Navy veteran · Dad · Author · Podcast host

I help people make sense of the stuff nobody explained clearly.

I'm Brian. I teach veterans how the VA process works, write children's books about my dogs, and host honest conversations about faith, money, and mental health. This is where all of it lives.

See what I'm working onVeterans start here
Brian Palermo

Brian Palermo

Iowa · United States Navy veteran

Bobo and Kyra resting their faces together

Bobo + Kyra

  • Bobo the chihuahua grinning wide in the front seat of the car, wearing his red harness and name tag
  • Kyra the white shiba inu sitting in a grassy park with her tongue out
  • Bobo and Kyra resting their faces against each other on a white blanket
  • Bobo lying in the back yard grass with his eyes closed and ears up
  • Kyra standing beside a patch of wallpaper she tore off the wall, looking pleased with herself

Start where you are

Start with what brought you here.

You do not have to figure out how everything connects first. Pick the part that matters to you and I'll take you straight to it.

The American flag flying against a dark evening sky

For veterans

The VA process should not feel like a second language.

I went through it myself. Now I teach other veterans how the process works, what the words mean, and what questions to ask next.

Start with veteran education
Bobo and Kyra resting their faces together

For families

Meet Bobo and Kyra.

They are our real dogs, and each one found a way into a picture book written for families to read together.

See the books
A studio microphone in warm lamplight

For honest conversations

Faith, Money & Mental Health.

I host conversations about the parts of life people usually carry quietly. No performance. Just the real conversation.

Listen to the podcast

Children's books

Bobo and Kyra.

Bobo is the chihuahua. Kyra is the shiba. They are family, they have more personality than most people I know, and somehow they both ended up with a book of their own.

  • Close up of Kyra resting her chin and both front paws on the edge of the couch
  • Bobo tucked into a patterned blanket with both front paws out, grinning
  • Bobo looking up at the camera from the kitchen floor with his ears up
  • Kyra stretched out asleep across a leather recliner
  • Bobo bundled up in a soft grey blanket, half asleep
  • Kyra and Bobo side by side in the back seat of the car, Bobo wearing a bandana
Faith, Money & Mental Health podcast cover

The podcast

Faith, Money & Mental Health.

I started the show because the conversations that matter most are usually the ones people avoid. We talk about faith, family, money, mental health, and what life actually looks like when none of it stays in a separate box.

About the showListen now
Brian holding Bobo beside a creek

Why I built this

Nobody handed me a map either.

When I left the Navy, the VA process made no sense to me. When I became a dad, money stopped being an abstract subject. When I started talking openly about mental health, I learned how many people were waiting for somebody else to go first.

I do not pretend those are all the same problem. They are connected by one belief: people make better decisions when somebody explains things clearly and treats them like a person.

Read my story

Useful right now

Leave with something you can use.

You do not need to book a call to get value from this site.

Free money tools

Simple calculators for budgeting, retirement, coverage, and the Rule of 72. No login and no email required.

Use the calculators

Financial education

Plain-English help for families who want to understand their money before anybody asks them to buy something.

Learn without the jargon

Latest from Brian

Straight talk, in writing.

Read all posts

Follow the work

Where I show up online.

I share real thoughts on faith, family, mental health, money, books, and the projects I'm building. Some of it is practical, some of it is personal. All of it comes from the same place. I want people to feel more informed and less alone.

See all channels

One honest next step

If you are a veteran and the process is not making sense, start there.

The first conversation is thirty minutes. You tell me where you are, I explain how the process works, and we decide whether another step makes sense.

See how the session works

Not here for veteran education?

That is fine. The books, podcast, writing, and the rest of my work all have their own place here.

See everything in one placeContact me

I am a veteran disability benefits educator, not an attorney or an accredited claims agent. I do not prepare, file, or represent VA claims. This is education, not legal or medical advice, and nothing here guarantees any VA benefit, rating, or outcome.

This business is not sponsored by or affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, any state department of veterans affairs, or any federally chartered veterans service organization. Those organizations may be able to provide this service free of charge, and you may qualify for other veterans benefits beyond what I offer.

All disability claims are processed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. I cannot expedite the processing of a claim.

Brian Palermo provides education only. No claim representation or legal advice.