BREWED THOUGHTS
 

April is Financial Literacy Month, and there may be no better time for an honest financial gut check. Most people blame inflation for their financial stress, and to be fair, prices have gone up across the board. Groceries cost more, gas costs more, housing costs more, and families everywhere feel the pressure. But if we’re being honest, inflation did not create financial struggle for many households. It exposed it. Long before prices went up, plenty of Americans were already

If there is anything that the Navy taught me, besides hurrying up and waiting, it was the idea of always being flexible. I remember my Recruit Division Commander cheerfully drilling into our heads, “Semper Gumby!” When I first joined the Navy (in 2004), I was adamant that I would help treat the wounded and travel the world on a ship, visiting the world’s beaches. The joke was on me, though, because I ended up doing neither. I spent my deployment at Landstuhl Regional Medical

When I transitioned back to civilian life, I was filled with hope and excitement. I saw my early discharge as a fresh start—a chance to move forward from the limitations my injury had placed on me. I wasted no time enrolling in college, eager to forge a new path and picture a future beyond the military. For a little while, my anticipation carried me. I focused on classes, set ambitious goals, and believed I could adapt easily to this new world. But reality set in as the semes