You Don't Know What You Don't Know — with Sarah Tellefsen
Operation Coffee Podcast · Episode 6 · Sarah Tellefsen
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▶ Listen on Spotify → ▶ Watch on YouTube →Sarah Tellefsen met Dave when he was a Marine recruiter in Fond du Lac. Two weeks after their wedding, he deployed. Then he deployed again. Camp Pendleton, Hawaii, Quantico, back to Pendleton, Twentynine Palms. You might remember Dave from Episode 1. This is the other side of that story.
Every time they moved, Sarah asked herself the same question: what can I do while I'm here? In Hawaii, she finished a master's in counseling. At Quantico, she started volunteering, doing budget counseling with Marines and sailors. That is how she became an Accredited Financial Counselor. Now she works with veterans and their families, helping them get a handle on money.
We talk about what military spouses carry that nobody sees, the transition home, and the worry she doesn't always say out loud. Then we get practical. I tell her about the $12,000 truck I bought the minute I got home from Afghanistan. She explains emergency funds, the debt snowball and the avalanche, why you should take your card off every app, and the two words she texts back when a client wants to make a big purchase: "Tell me more."
Her one piece of advice: ask for help sooner. Don't wait.
If you are a veteran, a military spouse, or anyone who has never opened the bill because you were afraid of what was inside, this one is for you.
Recorded in the roasting room at Operation Coffee in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. 98 minutes.
Where to start, from Sarah
Build a small safety net first. Before the big purchase, ask what your most likely emergency is, and whether you could cover it. A water heater. A truck repair.
Make spending inconvenient. Take your card off the apps and turn off one-click checkout. Typing it in every time gives you a minute to think.
Snowball or avalanche. Smallest balance first if you need quick wins to stay motivated. Highest interest first if you want to pay the least interest overall. Either one beats only making minimum payments.
Deep in debt? Talk to a nonprofit credit counselor before a "debt settlement" company. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling can connect you, and the first consultation is free.
Veterans: on VA.gov, skip the menus and type what you need into the search bar. If the VA rates you 100% permanent and total, you may be able to have federal student loans discharged. Here's how it works.
This episode includes a conversation about veteran suicide. If you are struggling, you can call or text 988 in the U.S. Veterans and service members, press 1.
Coffee. Conversation. Connection.