From Crisis to Confidence  

Rethinking Financial Resilience for Coast Guard Families

On a Tuesday morning in Alaska, a petty officer checks his bank account before leaving for work. His car needs a new transmission. His spouse lost her job during their last PCS move. Childcare costs more than rent. 

None of these problems are unusual for Coast Guard families. What makes them dangerous is when they happen all at once. 

We’ve heard it all before: make a budget, build an emergency fund, save three months of income.  

For many Coast Guard families, those traditional financial management practices are the equivalent of putting a band-aid on a sucking chest wound; helpful, but insufficient.  

According to data from Blue Star Families, only 60 percent of service members report their financial situation as “living comfortably” or “doing OK.” Among enlisted members, that number drops to just 51 percent. 

Military members and government employees are predisposed to financial challenges.  

A PCS move resets childcare arrangements and often creates new out-of-pocket costs. A hurricane damages a home. A government shutdown halts pay. A parent passes away unexpectedly. A child with special needs requires long-term care that must be rebuilt after every relocation.  

Rarely do these events occur in isolation. More often, they compound over time, creating persistent financial uncertainty for Coast Guard families. 

And over time, they reshape how families think about money. 

In 2025, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance delivered  $12.1 million in assistance to over 4,000 members of the Coast Guard community. More than $3 million supported basic living expenses, rental assistance, and debt management. During the 43-day funding lapse that impacted civilian employees, CGMA provided $1.9 million in support. Since 1924, CGMA has delivered more than $260 million in assistance to Coast Guard families. 

Those numbers reflect more than generosity. They reveal a pattern. 

“Financial disruption for Coast Guard families is the norm, not the exception,” said Brooke Millard, CEO of CGMA. “When our members are worried about putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their family’s head, that directly affects mission readiness.” 

The question is no longer whether disruption will occur. 

The real question is how families recover and whether they move forward stronger. 

What the Research Confirms 

At the 2025 Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education (AFCPE) Conference, financial educators from across the country gathered to discuss how financial literacy is evolving.  

The central takeaway was clear: financial behavior is shaped as much by experience and stress as it is by knowledge. 

Traditionally, financial education focused primarily on information—budgeting, discipline, and financial tools. When someone made poor financial decisions, the assumption was simple: they lacked knowledge. 

But that framework misses something critical. 

“Financial trauma,” defined as any experience that negatively impacts how someone views, interacts with, or believes about money, can fundamentally change financial behavior. 

After repeated disruption, families often operate from a single belief: the money will not last. 

Some respond by spending quickly before it disappears. Others respond by hoarding every dollar they can. Both behaviors are rooted in the same underlying uncertainty. 

For Coast Guard families who have experienced government shutdowns, hurricanes, medical emergencies, and frequent relocations, that uncertainty is not hypothetical. It is lived experience.  

“Money behavior is adaptive, not irrational,” said Alena Howard, Chief Development Officer of CGMA. “When we understand the stress and the story behind the behavior, it changes how we think about financial resilience.” 

The Missing Middle 

Through our work with the Coast Guard community, CGMA has observed a critical gap between financial crisis and long-term financial confidence—what we identify as the ‘missing middle’ of financial resilience. 

Many families recover just enough to keep moving. They pay off the urgent bill with a CGMA loan or grant. They rebalance their budget. They return to the mission. 

But they never fully regain financial momentum. Instead, they remain one unexpected disruption away from instability. 

The first step for leaders helping their people navigate this new uncertain financial landscape is to recognize who is most at risk.  

This “missing middle” is especially visible among: 

• Special needs families navigating long-term guardianship requirements  

• Families supporting extended relatives  

• Survivors of domestic violence rebuilding safety before stability 

• Disaster-affected families who experience repeated loss 

However, the risk extends far beyond these groups.  

The majority of CGMA assistance supports enlisted members between E-5 and E-6, the technical experts essential to operational readiness but who often face the greatest financial strain. 

