Founded in 1999, AFBN was created to address the unique financial and educational needs of America's military community. Since then, we have grown from a focused military benefits organization into a nationwide network providing financial education, benefits analysis, retirement guidance, insurance solutions, and professional tax preparation to Active Duty service members, Veterans, Federal employees, and their families.
Over that time, AFBN has assisted more than 100,000 military and Federal families, helping them better understand the benefits they have earned, prepare for the financial challenges associated with military life, protect the people who depend on them, and plan for life beyond military or Federal service.
More than financial services
Military finances are different.
Basic Pay, BAH, BAS, TSP, the Blended Retirement System, SGLI, VA benefits, military pensions, Survivor Benefit Plan elections, deployments, PCS moves, combat-zone tax treatment, retirement accounts, and transition planning create financial considerations that most civilian families, and many traditional financial professionals, rarely encounter.
Understanding how these benefits work together can have a significant impact on a family's financial future. That is why education has always been at the center of the AFBN mission.
Our representatives help service members and Federal employees understand the benefits available to them, identify potential gaps in their financial plans, and make informed decisions based upon their individual circumstances and long-term objectives.
Depending upon an individual's needs, that assistance may include military and Federal benefits analysis, TSP and retirement education, Roth IRA and retirement planning, Veterans benefits education, Survivor Benefit Plan considerations, pension maximization strategies, family protection, life insurance needs analysis, critical illness contingencies, tax planning and preparation, and transition planning.
Our philosophy is simple: Education First. Solutions Second.
More than 25 years of experience
AFBN's history dates to 1999. That means some of the young service members AFBN assisted early in their careers have since completed 20-year military careers, retired, transitioned to civilian employment, and begun the next chapter of their financial lives.
During that time, the military benefits landscape has changed dramatically. Retirement systems have changed. TSP has evolved. The Blended Retirement System was introduced. Tax laws have changed. Insurance programs have evolved. Technology has transformed the way service members access their benefits. And the financial challenges facing today's military families continue to become more complex.
AFBN has evolved alongside the military community while remaining focused on the same fundamental mission on which our organization was founded: helping those who serve make better-informed financial decisions.
More than 100,000 families assisted
Since 1999, AFBN has assisted more than 100,000 service members, Veterans, Federal employees, and their families through our financial education, benefits analysis, tax preparation, retirement, and protection programs. But the number itself only tells part of the story. Behind those 100,000 families are people at virtually every stage of military and Federal service.
- A young service member arriving at a first duty station.
- A military family preparing for deployment.
- A Staff Sergeant trying to understand whether they're saving enough for retirement.
- A family evaluating how much protection they need if something happens to a spouse.
- A career service member approaching the 20-year retirement decision.
- A Veteran transitioning from military service into civilian employment.
- A Federal employee trying to understand an increasingly complex benefits package.
- And retirees trying to make the benefits accumulated over an entire career last throughout retirement.
These are the families AFBN was created to serve.
Supporting military installations nationwide
Today, AFBN provides services supporting military personnel across 12 military installations nationwide, while our virtual capabilities allow us to assist eligible individuals regardless of where military or Federal service takes them.
Our relationship with the military community, however, extends well beyond our offices. AFBN actively participates in and supports Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs and installation events throughout the country. Through MWR sponsorships, family events, military celebrations, educational outreach, and other installation activities, our team has the opportunity to meet service members and their families where they live and work.
For AFBN, supporting MWR isn't simply about visibility. It is about investing in the military communities that have supported our organization for more than two decades.
Approximately 3,000 free tax returns every year
One of the clearest examples of that commitment is the Armed Forces Tax Service. Each year, AFBN provides professional tax preparation and electronic filing services at no cost to eligible Active Duty military personnel and Federal employees. Today, AFBN prepares approximately 3,000 tax returns annually through this program.
Our tax professionals understand that military families can encounter circumstances that aren't always familiar to traditional tax preparation services, from PCS moves and multiple state residencies to deployments, combat-zone income, military allowances, retirement contributions, and military spouse considerations.
The objective isn't simply to prepare a return. It is to provide knowledgeable tax assistance from professionals familiar with the military community, while eliminating the cost of professional tax preparation for the families we serve.
A record of trust
When an organization works with military families on financial matters, trust matters. AFBN is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Business, has been BBB Accredited since 2014, and currently maintains an A+ BBB rating.
We believe that reputation must be earned through the way clients are treated, the quality of the education and assistance they receive, and our willingness to stand behind the services we provide. Our greatest measure of success, however, isn't an accreditation or rating. It is the fact that after more than a quarter-century, military families continue to trust AFBN.
Our mission continues
A great deal has changed since AFBN began in 1999. Our organization has grown. Our geographic reach has expanded. Technology has changed how we communicate with clients. Military benefits have evolved. And more than 100,000 families have now interacted with AFBN.
But the fundamental purpose of our organization remains remarkably similar to what it was when we started. We believe America's service members, Veterans, Federal employees, and their families deserve access to knowledgeable professionals who understand the benefits they've earned and the unique financial circumstances associated with serving our country. We believe financial education should come before financial products. And we believe that helping someone understand their benefits today can have an impact on their family's financial security for decades to come.
Whether someone first encounters AFBN at an MWR event, walks into one of our offices, schedules a virtual appointment, receives free tax preparation, uses one of our educational resources, or sits down with an AFBN representative to review their benefits, our objective remains the same: help them understand what they have, identify what they may need, and empower them to make better-informed decisions for themselves and their families.
AFBN. Serving Those Who Serve since 1999.