"I've always kind of looked ahead to make sure things are set the way I want them to be," said the 46-year-old military nurse from Kaneo'he.

Case in point: Being single didn't stop her from beginning the process of adopting a baby girl from China, whom she already has named Isabelle. The girl should be arriving in the United States within a few months. Kilzer, who waited more than two years for the child, hopes to adopt a second girl eventually.

Her bent toward planning for the future extends to how she handles her finances. To her, money doesn't mean power or prestige, but security and choices in the face of life's shifting fortunes.

While Kilzer is an avid saver, she wants to make sure she's socking enough away to put two adopted daughters through private school and college — and have enough set aside for a comfortable retirement.

She hopes to buy a house in Arizona, travel and enjoy the arts. And she would like to go back to school for a second master's degree, in midwifery, as well as work part-time for a few years in the Indian Health Service.

"My problem is I don't know what to do to get to where I want to go financially," Kilzer said. "I'd like to stop having to work when I'm 60."

As a major, Kilzer earns $80,000 a year and receives another $20,000 for housing. She saves about $2,500 a month, most of which goes to a low-interest savings account.

She hopes to retire in September 2006 with more than 20 years of service in the Army. Her military pension would be a generous $40,000 a year, adjusted for inflation annually, and the military would pay for her healthcare and education.

Kilzer has saved about $140,000 and owns a house in Washington state, which has risen in value by $100,000 over what she paid for it. Her mortgage on the home, which she rents out, is about $100,000.

She doesn't have any credit card debt and remains averse to it since charging up $10,000 to furnish her Washington home 12 years ago.

"I couldn't sleep at night, so I chopped up the credit card," she said. "It took me a whole year of my life to pay off this card."

She said she stayed single in part because one of her requirements of a husband is financial responsibility. Finding a spouse is tough enough, let alone one without debt. But Kilzer understands that marrying someone who is indebted could sink her own financial future.

"Maybe it was the way I grew up. We didn't have any money," she said. "There were seven kids and my father worked his behind off."

Being careful about money led her to invest conservatively. More than half of her savings earns less than 3 percent on average.

Even with her healthy government pension and savings, Kilzer will start draining her money at age 84 unless she invests more aggressively, said Geal Talbert, a certified financial planner in Kaneo'he. The major isn't counting on any Social Security money to boost her retirement.

Sending two daughters to Catholic school would set her back about $6,000 a year, the planner said. College costs could easily run past $100,000 each for four years at Arizona State University at Tempe.

Talbert recommends reconfiguring the $2,500 Kilzer saves every month. Instead of $2,000 to the bank and $500 into her 401(k) plan, Kilzer should put $1,083

a month into the retirement plan and $223 into a tax-favored college savings account, such as the Coverdell Savings Account, and a state 529 plan. The increase in her 401(k) deposits should lower her taxable income by $7,000, Talbert said.

The remaining $1,200 or so can stay in a cash account to pay for childcare costs and help purchase an RV that Kilzer wants.

Talbert also said Kilzer should consolidate her traditional IRAs into one account, which should be invested in growth funds and growth-and-income funds to bring home an average return of 8 percent a year.

To avoid paying taxes from selling her rental property in Washington, Kilzer should find a house in Arizona to rent out for a time so she can do a 1031 tax-free exchange. Under IRS Code Section 1031, gains or losses are not recognized if you swap one rental property for another. Talbert said the major can use her rental property's $100,000 profit for a down payment on the new home.

Even though Kilzer doesn't like debt, Talbert recommends that she apply for a 30-year mortgage to take advantage of current low interest rates. The money saved from lower monthly mortgage payments could be put into more lucrative investments.

The planner also recommended switching life insurance into a variable policy that invests in the stock market. With the same monthly premium, the soon-to-be single mother could boost her death benefit to $300,000 from $100,000, Talbert said.

With a shift in investments, Kilzer's portfolio should bring in enough money to meet her long-term financial goals, the planner said.

"Glad to hear it," the major said. "My friends thought I was crazy to be worried."