Capt. David Culpepper, commanding officer of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB), proclaimed the week of Feb. 26 - March 3, as Military Saves Week, Feb. 26, during a proclamation event hosted by Navy Federal Credit Union (NCFU).

During the proclamation, Culpepper called upon all members of the military family to set a personal savings or debt reduction goal, make a simple savings plan and take action on that plan, or take another positive wealth-building action during Military Saves Week, and asked them to pledge to sustain that action during the following year.

Throughout the week, NSGB and NFCU worked to promote automatic savings to help service members and their families reach their savings goals and urged the community to take the Military Saves Pledge at http://militarysaves.org/take-the-pledge.

The pledge allows service members to commit to saving money, reducing debt, and building wealth over time. When it comes to saving money, the sooner you start the better, but it does not happen overnight. Start by setting a budget, see where you can cut back spending, and look into savings opportunities.

Military Saves Week is coordinated by America Saves and the Consumer Federation of America in partnership with the Department of Defense. The Week is an annual opportunity for organizations to promote good savings behavior and a chance for individuals to assess their own saving status.
Locally, Navy Federal Credit Union kicked off the week with a Proclamation signing with Culpepper; Cmdr. Shane Dietrich, NSGB supply officer; and NSGB Command Master Chief Tom Mace.

"Navy Federal celebrates this opportunity not only this week, but the entire month of March, with certificate and individual retirement account (IRA) specials," said Jenny Metz, NFCU branch office manager. "Guidance on ways to save is always available in the branch and online, as well as through bi-monthly financial education classes sponsored by Navy Federal Credit Union at the Fleet and Family Service Center."

For more information about Military Saves Week and to learn more savings and budgeting tips, visit http://www.militarysaves.org.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, visit www.navy.mil/.