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Alternatives to First Command Financial Planning. In the last year or so over 1,500 soldiers have to come to this site looking for more information about First Command Financial Planning, the financial services firm that is force-fed to Americans in uniform. According to my traffic stats, so far this morning the Army, Navy and Marine Corps have all come a-knockin', and it's only 0900.

First Command is notorious for charging exorbitant fees that have been outlawed from the civilian world where there is more competition for individual investments, and for selling inappropriate and overpriced life insurance to young men and women who are putting their money in as much danger as their lives. See the earlier posts "First Command, last resort, Parts 1, 2, and 3" for more details.

The good news is this — you can do better. Your best defense against unscrupulous profiteers sticking their hands into your pockets is to educate yourself. Since you're already on the Internet looking for more information, you might consider taking a look at these sites:

360 Degrees of Financial Literacy covers a lot of the basics of managing your money.

Military.com offers an overview of money management and investing.

That's just education, which is useless unless you follow it with action. When you're ready to start plunking down some money, take a look at the firms that offer investments:

USAA has a miilitary-friendly approach to investing with none of the baggage that First Command has.

Vanguard is another stable company known for solid management and low expenses, in stark contrast to First Command which is known for the exact opposite.

If you want me to cover something more specifically on this site, leave a comment or email me. I can't give individual advice but I can try to point you in the right direction.

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