Education Articles

Wants vs. Needs: Finding the Perfect Balance

The end of the year (or beginning of a new year) is a great time to take a look at your household’s budget and start planning for the new year. Whether you’re creating a new budget from scratch or reviewing previous months’ expenses, it’s helpful to consider if those expenses fall into the category of a  want  or a  need . What’s the difference?...

Tricks to Selling Your Home Quickly

Are you on the fence deciding whether to sell your home? Depending on your station in life, it's still a pretty good time to sell. The market has cooled somewhat for sellers, but housing inventory remains historically low, which in turn has kept prices high. Before diving in, though, make sure your financial home is sound. After you sell your...

Organizing Your Household Finances

Stop for a moment and think about all the bills, receipts, paystubs, account statements, and other essential financial paperwork that comes your way on a monthly basis. It’s enough to make your head spin. Thankfully, an organizing system for your financials that you’re comfortable with can make all the difference. File it all away Whether it’s i...

Don’t Get Caught in a Tax Return Scam This Season

Every year during tax time, fraudsters are on the prowl trying to profit off of taxpayers. Here are some tips on how to protect your personal information and stay safe during tax season.

Is My Insurance Enough When Disaster Strikes?

The Pacific Northwest has its share of natural disasters. Because of their unpredictable nature, they should serve as a good reminder to be prepared. If you feel like you’re not ready for the next big one, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a detailed guide for improving personal preparedness at  Ready.gov . When natural disaster...

Hitting the Reset Button in Spring

If you’re like many people, spring cleaning just feels good. It gives us a sense of purpose—even in normal times. Organizing and cleaning gets you moving, makes you feel more productive. You get to open all the windows and blinds to let fresh air and sunshine in, and follow that natural light outside. Decluttering your home, inside and out, also...

What Does Value Mean When It Comes to Banking?

Value means something a little bit different to all of us. Ultimately, though, value comes down to a feeling—a feeling that you are getting more than you expected. Financial institutions claim to hold the key to value. Some will tout a rate or dangle a special introductory offer to express value. But to many of us, these deals are superficial an...

The Financial Mistakes of Our 20s and 30s

Early in our careers, we tend to focus on the here and now. It's an understandable impulse. Why worry about the unknown? And how would you prepare for something so far off? But the thing about the future is, it has a habit of sneaking up on us. We may not have a crystal ball, but that doesn’t mean we can’t prepare for what’s to come—and the soon...

How Students Can Keep Money in their Pockets

“It’s a truth universally acknowledged, that a college student in possession of a budget, must be in want of tips for saving money.” -Jane Austen (kind of) For most of us, going to college and living on a budget go hand in hand. Who couldn’t use a few ways to save money here and there? Whether you’re looking to fund your fancy coffee fix or to s...

Be Aware of Free Trial Offers

Not exactly a news flash, but online shopping has been displacing brick-and-mortar retailers for years. In 2018, an estimated 1.8 billion people made purchases on the internet to the tune of $2.8 trillion in e-retail sales . The latter figure is projected to swell to $4.8 trillion by 2021 as retailers continue to shift resources to e-commerce an...