Articles & Resource Library

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.

Online shopping offers the timeliness and convenience consumers need to keep up with their busy lives – especially during the holidays. E-commerce is expected to grow by 25-35% during the 2020 holiday season and surpass $180 billion in sales for November, December and January1. As you’re waiting on your holiday packages to arrive this season, be careful to avoid getting caught in an emerging phishing scam that could corrupt your device or jeopardize your financial standing.

Black Friday is the unofficial start of the holiday gift-hunting season, followed quickly by the online-exclusive Cyber Monday. Every year, savvy shoppers and bargain hunters across the country hear the siren song of can’t-miss deals – some of which are too good to be true. As consumers flood the web on Black Friday and Cyber Monday searching for the best discounts, so do scammers, hackers and identity thieves for unsuspecting victims to steal information, funds or worse.

Staying secure is imperative to shopping online during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. To help, we’ve compiled a list of dos and don’ts to avoid getting caught in a scam.

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.

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.

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

Creating inadequate passwords is the reason for 81% of hacking-related breaches, according to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, and can open you up to significant financial and security damage.² To effectively thwart cyberattacks, it is crucial to understand how hackers obtain your passwords and how to create one that will safeguard your information.

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.

Opting for electronic statements can save you time and money while protecting your identity – and it’s easier than you might think! 

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. 

School’s out for summer, which means your children are looking for fun activities to occupy their time – while you may be looking to cut extra costs. But, being frugal doesn’t mean forfeiting summer fun! Let’s take a look at nine budget-friendly activities you can do with your family to keep the fun and savings rolling all summer long.

As the U.S. unemployment rate continues to remain higher than normal as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, so does the opportunity for fraudsters to take advantage of the dire situation. In recent weeks, reports of crime rings preying on unsuspecting victims and falsely reaping millions of dollars in benefits of unemployment insurance have been flooding in. To help protect your information, finances, and reputation during this unsettling time, we have broken down everything you need to know about the unemployment imposter scam.

While spring is a common time for many homeowners to spend some extra attention on upkeep and maintenance, autumn is just as critical a season for preparing your home to withstand the potentially harsh winter weather and temperature conditions that may await you. By making maintenance part of your annual fall routine you can identify potential problems before they arise and help prepare your home and property for what Mother Nature has to offer.

You’ve served our country, and now you want to fulfill the American dream of homeownership. Fortunately, your dedication to your country provides exclusive benefits when it comes to buying a home.

U.S. Veterans, Service Members, and select military spouses may be eligible for a VA Loan. Created by the U.S. government in 1944 to help service members purchase a home without any down payment, VA Loans have helped over 24 million veterans, active-duty military, and their families purchase and refinance a home.

Despite what you may have seen on HGTV’s House Hunters, not everyone can afford a million-dollar home. So how exactly do you determine how much you can afford, and more importantly, how much you are comfortable with spending on a home?

Here are a few things to consider as you set your home-buying budget.

Shopping for a mortgage can be confusing. There are different types of mortgages, different terms and repayment options, as well as associated fees. It can be a bit overwhelming for buyers, but generally, mortgages can be categorized into two types— fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs).

When is the right time to buy a house? When opportunity knocks, open the door. Why waiting to buy a home could really cost you. Although purchasing your first home or deciding to upgrade to a new home is a major decision, taking too long to make the move could cost you. Here are a few things to consider before deciding to jump into the home-buying pool.

It’s no secret you’ll need some upfront cash when buying a home, but just how much do you need and where does it all go? Preparing for your upfront and out-of-pocket costs before you begin your home search will help get you into your new home faster and avoid unexpected delays.

If you are in the market to purchase a home, it pays to be prepared. Here are five things every Realtor wants their clients to know before they begin the house-hunting journey.

Buying your first home can be very exciting. But before you jump headfirst into the real estate market, make sure you have everything you need to secure a loan, including all the necessary paperwork. You don’t want to find the home of your dreams only to lose it while trying to gather your paperwork and wait for an approval.

If you’re thinking about buying a home, your lender may have told you that you’ll need homeowner’s insurance. What exactly is homeowner’s insurance and why do you need it?