangouts can have up to 10 people on screen interacting.
MilCents is using Hangouts to give you the opportunity to talk to financial experts, ask questions, and gain insights on a number of financial topics.
By participating in a Hangout, you can talk face-to-face with financial experts and gain valuable tips to help you learn how to get your money in gear.
Can’t make a Hangout? No problem! All of the Hangouts will be recorded and available on the MilCents website.
Participating in a Hangout is easy. Just click “Play”! Each Hangout will stream live on its daily page on the MilCents website.
The MilCents workbook is a set of worksheets you’ll use during MilCents to get your money in gear. We will use the MilCents workbook at several points during the program, so we suggest you download a copy, save it to your personal computer, and use the same workbook throughout the program.
The workbook is already programmed with formulas to automatically calculate things like your monthly net (the gray cells), so all you need to do is enter the information asked of you in each worksheet (the white cells).
Workbook activities are scheduled for the following topics:
You can contact info@militaryfamilyadvisorynetwork.org if you have questions or need support.