Articles & Resource Library

Today’s shopper is all about efficiency. Thanks to the Amazon Effect, we expect a speedy browsing, checkout and delivery experience in every aspect of our lives — including car buying.

Similar to putting your winter sweaters away during the spring cleaning of your home, refreshing, reorganizing and decluttering your finances can offer a fresh start to your future.

Paper has been at the center of our world — but the need is lessening by the day. Organizations and individuals alike are recognizing the efficiencies and benefits of switching to digital from paper products for both us and the environment. This is particularly true for the financial industry, specifically with paper statements and bills.

Credit is an influential factor not only in financial planning — but life. A good credit report can enable you to take out a loan for a new house or car and get your dream job, while a poor credit score has the ability to limit those chances and impact you for the foreseeable future.

In today’s modern, technology-driven environment, efficiency is everything. Save time and effort paying for everyday items with an APGFCU® Visa® Debit Card. Avoid fumbling around with cash and checks and opt for a single payment option that empowers you to shop conveniently and with confidence.

Meeting with a financial institution to determine if you are qualified for a loan can be intimidating and confusing. You might be feeling unprepared or worried that you may have overlooked key criteria of the loan-granting process. Fortunately, many traditional lenders use a framework of five main characteristics, or C’s, to evaluate potential borrowers for both personal and business lending needs.

In today’s ever-changing and technology-driven world, online learning is becoming the educational method of choice. From one-on-one webinars to cross-company conferences, many are utilizing and leveraging online learning events for professional and personal gain. Virtual events are not only cost-effective by avoiding the need for plane tickets, hotel stays and meal expenses, but also convenient as a participant can log on from anywhere with an internet connection.

Adjusting to the cadence of online learning can be challenging. To help, here are a list of tips to get the most out of your next virtual experience.

Juggling housing and vehicle costs, insurance, groceries, entertainment, everyday expenses and more can be overwhelming and wear a hole in your wallet. The good news: there is an easier option. Simplify your in-store, online and in-app purchases – big or small – with an affordable APGFCU® Visa® Credit Card to speed through checkout and get back to your day. With low, competitive interest rates on a variety of card types, we have tailored options to fit your unique needs of today and tomorrow.

Here are five types of life events we’ve helped finance for our members with an APGFCU^® Personal Loan. Let us help you, too.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the past year and appreciate your blessings and opportunities. However, your festive feast could be gobbling up your budget. In 2019, the average American spent an estimated $186 on Thanksgiving – an over 5% increase from the previous year¹. Of this, 82% is spent on food, drinks and other meal expenses¹. Additionally, Americans purchase over 700 million pounds of turkey for their Thanksgiving meals each year – 35% of which goes to waste². 

Let’s take a look at a few ways you can trim your Thanksgiving spending and celebrate without starving your wallet.

So you’ve started the process of buying a home and the seller has finally accepted your offer. Hooray, the end is in sight! However, there is still one thing left: closing.

Refinancing your existing mortgage can have a significant impact on your financial health, for better or for worse. Be sure to consider all options before deciding if a pre-retirement refinance is right for you.

Seniors have increasingly become targets for elder financial abuse scams in recent years.

It seems simple enough: Someone sends you a check, you deposit it into your account, and the funds are determined to be valid upon crediting your account. Right? Wrong.

At 9:30 one evening, you receive an email from your bank urging you to click on a link to verify your personal information or your account will be frozen. Frantic, you click on the link, which sends you to a page asking for your Social Security and account numbers. After filling out and submitting the information page, you notice large sums of money are being taken out of your account and your identity has been stolen.

Keeping your finances safe and secure is of optimal concern in today’s environment, which is why cashier’s checks are often trusted over personal checks or electronic payments to transport large amounts of money.

Online stores and services have made impressive bounds in recent years to compete with the Amazon Effect — offering same- and next-day shipping, instant streaming, and even grocery delivery. Just as we have embraced the opportunity to streamline our lives through the capabilities of technology, so have scammers and hackers to take advantage of our online presence.

In today’s world where online dating is increasingly common, not everything — or everyone — is what it seems. Cybercriminals have seized this opportunity to target the vulnerable and unsuspecting for financial gain in sweetheart or romance scams.

Online and mobile banking is becoming the new normal for consumers on-the-go. Managing accounts virtually empowers individuals to gain better visibility into their finances anywhere, anytime, with just a few clicks. However, linking your financial account to the correct and legitimate website can sometimes be tricky.

Cybercriminals frequently replicate valid websites to con unsuspecting consumers into either opening malicious links on their page that flood their device with malware, or divulging personal information, which they can use to wipe out your account or steal your identity. While these sites may appear similar to legitimate sites, there are a few red flags you can identify to determine the validity of your financial institution’s website.

As our modern world leans more and more into streamlining efficiency and speed via technological advances, we need to be vigilant in protecting our personal information – especially when it comes to finances. With every passing day, scammers and hackers are coming up with new methods to gain access to our sensitive information without us even knowing.

However, there are a few common ways personal information can be stolen that are preventable if you are aware of and understand the consequences. To help, we’ve compiled a list of common scams, which could put your financial health at risk.

Advancing technology continues to provide efficiencies and convenience to our daily lives, especially in the forms of online shopping and banking. Where you once needed to physically travel into a store or financial institution to make a purchase or transfer funds, you now have the power and capability to perform many transactions anywhere, anytime from a computer, smartphone, or tablet. And while e-commerce has significantly improved the ease at which we manage our purchases and accounts, it can also put your money and identity in jeopardy.

Cybercriminals are constantly evolving their methods to gain access to your personal information and hack into your accounts with ease – and they’re having enormous success. It is essential to remain vigilant when shopping or banking online to avoid falling victim to a cyber attack. To help, we’ve compiled a list of tips to keep your finances, personal information, and identity secure during online transactions.

Passwords are the lock and key to your most sensitive information: finances, account data, Social Security numbers (SSN), and more. But many are easy to figure out, including a birthday, pet’s name, “123456,” or simply “password.” An estimated 95% of cybersecurity breaches are due to human error, and cybercriminals are waiting to take advantage of your mistake and wipe out your accounts.¹ Plus, 73% of Microsoft users recycle passwords for both their personal and work accounts, making them all too easy for cybercriminals to figure out.²