he financial management study cited in this article was produced by the Rand Corp., a non-profit company specializing in public policy research. It was sponsored by DoD's Office of Family Policy. DoD decided to take a comprehensive look at the issue after 1990s quality of life studies hinted that service members were increasingly having financial problems. The Rand study was conducted in two parts. First, analysts led focus groups at seven stateside military bases, talking to enlisted personnel, family services specialists and base commanders. Those discussions were followed up by a worldwide survey of 6,200 enlisted personnel with less than 10 years of service -- the ones DoD believed were most likely to experience financial difficulties.