Military Money Wins 2004 Consumer Financial Information Award

ORLANDO, FL ? Military Money™ magazine, a publication of Orlando-based InCharge® Education Foundation, Inc., has been selected the 2004 winner of the Consumer Financial Information Award of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE).

In announcing the award, Glenn Muske of the AFCPE said Military Money ?succeeds in having the type of depth and multidimensional merit we seek. Not only were they chosen for their excellence by our military panel, but also by the academic and practitioner evaluations. Military Money is a really terrific program ? very effective.?

Military Money is part of the Defense Department?s Financial Readiness Campaign, created and distributed with the support of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy. The magazine tackles topics of compelling interest to military families ? deployment and relocation issues, family finances, parenthood, careers and the financial stresses unique to people serving in the military and their families.

The quarterly magazine reaches an estimated 500,000 military readers worldwide, is available free of charge on military bases, commissaries and credit unions, and is often inserted in the Stars and Stripes newspaper. The magazine is provided to military Personal Finance Managers along with other financial products and materials from InCharge Education Foundation online, via CD-ROM and in print. Also part of the Military Money program is ?Military Money Minute,? segments that are aired worldwide on Armed Forces Radio.

AFCPE announced the award at its annual meeting on November 19 in Denver, Colorado. In presenting the award to Rebecca Stiehl, president and chief executive of InCharge Education Foundation, Muske said that Military Money was selected from a strong field of applications from across the country. The award is designed to encourage information flow to consumers in need of financial planning and assistance with money issues.

Muske noted that this is the first time that a magazine published by a non-profit agency has been the award recipient and praised efforts by InCharge to reach an audience that is difficult to identify and locate. InCharge Education Foundation is part of InCharge® Institute of America, Inc., an award winning organization specializing in personal finance education and credit counseling. InCharge was honored as the 2003 Counseling Organization of the Year by AFCPE and was awarded with the 2004 Ethical Business Award by the Society for Financial

Service Professionals for Business Ethics. Robert Barrett, president and chief executive of InCharge, noted that the recognition of Military Money by AFCPE follows the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by InCharge Institute with the Department of Defense to provide needed financial planning assistance and credit counseling to military personnel. ?We?re proud of our association with the Department of Defense and the role we play in assisting military personnel stationed around the world,? Barrett stated. ?It is a high honor to be recognized for this work by AFCPE.?

Military Money reaches out to military families through a glossy, full-color 32-page-plus-cover magazine, counseling on issues central to running a military household:

• Money ? Saving, investing, budgeting, retirement planning, pay and entitlements, taxes, insurance, mortgages and more
• Creditworthy ? How to stay out of debt and build good credit; credit cards, credit reports and credit repair
• Homefront ? Deployment and relocation, home purchase or rental, home improvements, health care, children and parenting
• Success ? Career advancement, entrepreneurship and education opportunities in and out of the military
• Lifestyle ? Consumer alerts, smart purchasing, cars and car care, technology, leisure travel, entertainment.

Military Money is targeted primarily to young military families, with most of the articles written by military personnel and spouses. As these writers are able to demonstrate first-hand knowledge and experience of unique military situations, the credibility of the content is enhanced. The magazine also features works from experienced financial planners, health care experts, and veteran journalists.

Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, InCharge® Institute of America, Inc. is a national non-profit organization specializing in personal finance education and credit counseling. The InCharge Institute family includes InCharge® Education Foundation, which publishes YOUNG MONEY® magazine and Military MoneyTM magazine and offers basic financial management education to clients and the general public, and InCharge® Debt Solutions, which provides professional credit counseling and education services. InCharge is a member of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA). For additional information, visit www.InCharge.org.