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djprofit · Oct 23, 2008, 09:02 AM

I want to enlist but I need to know how to get my civilian life in order. I want to know what to do about car payments, student loans, etc. I wanted to go into military service when I graduated out of high school but I was young and unsure now I know that I want to enlist I just don't know what to do about the things I listed above... help!:D

tickle · Oct 23, 2008, 09:43 AM

I don't think enlistng in the military absolves you from your civilian commitments, or necessarily disconnects you. You still have a car payment and payments of your student loan. Can you not pay off both before you join ?

djprofit · Oct 25, 2008, 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by tickle

I dont think enlistng in the military absolves you from your civilian commitments, or necessarily disconnects you. You still have a car payment and payments of your student loan. Can you not pay off both before you join ?

Oh no, that's not what I meant. Let me rephrase, I meant like before I go into the military do I have to pay off all of my loans or can I pay them off while active? Also... I was worried because I don't want to pay for a car that I would barely be using so should I take it back to the dealership or keep paying while active? Thanks for the answer tickle. p.s. I wish I could pay them all off before I go :)

tickle · Oct 25, 2008, 02:53 AM

You can still pay them off while in the military but if you don't want to carry on car payments you will have to sell your car. Good luck.

Fr_Chuck · Oct 25, 2008, 06:13 AM

You can not just take a car back to a dealership.
** OK a few buy here/ pay here places may let you

But the military is a job, after training you work and if in the US you will need a car.

Also if you have graduated college you may want to look into officer training or even ROTC at the college you are at.
Would always perfer to be a officer over an enlisted person

ashley0716 · Oct 25, 2008, 06:23 AM

I'm an army wife and 20 year army brat, haha, so maybe I can help. No of course joining the military doesn't absolve your civilian responsibilities. Now, depending on what MOS you ask for, and the kind of bonus you may receive, the army does offer perks called "student loan repayment" they'll pay off your student loans for you! Now, while you are in basic training, AIT, or called to military duty, you obviously can't be worrying with making your car payments, etc. usually single service members leave these responsibilities to a parent or sibling. I highly discourage you from leaving money or possessions with a boyfriend or girlfriend, this gets messy and they can get greedy. We see it happen more and more. If you don't have anyone you trust, there are accountants you can hire to manage your money and pay your bills while you temporarily can't deal with this hassle. If you ARE married, obviously your spouse would most likely take care of these things for you. But what you need to do is get whoever you are giving this responsibility to, a Power of Attorney. I advise you to get SPECIFIC POA's not a general one, as that is often left very open about what they can do. Just be careful. I hate seeing SM's get screwed over. Oh, and don't trust anything any recruiter might tell you, they get bonuses for enlisting people, so they will say anything to get your signature. Make sure anything they promise you, you see it in writing. Good luck!

drew8771 · Oct 27, 2008, 01:40 PM

There is some kind of law they passed that as long as you're in bootcamp or at war all your bills are put on hold. This can't hurt your credit score. Once u finish bootcamp u have to start paying them. If you're married you get paid a lot more in the military. Just ask a recruiter about that law

ashley0716 · Oct 27, 2008, 05:43 PM

No, when you are on active duty assignment, your bills don't get put on hold, but by law, your credit card companies (and possibly car loan) must drop your interest rate to 0%. Good luck!