Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) hosted a Command Financial Specialist (CFS) class at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island May 10-14.

The purpose of this class was to educate future specialists about finances and how to help other Sailors within their commands understand their finances and how to handle tough financial situations.

“This is a five-day course, and we host this at the FFSC every quarter to Sailors who have been selected by their command to do financial counseling at their command,” said Kathleen Johnson, Personal Financial Management (PFM) head at FFSC. “This week the Sailors are gaining education on how to actually make that happen. They’re getting basic knowledge. They’re getting their responsibility and how to do financial counseling; they’re getting the tools they need to perform their jobs as command financial specialist.”

Over the course of the class, future financial specialists learn about personal finance management, establishing a spending plan, managing credit, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), car buying, saving and investing and retirement planning.

“I took this training in order to help my fellow shipmates and their spouses on financial management and making sure that if they ever have money problems, we can help them get out of it and prevent them from getting into that situation in the first place,” said Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class (AW) Andrew Delange, Tactical Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ 129.

One of the main tools a CFS uses to help other Sailors is a financial planning worksheet, which displays income, debt, savings and living expenses.

“We see a lot of people not knowing where they’re spending their money, not understanding that they need to live within their income,” said Johnson. “A lot of folks are deep in debt because they adopted a lifestyle that they cannot maintain at their current income, so what we are seeing is not a money problem but a behavior problem,”

Some of the class participants are not only learning to help members of their command, but themselves as well.

“The course taught me to look at my finances better, how I was using my money,” said Master-at-Arms 1st Class Raymond Manibusan, NAS Whidbey Security.

Although the CFS training course is designed for Sailors E-6 and above, Johnson recommends Sailors E-5 and below go to the million dollar program.

“Our million dollar program is open to all hands including spouses, and it is an abbreviated version of this one,” she said. “It gives them everything they need to know, from creating a spending plan to credit management, debt management and car and home buying, to saving and investing and retirement planning, and any financial situation you may face.”

By using the knowledge, tools and resources available, Sailors become better equipped to build future wealth, emergency savings, lower personal debt and ensure mission readiness.