Financial counseling is provided by a financial educator who provides financial guidance and counseling to personnel experiencing money management difficulties, or for those who wish to be in control of their finances.

Appointments are made on a referral basis from the member's command financial specialist. Information and assistance is also available for one-on-one counseling, in areas such as military pay and allowances, consumer rip-offs, savings, insurance, car buying, home buying, credit card management and more. Feel free to contact one of our outstanding and highly skilled Personal Financial Managers (PFM) at 904-542-5635 for an appointment.

The following financial preparedness workshops are offered periodically throughout the calendar year:

• Budgeting Basics
• Credit House Cleaning
• Home Buying vs. Renting
• Consumer Awareness
• Million Dollar Sailor
• Command Financial Specialist training / refresher option too

Call the FFSC, NAS JAX Front Desk Receptionist at 904-542-5745 or our PFM at 904-542-5635 to register for any of the above workshops.

Naval Air Station Jacksonville’s Fleet and Family Support Center is the training site for the Command Financial Specialist program. Service members, in pay grades E-6 and above, are trained to assist members and families of their commands/departments.

This program emphasizes personal financial responsibility and accountability by providing basic principles and practices of sound money management, counseling tools and referral services. This training is held periodically throughout the year. Contact your command career counselor for information.

Advance pay is processed on a case-by-case basis. Check with your Personnel or Administration Office for eligibility of receiving advanced pay entitlements.

If you're thinking about moving to the Jacksonville area, you will be happy to know that it includes beautiful coastlines, amazing restaurants and many cultural communities to give residents a well-balanced lifestyle. Many people think the state of Florida is an expensive place to live. While that may be true for some areas, Jacksonville, Florida, is actually pretty affordable. With reasonable home prices and a low cost of living, it's no secret why residents love living here and why people are eager to move to this area.

The cost of living in Jacksonville is considered moderate so there is no cost-of-living allowance. Most of those arriving on permanent change of station orders are authorized a temporary lodging expense allowance, which helps reimburse up to 14 days of temporary lodging expenses for CONUS moves and allow up to 60 days of TLE is a service member is in a specified Military Housing Area with a housing shortage. Be sure to obtain an itemized lodging receipt to submit with your TLE claim.

• The cost of living in Jacksonville is 7% lower than the Florida average.
• The cost of living in Jacksonville is 6% lower than the national average.
• Jacksonville housing is 6% lower than the national average.

In June 2024, the median listing home price in Jacksonville, FL was around 319K, with the median listing home price per square foot was $194. The median sold home price was $298K.  These numbers are can be found on realtor.com. 

Should you encounter a situation where you need emergency financial assistance while in transit and near a military installation, contact the servicing relief agency (i.e. Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, Air Force Aid, etc.). Other sources of assistance include the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

While it is not a good idea to take an advance on your basic pay since you are liable for repayment of this advance, you do want to take advantage of your opportunity to take advance travel pay. This would normally include mileage allowance in lieu of transportation, when driving to your new duty assignment, plus per diem (a dollar amount given for each authorized travel day), and dislocation allowance, provided you will not become a permanent resident in bachelor quarters. Check with your pay office for details.

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) Education Programs: To obtain an application or get information on NMCRS educational programs , call NMCRS at 703-696-4960 or DSN 312-426-4960, or visit your local NMCRS office.