Find Your Battle Buddy: Helping Veterans Reach Financial Freedom with Dr. Ann James

Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! With Veterans Day coming up, we have a very special guest to talk about how she uses her own experience with finance and military service to serve the Veteran community. Dr. Ann James is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a Certified Financial Coach, and the CEO of Financial Freedom Battle Buddies, and is on a mission to help fellow veterans transform their financial well-being.  We thank Dr. James and all her fellow veterans for their service and are proud to share her story with you today.  In this episode we’ll talk about: • Dr. Ann James’s story of military service, single parenthood of a child of special needs, and how she found her passion for personal finance. • The importance of financial planning as a parent of a child with special needs. • The B.A.T.T.L.E. plan for financial freedom. • The loss of financial security many military families feel when they leave the service. • Necessary versus unnecessary debt. • The unique challenges that are faced by the military community and the challenges that come with working with the community. • Advice for military members who are still serving for transitioning out of the military. • What comes next and what Dr. James wants to be when she grows up. About Dr. Ann James Dr. Antoinette (Ann) James began her career as an enlisted member in the U.S. Air Force. Over her military career, she held numerous positions which included personnel administration and financial management. Upon earning her commission, she was responsible for executing multi-million-dollar operating budgets within the U.S. and overseas. After 21 years of proud service, she retired and went on to earn her Doctorate of Education.   Currently, as a Certified Financial Coach and CEO of Financial Freedom Battle Buddies, Dr. Ann is on a mission to educate and equip military veterans on how to transform their financial well-being using her B.A.T.T.L.E method. She’s been featured and cited on several platforms such as USA Today and the Penny Hoarder. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with family and friends.  www.drannjames.com Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.

Don’t Retire… Graduate! Is the podcast that asks what you want to be when you grow up so you can graduate into retirement with a passion and a purpose. Hosted by Certified Financial Planner Practitioner, Eric Brotman, this show will explore different methods for saving money, paying down debt, raising financially literate children, growing your wealth, and reaching financial independence–whether you’re 35 or 65. Retirement is not the absence of work, but the absence of needing to work. So join us while we talk to award-winning, best-selling authors, finance experts, influencers, and people with amazing money stories to help you set and reach financial goals, discover your passions, and make a plan for what you want to be when you reach the point where work becomes optional. Plus, between full episodes we’ll answer listener questions about personal finance, investing, retirement readiness, taxes, and more. Topics covered include: budgets, credit, debt, emergency funds, balancing expenses, health savings accounts, insurance and risk management, financial advisors, mortgages, retirement savings, social security, money management, spending, fintech and finance apps, employee benefits, and the FIRE movement.