I don’t remember much about my high school civics class, but I do remember the day during the last week of my senior year when my teacher spent class giving us his “life tips.” These tips have stuck with me, even when a solid understanding of the political system has not. Here is a list … Continue reading “10 Car Buying Tips From a Credit Union Member”
Category: Lending & Loans
It’s back to school time again! For many that means kids off on busses and to carpools, but for others that means tuition stress, or possibly holding off further education until they feel they can afford it. The good news is, you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to go back to … Continue reading “7 Ways You Can Afford to Go Back to School”
According to the Mortgage Monitor Report from Black Knight Financial Services, roughly 6.5 million Americans could benefit from refinancing their home. Are you one of these homeowners? About three million borrowers could save at least $200 a month by refinancing. By refinancing and locking in a better rate on your loan, you could reduce your monthly payment and … Continue reading “Save Money Each Month: Refinance Your House”
Stop and take a look around your house. Are you delighted with everything in it? This is where you spend a good portion of your day, and where you and your family build happy memories. There’s no reason why it should be anything less than your dream home. It can be expensive to hire a … Continue reading “Top 7 Home Improvements You Can Do Yourself”
If you’re a prospective college student—or the parent of one—you’re probably suffering from sticker shock as you discover the cost of tuition, room and board, books, and other expenses. According to collegeboard.org, the average public four-year college costs $9,139 for tuition and fees alone (2014-2015), while the average private four-year school costs a staggering $31,231. … Continue reading “Fill the gap between rising tuition and decreasing financial aid”
If you’re mired in debt, you may perk up when you hear about offers to lower your debt and save you money. Offers from credit cards frequently entice you to move your debt to their card with quick incentives like money back or 0% interest for a few months. Maybe you’d be eager to jump at … Continue reading “Is Debt Consolidation the answer?”
Do you know your credit score? Did you know you could access it for free? For more than 10 years, consumers have been able to get their credit reports for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. Sponsored by the federal government, the website allows you to look at a detailed list of your financial history, including payments and … Continue reading “Learn your credit score for free”
Do you feel like you’re drowning in debt? The national average credit card debt per household is $7,087. About 47% of households carry a balance on credit cards from month to month. Our reliance on plastic and other forms of credit makes life difficult for families struggling to make ends meet. Even if you’re still in … Continue reading “A personal debt assessment: your financial life preserver”
There are times in life when you want or need to spend more cash than you have on hand. You can borrow the money and pay it back a little at a time if you have reasonably good credit. Depending on what you plan to do with the money there different types of personal loans available. … Continue reading “When to get a personal loan”
Many full-time and part time employees have the benefit of a company-matched retirement plan, referred to as a 401(k) for the part of the tax code authorizing it. These tax-deferred packages are the principal retirement vehicle for just over half of people in the United States. Americans put away about 6% of their pay in … Continue reading “Borrowing against your 401(k) – is it ever a good idea?”