Navy Increases Accessibility to Financial Literacy Training via Navy e-Learning, Mobile Application

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Navy is making financial literacy training more accessible to Sailors via the Navy e-Learning (NeL) website and an updated mobile application.

In response to the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act that mandated the Department of Defense provide service members with additional financial literacy training, the Navy developed financial readiness that address the required-learning objectives for all of the personal and professional touchpoints across the military lifecycle.

“Though not developed with something like COVID-19 in mind, the new online Navy e-Learning financial readiness touchpoint training courses and the upcoming MyNavy Financial Literacy app touchpoint training feature will give our Sailors greater flexibility, especially in today’s environment, in satisfying the financial literacy touchpoint training requirements,” said John Hunt, lead program analyst, 21st Century Sailor Office (OPNAV N17). “The Navy recognizes that the personal financial readiness of our Sailors is critical to mission readiness and the implementation of these new training resources greatly aids this cause.”

The first touchpoint is "Initial Entry Training" whereby financial literacy training is provided at boot camp and life skills courses for enlisted Sailors and during the officer accessions training pipeline for officers. The other touchpoints include:

- First permanent duty station
- Permanent change of station (O-3 and below, E-4 and below)
- Promotion (O-4 and below, E-5 and below)
- Vesting in Thrift Savings Plan (under Blended Retirement System [BRS] upon completion of two years of service)
- Entitlement to continuation pay (under BRS)
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Birth of first child
- Disabling sickness or condition
- Pre- and post-deployment
- Leadership training
- Transition of the service member from Active or Reserve components, separation or retirement

NeL courses now address all of the mandatory financial literacy touchpoints, excluding the “Initial Entry Training” and “Transition” touchpoints. The officer/enlisted accession pipelines and the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) class address these two touchpoints. Sailors can find these courses on NeL at https://learning.nel.navy.mil/ELIAASv2p/ by searching for the title “touchpoint” under the Course Catalog tab.

A command financial specialist or a Fleet and Family Support Center personal financial manager can also provide in-person financial readiness touchpoint training. Sailors can find in-person training resources and information on the General Military Training webpage on MyNavy Portal at https://www.mnp.navy.mil/group/general-skills-training/gmt/ or at the Department of Defense Office of Financial Readiness website's Navy Resources webpage at https://finred.usalearning.gov/SPL/Training/NavyResource.

Additionally, the Navy will update its MyNavy Financial Literacy application in late December 2020 to host the NeL financial readiness touchpoint training courses. Sailors will also be able to submit course completion certificates directly to their Electronic Training Jacket through the application.

For more information on financial literacy education, visit the 21st Century Sailor webpages on Navy Personnel Command’s website at https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/support/21st_Century_Sailor/readiness/Pages/Personal-Financial-Management.aspx.