These are the leaders who keep Coast Guard missions running every day. Yet many remain vulnerable to financial shocks that can derail long-term stability. 

The National Effects of Financial Stress 

National data reinforces the pressure facing military families. 

Blue Star Families reports that 50 percent of respondents identified military spouse employment as a top concern. Military spouse unemployment remains above 23 percent, well above the national average. 

Childcare adds another major burden. Forty-one percent of military families report spending 20 percent or more of their monthly income on childcare. 

Food insecurity is also rising. More than 40 percent of enlisted families report experiencing low or very low food security. 

These realities compound financial stress across the force. 

They also shape whether families recommend military service to the next generation. According to Blue Star Families, just 37 percent say they would recommend military service today. 

Financial stress is not simply a personal burden. It is a readiness issue. It is a retention issue. It is a force sustainability issue. 

What Actually Works 

Research from AFCPE points toward a powerful shift: lasting behavior change happens through connection, not content alone. 

Peer-supported financial models, particularly among younger populations, produce significantly stronger outcomes when education is paired with trusted peer networks. 

In other words, tools matter. Knowledge matters. But belonging matters too. 

Coast Guard culture is built on Helping Our Own. Chiefs mentoring junior members. Commands and leaders stepping in when families struggle. CGMA sits squarely at the center of that culture. 

“CGMA exists at the intersection of financial stress and mission readiness,” Millard said. “We have deep trust within the Coast Guard community. We meet families at moments of disruption, and we have the credibility to convene partners rather than duplicate services.” 

A Path Forward 

CGMA is leading efforts to bridge the gap between financial crisis and long-term resilience. 

This includes expanding financial education beyond budgeting basics to cover investing, taxes, estate planning, and long-term care planning. CGMA is working with the Coast Guard and long-time partners, including USAA, to provide the right resources for clients experiencing financial trauma. 

CGMA is also beginning work with Coast Guard Force Readiness Command to integrate financial trauma awareness and CGMA resources into accession training, leadership development programs, and transition support. 

Another critical effort focuses on strengthening CGMA’s peer network. CGMA Representatives, an all-volunteer network embedded across the service, serve as trusted advisors and connection points for members facing financial challenges. CGMA is expanding training and technological tools to ensure Representatives can better support members alongside the Coast Guard’s Personal Financial Management Program. 

Finally, CGMA is leveraging its extensive data and daily interaction with Coast Guard members to better identify emerging financial risks across the workforce. Data will inform Coast Guard leaders and Department of War strategic decisions related to sustenance needs, basic allowance for housing, and pay.  

As the Coast Guard’s only Title 10 designated relief society, CGMA is uniquely positioned to convene financial institutions, Coast Guard support programs, and nonprofit partners to strengthen financial resilience across the service.  

The First Step: Acceptance 

Many financial stressors are outside a leader’s control.  

But the first step toward reducing financial trauma is eliminating the stigma associated with it. 

Coast Guard members are often told to budget carefully, save aggressively, and spend wisely. But the Coast Guard workforce is a diverse community. Every member brings their own financial history and personal experiences into the service, and military life often introduces new and unforeseen financial disruptions. 

Too often, financial stress is treated as a personal failure rather than a reality of service. 

As a result, some members avoid asking for help until a crisis becomes unavoidable. 

CGMA has seen members take out loans from predatory lenders, accumulate unsustainable credit card debt, or even face homelessness; simply to prevent their command from learning about their financial situation. 

That is the power of stigma. 

Leaders at every level must recognize that financial trauma is real, talk about it openly, and encourage members to seek help early. 

From Crisis to Confidence 

Financial disruption may be a reality of Coast Guard life. Financial instability does not have to be. 

CGMA will continue to stabilize families in moments of crisis. But true financial resilience requires something more: leaders who acknowledge the realities their people face and encourage them to seek help before a challenge becomes a crisis. 

Because when Coast Guard families are financially strong, the entire service is stronger.  

That is what helping our own truly means.