Amazing Apps: MobileMi$$ion (for Military and Military Families)

Better Business Bureau is launching MobileMi$$ion, a new app to help transitioning military service members, veterans, and their families navigate their finances during their transition to civilian life. BBB is currently seeking active duty military and veterans to test the Android version of the app. iPhone users can also sign up for future notifications of iOS testing.

 

MobileMi$$ion gives users access to learning activities and a free financial mentor via any connected Android device. The app was created by BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, the foundation of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, and made possible by a grant from American Express Foundation. American Express has been a BBB Accredited Business since 1948 and is a BBB National Partner.

 

“The app can empower users to save money, pay down debt, improve their credit, prepare for emergencies, and access government benefits,” says Michael Greer, director of the BBB Institute and a veteran Army officer. “The addition of a financial mentor personalizes the experience and helps users transition and plan for the future.” All mentors available via the app are trained military spouses who are actively earning an Accredited Financial Counselor certification from the Association for Financial Counseling, Planning and Education. “They can really help because they’ve lived it,” notes Greer.

 

Testers can be active duty service members from any branch who are currently transitioning to civilian life or who plan to in the coming year; veterans from any branch who have transitioned in the past five years; or family members related to either group. Testers will need an Android smartphone or tablet with a data plan and/or access to Wi-Fi. They must also be willing to share feedback about their experience at the end of the pilot period via a confidential online or phone survey.

 

Go to the MobileMi$$ion page on the Institute website: Android users can download the app using the code vet2015 to sign up. Results from the Android tests will be used to improve the current app and potentially create an iPhone version. iPhone users interested in testing can sign up to be notified of that test phase.

 

ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2014, people turned to BBB more than 165 million times for BBB Business Reviews on more than 4.7 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for 113 local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as home to its national programs on dispute resolution, advertising review, and industry self-regulation.

 

ABOUT BBB INSTITUTE: BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust is the educational foundation of the Council of Better Business Bureaus and a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Its goal is to connect targeted consumer populations to BBB services, promote consumer awareness and financial literacy, and advance ethics in the business marketplace. The organization offers in-person trainings, print and digital educational resources, and scholarships and recognition programs that promote ethical enterprise and fraud prevention in all 50 states.