Military families save more with an advisor

"All told, service members who work with a financial advisor are saving an average of $2,000 more per month than those who go it alone," says Scott Spiker, CEO of First Command. "This dramatic savings gap highlights the positive influence a trusted financial advisor can have on the money habits and long-term financial security of our men and women in uniform.

Most survey respondents, the report adds, do not foresee making a change in their savings behaviors in the coming months. These and other financial intentions, attitudes and behaviors that are tracked in the monthly surveys helped the quarterly Index score hold steady in the fourth quarter to close out the year at 118, virtually unchanged from 117 in the third quarter and a high for the year.

Compiled by Sentient Decision Science, Inc., the First Command Financial Behaviors Index assesses trends among the American public's financial behaviors, attitudes and intentions through a monthly survey of approximately 530 U.S. consumers aged 25 to 70 with annual household incomes of at least $50,000. Results are reported quarterly.