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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Colorado's Attorney General John Suthers and Holly Petraeus visited Fort Carson Tuesday to speak with soldiers about their financial issues and educate them on scams.

Suthers has served as Attorney General for seven years, and Petraeus is the wife of retired Gen. David Petraeus.

She also works with the Consumer Financial Protections Bureau.

The two hosted a town hall meeting to gauge the financial issues currently affecting Fort Carson soldiers and their families.

Petraeus said when soldiers return from deployment, they should wait before rushing out to spend their combat pay.

"I know a number of them dream of that car they are going to buy when they get back, but take the time to think about what you are going to do with that money, and not focus on a monthly payment, but the total cost," Petraeus said.

Petraeus was a military spouse for 37 years.

She said there are a lot of scams out there right now, some of which may specifically target soldiers.

"Family members are heavily involved in the finances, so it is not enough to just educate the service member, but their families as well," Petraeus said.

"This includes predatory lending, rent deposit scams and debt collection scams," Suthers said.

Suthers said in some cases, scammers will prey upon the emotions of veterans.

"My message is we having been working to analyze those types of fraud that military personnel are particularly vulnerable to," he said.

In addition to providing stability on the homefront, Petraeus said financial security can also give soldiers a sense of calm while away.

"It is hard for a service member to focus on the job if they have huge financial problems looming, so it can really be a readiness issue," she said.

Suthers's office is currently putting together a guild for military personnel that will list many of the scams.

It will also include tips on how to avoid becoming a victim.

It is set to be released next month.