Magic Money

From USAFA Folklore

Magic Money is money that is automatically deducted from a cadet's pay every month and placed into a "held pay" account. This money is available through the Falcon card/Proxy card to purchase items such as replacement uniforms and pay for issued equipment.

A few times during a cadet's career, the held pay is released and the cadet happily sees a larger sum in that month's paycheck. This would often occur before holiday leave (to help with travel costs) and during second class year, usually right before the purchase of class rings.

Instead of teaching cadets how to manage their own money, to this extent the cadets have their money managed for them. Like "magic".