Tag: Veterans

Categories
Finance

3 Financial Resources Veterans Should Take Advantage of Right Now

3 Financial Resources Veterans Should Take Advantage of Right Now

 

Most people who enter the military join because of patriotism and a strong desire to serve their country. Some are more looking for self-improvement by learning discipline and inserting a noble purpose into their life. And others are initially drawn in by the financial benefits that come along with enlisting.

This final incentive is one of the proudest traditions of the U.S. military. While no institution is perfect, the government has always pledged to stand by its soldiers and reward those who serve with certain benefits.

What are the top benefits veterans can enjoy after their exit service?

That is definitely something of a subjective question. But the following benefits — some coming directly and some coming in the form of skills that you pick up along the way — are undeniably some of the best financial resources that veterans should all try to take advantage of today.

1. Mortgage and Tuition Benefits

The GI Bill is one of the most famous and revered pieces of law ever passed in Washington. It has changed somewhat over the years. But the goal has always been to ensure that anyone who has served can have the opportunity to pursue any career they want in the future by offering generous tuition assistance. Almost everyone who serves sees this as a primary benefit, and millions upon millions have taken advantage to earn their degrees.

The home loan guarantees available to veterans are another similarly beloved resource. The Financial Resources for Veterans, for example, can allow vets to get into a new house with no down payment, making it much easier for you to put your family into a dream home.

2. Investing in Discipline

Achieving financial security is everyone’s dream, and military members have a leg up on many civilians in terms of actually getting there. This is because investing success comes down to discipline. And who has more of that than people who have gone through boot camp and served their nation?

Investing can become a very low-risk endeavor if you just continually put small amounts of money into mutual funds with good performance history. You may not be seeding the next unicorn startup and turning into a billionaire overnight. But your money is almost certain to grow — slowly but surely — over the next few decades, and the benefits are even better if you’re investing pre-tax dollars into something like a 401k or Roth IRA.

3. Protecting Your Family’s Future

When it comes to managing their money, military families and veterans have another ace up their sleeves beyond their talent for discipline. Current and former members of the military have the entire arsenal of USAA services at their disposal — which offer some of the best benefits and terms of any financial services company.

One great example are USAA life insurance policies. With tiny monthly payments, life insurance is one of the greatest financial deals you can find anywhere. And when the coverage terms are this advantageous, there is no reason not to protect your family’s future financial security by loading up and getting the best policy you can. It will ensure that your children and loved ones are protected no matter what happens to you.

The Best Financial Resources for Veterans

What is the best benefit of serving in the military? Having served. Nothing can compare with this type of experience and the life lessons it teaches to everyone who has ever put on a uniform.

But the perks sure are great! Specifically, veterans will be able to take advantage of the GI Bill for tuition assistance, home loan guarantees through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the discipline they have learned, and financial perks that benefit their family.

It is hard to imagine any way that a country can truly repay its soldiers for their sacrifice and commitment. But it’s great to know that, at least for U.S. veterans, they will always have access to a wide range of financial resources.

 

Categories
Art Culture Featured Miami

Depictions and Conversations with Susan J Barron

Depicting the Invisible

Susan J Barron

NYC artist Susan J Barron tells the story of two veterans who walked into her show, “Depicting The Invisible,” with their service dogs. They approached a portrait featuring a handsome bearded man crouched with a dog. The phrase “We found each other” haloes his head, and he is surrounded by quotes that tell his story: a friend dying in his arms overseas; relentless, vivid nightmares; two suicide attempts; and a dog trained to comfort him and wake him up, saving him from his nightmares. The veterans were visibly affected, and told Barron, “this is a portrait of us.”

Susan J Barron

Depicting The Invisible

Barron created “Depicting The Invisible” after learning that 22 US veterans commit suicide every day. “I was so shocked and appalled by the statistic,” she says, “I really felt that, if people could understand what’s going on, then they would be inspired to step up and make a difference.” Barron interviewed dozens of veterans, creating portraits to tell their stories. As the SoHo artist travels with her show, she has encountered “uncountable” veterans drawn to the images and the stories. Her goal, she says, is to give voice to the experiences her subjects have shared with her. “Every time the show travels to a new city,” she says, “it magnifies their voices.”

 

Depictions and Conversations with Susan J BarronConversations

Conversations by Susan J Barron

When she isn’t traveling, Barron is working on a different, lighter, project. “Conversations” is a series of digital art pieces on canvas, which she creates by reassembling and mixing famous art pieces to create new meaning. Her piece “Luncheon on the Gras

s,” for example, features Edouard’s original nude woman, but sitting across from–in conversation with–an Alberto Vargas pin-up girl. “Two women painted by men over a century apart,” Barron explains, “it’s just so delightful to me.” 

SoHo

The “Conversations” canvases stand nine feet tall, and span styles and eras, and are all designed from Barron’s laptop, often at her home base of SoHo House in NYC. “During the day, there’s a whole collection of people working on their laptops,” she says, “some of them are writing plays or screenplays, or they’re writing the great American novel…and some of them are creating art.” Her perfect workday, she says, includes a stop at the Whitney Museum of American Art or a walk through the local galleries.

A Test

Just before the debut of “Depicting the Invisible,” Barron faced her biggest challenge. The mother of one of her subjects called her and told her that he had taken his life, or “fallen victim to the 22,” as Barron calls it. She was heartbroken. She had spent hours talking to him and growing closer to him. Could she have known? Was it disrespectful to go through with the show? But, she says, other veterans reached out to her with sobering words of encouragement. She had to continue, they said, because Damon’s tragedy happens 22 times every day. She went through with the show, and visitors can still see Damon’s portrait, wreathed in quotes where he wrestles with his PTSD and the specter of suicide. 

Inspiration

After DTI and Conversations, Barron is considering a portrait series on survivors of September 11th. She is inspired by the opportunity to tell the stories of those we might otherwise never hear. As she says, recounting the words of a former professor, “There are only so many pieces (of art) that you can make in your life, so make them count.”

Susan J Barron just finished showing Conversations at SCOPE in Miami.

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Categories
Living News

Downtown Observes Veterans Day 2016 at The Freedom Tower

In honor of Veterans Day on Friday, the 9/11 Memorial paid tribute to the 9/11 victims who served in the United States military by placing yellow roses on their names. Downtown Magazine went to the memorial and talked to visitors about what the day means for them.

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What does Veterans Day mean to you?

Nikita from Louisiana: To me, Veterans Day is life; it’s all those before us that gave their lives so that I may have my life.

Anna from New York: Respecting and honoring our fallen heroes, to be sure that they haven’t been forgotten.

What would you like to say to thank our veterans?

Jaime from Oregon: Thank you for the opportunity to make our country safe so my kids can come across the country to see this.

Melissa from Ohio: My uncle was a vet in Vietnam so I’ve always been aware of veterans and how important they are to our country. I think we should always thank them, regardless of our political climate.

What does it mean to be here at the Freedom tower on Veterans’ Day?

Linda from Louisiana: It’s really overwhelming. To know what everyone went through here in New York at that time, it really gives me a sense of things that we take for granted.

Anna from New York: We lost a lot of veterans during the attack; it’s a very big deal that we honor each and ever one of them.

Barry from California: It’s always good to remember what veterans have done for us. I think the yellow roses are lovely.

Denise from New York: It’s always difficult to come down here and see the reality of what happened that day but I’m certainly grateful for all the people who made this the beautiful memorial that it is.