Ten-Hut! Updated "Financial Field Manual" For Military Families' Personal Finances Now Available

800,000+ Copies to Be Distributed Ahead of Military Saves Week, February 19-26, 2012.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 800,000 copies of the second edition of the "Financial Field Manual: The Personal Finance Guide for Military Families" will be distributed on military bases around the world and directly by state securities agencies, under a partnership of the Investor Protection Trust (IPT), the Investor Protection Institute (IPI), the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) and Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine.

Written in Kiplinger's accessible style by contributing editor Kimberly Lankford (a military spouse), the January 2012 guide from IPT, IPI, CBBB and Kiplinger's focuses on the key issues that can help military families make informed investing decisions, protect their money and their families, and take charge of their financial lives.  Over 800,000 of the updated guide have been printed.  The first 710,000 print copies of the guide will be distributed directly to military bases in the U.S. and around the world.  In addition, 29 states and the District of Columbia have ordered 100,000 additional copies to use as part of education programs with service members and their families in their states.

IPT President and CEO Don Blandin said: "For military families at home, readiness in terms of their personal finances can be nearly as important as the readiness of their loved ones who are in harm's way serving our nation.  Unfortunately, military families can have a difficult time finding the resources needed to help them make smart investing decisions.  To fill this gap in financial education, the Investor Protection Trust and the Investor Protection Institute have partnered with Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine and the Council of Better Business Bureaus to publish 'Financial Field Manual: The Personal Finance Guide for Military Families'." 

An online version of the guide is available at:  www.investorprotection.org/downloads/pdf/learn/IPT_Financial_Field_Manual_2012.pdf.

The 20-page booklet features success stories from service members and their families, and provides comprehensive guidance on a wide range of timely personal finance topics, including:

• Investing for the Future. Members of the military have access to special investing plans that can help them save for the future, but they're also frequent targets of scam artists and identity thieves. The guide shows them how to make the most of their special savings plans, make smart investing decisions, and avoid the new generation of scams
• Protecting Investments and Family. Military families have some unique risks—especially when they're deployed—but they also have access to special programs to help them protect their savings and their families. The booklet guides them on how to make the most of these resources in areas such as insurance, estate planning, and new tax rules.
• Special Home-Buying Resources. Military families, who tend to move frequently and sometimes with little notice, have been hit particularly hard by the housing downturn. But they also have access to special mortgage programs and tax breaks. The guide addresses these valuable resources and some key investing decisions to protect them from housing troubles that can jeopardize their financial situation.
• Protecting Investments When Leaving the Military. Service men and women need to make some key investing decisions after leaving the military. The booklet provides guidance to help ensure that the savings they have built throughout their service lasts through retirement – which is particularly timely as they enter a challenging civilian job market.
• Special Benefits for Military Families. Members of the military have special legal rights and access to other valuable benefits, such as a GI bill that can help service members, their spouses and their children pay for college. The guide shows them how to make the most of those benefits to help protect their savings.

The 30 states and jurisdictions distributing copies of the new IPT-IPI-CBBB-Kiplinger's guide are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

ABOUT IPT

The Investor Protection Trust (IPT) is a nonprofit organization devoted to investor education. More than half of all Americans are now invested in the securities markets, making investor education and protection vitally important. Since 1993 the Investor Protection Trust has worked with the states and at the national level to provide the independent, objective investor education needed by all Americans to make informed investment decisions. The Investor Protection Trust strives to keep all Americans on the right money track. www.investorprotection.org

ABOUT IPI

The Investor Protection Institute (IPI) is an independent nonprofit organization that advances investor protection by conducting and supporting unbiased research and groundbreaking education programs. IPI carries out its mission through investor education, protection and research programs delivered at both the national and grassroots level in collaboration with state securities regulators and other strategic partners. IPI is dedicated to providing innovative investor-protection programs that will make a meaningful difference in the financial lives of Americans in all walks of life and at all levels of sophistication about financial matters. www.protectinvestors.org

ABOUT KIPLINGER

Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine has been providing millions of Americans with down-to-earth advice on managing their money and achieving financial security since 1947. Along with Kiplinger.com, it is a highly trustworthy source of information on saving and investing, taxes, credit, homeownership, paying for college, retirement planning, car buying and many other personal finance topics.

ABOUT BBB MILITARY LINE

BBB Military Line® is a Better Business Bureau 501(c)(3) program established in 2004. It operates in partnership with the DOD Financial Readiness Campaign and is a partner in the National Joining Forces Initiative. BBB Military Line brings financial workshops tailored to the military for adults and teens; participates in community fairs, conferences and military-installation events; and provides consumer protection information and services—all through the efforts of local BBBs throughout the U.S. Our program empowers our military communities and builds bridges between civilian and military cultures through face-to-face interaction and cooperation. Our online presence provides financial-literacy and military consumer information, along with consumer threat alerts that specifically target the military population. Please visit www.bbb.org/military for more information.

SOURCE Investor Protection Trust, Washington, D.C.