Financial Education

Helpful, easy-to-understand articles to guide your financial wellness journey at every stage.

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Money Monday: 5 Ways You SHOULD Be Using Your Work Bonus

There's nothing quite like finding yourself with an extra chunk of change (no matter how large or how small.) Perhaps it's a quarterly or holiday bonus, a nice tax refund, or just an unexpected birthday check from the grandparents - any additional income that finds its way to you can put you in a better position financially, assuming you use it wisely!

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Dear 3Rivers: How Important is My Credit Rating, Really?

Essentially what your credit score tells lenders, landlords, and dealerships is whether or not you’ll be a monetary risk to them – whether you’ll be able to pay back your debt to them on time, or at all. While a low credit score might not stop them from letting you borrow money or lease from them, it will very likely cause them to raise the rate of interest you’ll owe for their own security, as opposed to someone with a better credit score.

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Credit Score

Money Minutes: Line of Credit

A line of credit is an "arrangement between a financial institution . . . and a customer that establishes a maximum loan balance that the [financial institution] will permit the borrower to maintain.

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Personal Finance

Christmas in July: 5 Steps to Paying Off Holiday Debt

So, you saved up, created a holiday budget, given affordable gifts, and celebrated the season frugally, but you still ended up with far more holiday debt than you'd like. It's no fun to kick off a New Year with financial stress and feeling totally broke. Here are some ways you can get rid of that December debt as quickly as possible.

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Debt Management

Christmas in July: 20 DIY Holiday Gift Ideas Under $20

Once you've come up with a holiday-focused savings plan and created a holiday budget, it's time to start thinking about gift-giving. While you'll likely make several purchases in-store and online for your loved ones, DIY gifts are becoming increasingly common, and really do feel a little more special (to give and to receive!)

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Personal Finance

Christmas in July: How to Create a Holiday Budget + Stick to It

Preparing yourself to get through the holiday season without going deeply in debt can be done. Start thinking about these steps (and acting on them ASAP) and you'll come back home from holiday shopping madness with a little more leftover in your wallet!

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Personal Finance

Christmas in July: Save $1,000 by December

It might seem a little early to be thinking about the holidays, but once the first of December rolls around and you're scrambling to decorate, think of unique gift ideas, and round up the money to pay for those many, many holiday expenses, you'll be muttering, "I wish I would have started all of this months ago."

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Personal Finance Checking & Savings