162nd Wing Airmen seek financial peace Published April 8, 2016 By Staff Sgt. Micah Hill 162nd Wing Public Affairs Office TUCSON, Ariz. -- Airman and their families at the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Wing, located at the Tucson international Airport attended Financial Peace University here Jan. 27-March 30. The course is a DVD-based lecture series designed by nationally syndicated talk show host and founder of FPU, Dave Ramsey. It teaches participants about the basic principles of budgeting, money management and better spending habits. Wing Chaplain, Lt. Col. Michael Martinez and Base Training Manager Sgt. Donald Byrd, presented the material on a weekly basis in the base auditorium. "I believe that this program can help anyone get out of debt and achieve financial peace" said Martinez. "It offers a lot of great information to help airmen become financially resilient." Tech. Sgt. Glory Bilang the base equipment control officer and one of the 20 participants, said she was looking for financial guidance and was very excited to participate in the program. "I'm a lot more aware of what needs to happen and what I need to do to get me where I want to be financially in the future" said Bilang. The course consists of video lectures focused on Ramsey's seven steps to help people out of debt and attain financial freedom followed by group discussions of the concepts. The seven steps are: 1. Put $1000 in emergency fund. 2. Pay off all debt using a "debt snowball." 3. Put three to six months of expenses in savings. 4. Invest 15 percent of your household income into Roth IRA's and pre-tax retirement. 5. Save for your children's college funding using tax-favored plans. 6. Pay off your home early. 7. Build wealth and give! (Invest in mutual funds and real estate.) "Financial troubles are so common among our Airman these days and it is easy to see where mission effectiveness can be impacted solely on the financial status of an individual," said Byrd. "I really enjoy sharing this program and welcome anyone to take a leap of faith to try something new." If interested in attending this course, the chaplain's office plans to offer another nine week session sometime later this year.