Wayne Bemet: From combat to combatting financial disaster - helping Aussie veterans

For thousands of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, the end of military service doesn't just mean the end of a job, it marks the beginning of financial instability, identity loss and a silent struggle to rebuild in civilian life.
 

Wayne Bemet knows this firsthand.
 

A decorated ADF veteran, Bemet was medically discharged from the military after five operational deployments and like many before him, he suddenly found himself on the outside of the only world he had ever known. There was no smooth landing. No clear roadmap. Just uncertainty, stress and an overwhelming pressure to 'get it together' while navigating physical injury and post-traumatic
stress.
 

"There's a very real kind of freefall that happens when your career ends, not because you chose to leave but because your body or mind couldn't take it anymore," Bemet said.
 

"You go from structure, purpose and identity to chaos, facing sudden unemployment and confusion about how to provide for my family, with the bottom line of serious financial impact, it's brutal."
 

When the uniform comes off, the support often does too
 

Each year, thousands of Australian veterans are discharged for medical or mental health reasons. Many struggle to transition into civilian employment, not because they lack discipline or intelligence, but because their skills, forged in military environments, don't translate easily to civilian job descriptions.
 

"Integrating into a civilian workspace certainly had its challenges; the selfless service mindset that puts mission before self and translating the chain of command respect earned through combat zones into civilian management terms. Most employers lack the awareness to understand that warrior ethos and that's a difficult proposition to decode and explain," Bemet said.
 

The result is an unspoken crisis. Veterans who once held elite responsibilities now face long-term unemployment, underemployment or confusing retraining pipelines that leave them financially vulnerable and often, emotionally adrift.
 

"Due to a distinct lack of crucial information, many veterans end up eroding savings and, or relying on DVA payments just to survive," Bemet said.

"However, when you strip back their uniforms, we're still talking about incredibly capable people. What they need isn't charity, its clarity, support and someone who understands their path."
 

From hardship to healing and helping others
 

Out of his own struggle came Wayne's mission. In the years after discharge, he not only rebuilt his life but launched National Service Financial, a veteran-founded advisory business focused on guiding others through the very system that once overwhelmed him.
 

Since launching, Wayne has helped more than 1,500 veterans regain financial control and begin rebuilding their lives. But more than numbers, it's the personal stories that drive him: the soldier who avoided bankruptcy, the widow who found security, the discharged corporal who could finally afford to breathe.
 

"I didn't start a business because I wanted to make money," Bemet said.
 

"I started it because I saw too many veterans falling through the cracks and no one catching them. I realised that if I was facing financial uncertainty because of my circumstances, so were thousands of others and they needed help just like I did. No one really understood my plight and need to get my life and finances sorted, so I decided to become the financial help that defence people need.
 

"Our business not only helps ADF people to get organised, it helps them to understand how to work with a complex and at times difficult system to understand what funds they can access and how they should manage them moving forward."
 

Bemet's business has become so popular that it now also helps non ADF people.
 

Looking ahead: Advocacy, connection and changing the system
 

Now operating with a business head office in Sydney and a remote office from his base in Coral Cove, Qld, Wayne is broadening his focus to include veteran advocacy and community-based mental health initiatives. He's developing 'Fore Veterans', a golf-based wellbeing program to support emotional reconnection and social recovery after discharge.
 

His vision is clear: no veteran should be left behind in the financial system and no ADF member should leave service without a plan, a pathway and a partner to help them take the next step.
 

"We don't need more buzzwords or bureaucracy. We need real-world solutions, built by people who've been there. That's what I'm here to do," Bemet said.
 

About National Service Financial
 

National Service Financial is a veteran-founded financial advisory firm dedicated to supporting current and former Australian Defence Force members through personalised financial planning, transition guidance and long-term wealth strategies. Founded by Wayne Bemet, a medically discharged veteran, the business brings lived experience to every client relationship. With a deep understanding of military life and the challenges of civilian transition, National Service Financial helps clients regain control, clarity and confidence. Now operating nationally, the firm also supports high-performing civilian professionals seeking structured, strategic financial advice delivered with integrity. Learn more at www.nationalservicefinancial.com.au.