Johnstone spent nine years in active duty, including two years deployed in Southeast Asia and Japan, experiencing a different culture and financial ecosystem. “When my time in the service ended, returning to a civilian lifestyle was a major shock. I had never worried about being hungry, or homeless. I had bills showing up all of a sudden—things like dental and medical bills that I hadn’t dealt with before. My credit scores fell into the subprime range...I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I had to figure it out if I wanted to achieve my goal of owning a home.”

“The military has great financial resources—every base offers education, financial consulting, and other services. But it’s easy to become sheltered when so much is provided.”

Once he began focusing on his finances, Johnstone was able to raise his subprime credit scores to super-prime credit scores (at the highest end of scores) in just over two-and-a-half years with a goal of reducing his interest rates and increasing his opportunities for new loans and other services. To do so, he began researching personal finance and developed his own “ops plan” for his future. He shares his top tips for service members who want to follow a similar path of improving or maintaining a strong financial situation.