January, 2026 – How To Plan Ahead: New Year, New Budget
Posted on: February 3, 2026 | Posted in: Community Blog
Convening Topic
How To Plan Ahead: New Year, New Budget
Missed our January Convening or want a refresher? Below are the bios of the speakers and great tools that were shared during the convening!
Our amazing speakers were:
– Tracy Owens, Senior Military Relations Officer, Support the Enlisted Project (STEP)
– Wen Wen Wu, CFP, EA, Personal Financial Management (PFM), Personal Financial Readiness Specialist, Fleet & Family Support Center (FFSC), Naval Base Point Loma (NBPL) Subase
– Viridiana Elizarraras-Galvan, Program Specialist II, Self-Sufficiency Services – Hospital and Community Support Services, County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency
– Kristy M. Cotton, Program Specialist II, Self-Sufficiency Services – General Relief and CalFresh Program, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency
RESOURCES. We find that this will be especially beneficial as the government shutdown has just begun. We hope that you and/or your families utilize the amazing and free financial planning programs to make sure that you’re financially set for whatever 2026 brings. You can find a list of the financial planning programs in the powerpoint located below. (Please let us know if you have difficulty accessing the links)
- Convening Powerpoint: Check out slides 8-10 for a list of FREE financial planning programs
- FREE Budget Workshops
- San Diego County IHSS Self-Sufficiency Services (Military Families): Want to see if you or your families are eligible for county services? Click on this link to learn more about programs like CalFresh and their eligibility.
- San Diego Food and Basic Needs Distributions: List of local organizations that have regular food and basic need distributions. Please note that Feeding San Diego not only has their marketplace but they have a convenient search engine that can find the closest distro near you!
- Government Shutdown Quick Sheet: Information sheet of resources for military families and government workers. Please note that this resource will be updated on a regular basis so please follow our social media and/or continue to check for updates.
You could have connected with the following organizations/programs at the convening! San Diego County, My Academy, Wounded Warrior Project, Empowered Fathers, Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) Naval Base Point Loma and Naval Base San Diego, Telemynd, Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) Marine Corps Recruit Depot and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, New York Life, Brain Balance, Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego, Our Benefits Coach, Support The Enlisted Project (STEP), Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society, Cohen Veterans Clinic, Aurora Behavioral, Blue Star Families, USO, and National University.
Make sure to join us in February as our theme is Families of the Move: How to Prepare for the PCS Season!
