Hello, my name is Joe and after retiring from the USCG I decided to begin a second career in financial planning – focusing on helping fellow service members and veterans. When I was discerning what my new “mission” would be, I heard three stories that truly affected me, two of officers I new who had transitioned out of the service and ended up homeless for a time, and a third who felt trapped on his couch with not enough income, or career prospects to live a fulfilling life post the service. These stories inspired me to help service members and veterans with their finances to ensure that they would be able to live a fulfilling life and maintain financial security for their family.

A little about me, I am a 1998 U.S. Coast Guard Academy alumnus (B.S. Marine and Environmental Sciences), and retired from the US Coast Guard after 25 years of service.
My duty assignments included:
• Deck watch officer on Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea from 1998-2001
• Port safety and security officer at Marine Safety Officer San Diego from 2001-2004
• Rotating military faculty member at USCGA from 2004-2010
• Response Department head for Marine Safety Unit Morgan City from 2010-2012
• Permanent Commissioned Teaching Staff and I was the inaugural Chair of the Chemical and Environmental Sciences Department at USCGA 2013–2023

Highlights from my military career included overseeing port safety and security for the first military outloads in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, certifying the Deep Water Horizon wreck as pollution free, and as a deck watch officer for two OPERATION DEEP FREEZEs. I then retired from the USCG in 2023.

In my final year of service, I earned a master’s in financial planning (2023) and since retiring certifications as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and Military Qualified Financial Planner®. I am now living my next chapter fully, having founded Always Ready Financial Planning LLC, specializing in financial strategies for military families, including maximizing veterans’ benefits for education. I also continue to teach as a visiting professor of personal finance at USCGA since 2023, equipping cadets with financial literacy, and mentoring the Coast Guard’s future leaders.
I live in Westerly, RI, with my wife, Melissa, and three children – two of which have decided to follow me into military service. I attempt to continue embodying the Coast Guard values through community service and passions for ocean activities, woodworking, and golf.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Joseph Brown, Ph.D., CFP®, MQFP®
Always Ready Financial Planning, LLC
Westerly, RI 02891
401-646-9498
www.alwaysreadyfp.com