The Social‐Ecological Model of Military Family Financial Well‐Being

Abstract

The social‐ecological model of military family financial well‐being was developed to delineate and depict individual‐, family‐, community‐, military‐ and societal‐level factors that jointly shape these families' financial well‐being. Theoretical frameworks that ground efforts to enhance families' financial well‐being remain underdeveloped but are crucial for informing the work of researchers, helping professionals, and policymakers. To be effective, such frameworks must incorporate the broader context in which families are rooted. One such context that brings unique considerations is military family life. After describing the factors within each level (i.e., individual, family, community, military and societal levels), we provide guidance on how the model can be used to reimagine personal finance as family finance situated within broader community and societal contexts to better reflect the lived realities of military families.