First Command Financial Services, Inc.Reviews of firstcommand.com

Worst financial advisor to deal with. Their web site does not work with popular web browsers (such as Firefox), and you have to pay for monthly statements. Look elsewhere for Financial Support. Ken Barbi, in Annapolis, MD

I met a First Command Rep overseas and bought life insurance through them. Now that I left the military, we have contacted the closest branch and have had three different reps that we have had to contact and tried to get stuff done. We meet with all three of them once and haven't heard back from them after that. I reluctly purchased life insurance through First Command instead of waiting to go through my Financial Advisor I had back here in the states (big mistake). I'm still waiting to hear back from them and to get closer on what we want to do and it's been going on now for a few years.

I would strongly caution anyone against working with First Command. After reviewing my statements, trade confirmations, and insurance documents in detail, I came away feeling that my accounts had been structured in a way that consistently worked against my best financial interests. My Roth IRA contributions were repeatedly invested into the same mutual fund that carried a front-end sales load of around 5.75%, along with a relatively high ongoing expense ratio. In plain terms, every time I contributed money, a portion was taken out before it even had the chance to grow. On top of that, my accounts were heavily concentrated in one fund and also subject to additional maintenance fees. I was also placed into an indexed universal life insurance policy that cost about $465 per month. After leaving and switching to term insurance, I now pay around $80 per month for comparable coverage. That difference alone made me seriously reevaluate the advice I had been given. I later learned that policies like this can create significant compensation incentives for the people selling them, which made the situation feel even more concerning in hindsight. Because First Command works with many current and former military members, there is an automatic level of trust that can be created. In my experience, I believe that trust was used to steer me toward products that were presented as wealth-building tools, but ultimately did not benefit me the way I was led to believe. When I surrendered my policies, I received zero dollars back. There were times when my wife and I were financially stretched, yet money was still being directed into this setup. Looking back, that money could have made a meaningful difference for us. I asked questions and relied on the guidance I was given. But after moving my accounts elsewhere, I was able to set up a much simpler, lower-cost, and more transparent plan almost immediately. After digging deeper, I also found that First Command has a documented history of regulatory issues and lawsuits involving sales practices, high front-end loads, and military-focused marketing. Unfortunately, that history felt very consistent with my own experience. My advice: be extremely careful, ask hard questions, and think twice before trusting First Command with your investments or insurance planning.

Have been a client for 35 years and 1st Command helped my wife and I reach our retirement goals. I have trusted them without reservation, and they have always provided sound counsel and alternatives for us to consider. The recommended mix of insurance, savings and long and short-term investments have been the hallmark of a great strategy. Kurt Langenwalter in Alexandria, VA and his team of competent assistants have been my go to for the last 20 of these years. Hooah to Kurt and First Command - Rene and Mary Belanger

Avoid. It's not worth it. If you want to receive almost zero helpful information, be given hack job legal advice from someone who is not a lawyer, and have to spend time and energy undoing emotional stress caused to your elderly mother by a financial advisor who uses scare tactics instead of addressing concerns calmly and rationally, I highly recommend Annmarie at the Lexington Park, MD location. She will quickly create an entire false narrative where she knows everything and then refuses to consider any conflicting information, no matter how valid the source, that challenges that narrative. Annmarie not only thinks she knows more than two different estate lawyers, but after all of two appointments, she also believes she knows more about my mother's life, circumstances, goals, desires, habits, etc than I do. When I asked her in writing to (a) not give legal advice, (b) refrain from preying on my mom's obvious anxiety about aging to hawk an unviable "plan" and (c) give my mom *more options* than the *one* Annmarie provided (which doesn't accomplish my mom's goals in any way, shape or form) so *my mom* has proper risk/benefit analyses to help *her* (NOT me) make informed decisions, this is her response: "It is my fiduciary responsibility to plan according to her needs and no one else’s. I have given a thorough in dept analysis of what I believe is a prudent use of her available funds, a realistic (and in my opinion generous travel budget) for the next 5 years taking into account her tax situation and her Medicare premiums. In all my planning relationships I put my client’s best interests first and foremost, something you don’t seem to appreciate. My analysis will not change based on how much you would like to spend of your Mother’s assets." So, yeah, make Annmarie your financial advisor and enjoy the benefits of having her violate the legal protections you put in place to help your parents, inflicting her own personal insecurities on your loved one to win an argument (or avoid admitting she got something wrong, whatever), and then being accused of being the money-grubbing villain she invisions in her head, all while still ending up with zero reasonable/workable financial planning strategies.

I am a long-time client who is very happy about the services I have received from First Command. They have helped me ensure I am taking the right steps to prepare for retirement and other long-term goals.