FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Financial management is the responsibility of every Sailor in the Navy. As a second class petty officer, you will have many occasions to counsel and advise your people   on   their   personal   financial   management, responsibilities, and debts. In today’s society, finance is very complex and difficult even for experienced wage earners. If a person does not manage money wisely, the repercussions can be devastating and cause a bad credit rating that could last for years. In addition, indebtedness is a prosecutable offense under the UCMJ. You can help your people gain knowledge about finances  that  will  help  them  balance  their  income, savings, and spending. Navy men and women should adopt a system of accounting to keep their financial matters  straight.  Many  of  our  young,  inexperienced Sailors do not effectively manage their money. Many coming straight out of school to the Navy have not had to deal with earning and budgeting. Every command assigns financial counseling as a collateral  duty  to  a  qualified  Sailor.  These  Sailors attend a financial counseling training session given by the Navy to provide them with knowledge and tools to help  Sailors  budget  and  manage  their  money.  The Basic  Military  Requirements   (BMR),  NAVEDTRA 14277, has a very comprehensive section on financial management. You should review the BMR material to reacquaint  you  with  facts  that  will  help  you  when counseling,  advising,  and  training  your  people  on financial  affairs.  Some  of  the  information  may  be elementary  to  you.  However,  because  many  young Navy members often do not grasp these facts, they get into financial trouble. If you are thoroughly familiar with these basics, you will be in a better position to help your shipmates with their financial management. Keep  in  mind,  the  Family  Support  Program  also provides financial counseling and classes for Sailors and their spouses. Encourage your people in need of personal financial help to seek counseling. The Navy also  provides  information  in  OPNAVINST  1740.5, Personal Financial Management. FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAM Commanders are responsible for providing the opportunity for a reasonable quality of life for Navy personnel and their families. It is both ethical and pragmatic for Navy leaders to care for their families - ethical because it is the right thing to do and pragmatic because care of Navy members  and  their  families  directly  impacts upon   job   performance,   retention,   and readiness.  Navy  members  must  be  able  to concentrate  their  energy  on  the  successful accomplishment of the Navy mission. —OPNAVINST 1754.1A The   Navy   family   matters!   Healthy   families contribute to combat readiness and career retention. To promote high-quality family life in the Navy, the CNO set  up  the  Family  Support  Program  in  1979.  The program’s   mission   is   to   increase   readiness   and retention   of   service   members   by   providing information, resources, and services that support and enrich  the  lives  of  Navy  families  as  well  as  single Sailors. The Family Support Program includes Family Service  Centers,  the  Family  Advocacy  Program, Family   Home   Care   Programs,   and   the   Casualty Assistance Calls Program. Family Service Centers All bases with 500 or more active-duty members have installation Family Service Centers (FSCs). They are located throughout the United States and at many overseas locations. FSCs offer a variety of programs for single and married Sailors and their families. While individual FSCs will tailor services and programs to fit the needs of the local military community, all centers offer 13 core programs. These programs fall into one of three areas: (1) information and referral, (2) education and training, and (3) counseling. INFORMATION    AND    REFERRAL. — Resources   for   the   family   are   abundant.   Often active-duty members and families require assistance in obtaining  specific  information  about  relocating  to  a new  duty  station  and  establishing  themselves  in  the military community. Each FSC has an information and referral specialist who provides assistance and makes specific referrals for services and programs available on base and in the civilian community. FSCs also have 3-4 Q3. The long-term goal of the Personal Excellence Partnership Program includes an effort to promote 1. Navy values 2. self-worth 3. responsible citizenship 4. both 2 and 3 above