Making a Plan and Checking It Twice
Want to give yourself a really valuable and lasting present? How about a financial plan? Promise yourself that once the holidays are over, you’ll take time to thoroughly review your finances — and come up with a strategy for reaching all your goals. Begin with a...
ARE YOU READY?
A Checklist for the New Year The start of every new year brings the promise of new beginnings. It’s a time to think about setting new goals and resolving to do new things. If one of your resolutions for 2012 is to find new and better ways to manage your finances and...
Presents for the Future
Would you like to give your children or grandchildren different kinds of gifts this holiday season? Financial gifts never go out of style. Some ideas: Stock or mutual fund shares. Your gift may spur a lifetime interest in investing. The “kiddie tax” rules (that...
Avoid Credit Hangover
First United Bank & Trust is kicking off the 2011 holiday shopping season with tips to manage holiday spending and avoid a post-holiday credit hangover. “Consumers spreading holiday cheer should keep in mind that January bills are only a month away,” says William...
Money Market Funds
How Much Do You Know About Them? Looking for an investment that’s highly liquid and presents very little risk to your principal? A money market mutual fund* may be a good choice. Money market mutual funds typically invest in high-quality, short-term...
Using Home Equity Financing
Using the equity you have in your home to secure a loan may be a tax-wise method of financing or refinancing some of your personal and business expenditures. Here are a few home equity-borrowing techniques that may save you tax dollars. Financing Personal...
My Bank Mobile is here!
Now you can do your banking when you need it! Access your financial accounts anytime, anywhere, with your mobile device. We use the latest mobile banking technology to protect your account and identity. My Bank Mobile makes it easy to take care of your banking...
Money Talks . . . So Should Couples
New lovebirds often spend hours talking. They share stories from childhood, funny anecdotes from high school and college, and their future hopes and dreams. But, unless a couple has talked about money, they don’t completely know each other. Many couples avoid talking...
Speed Up Saving
Speed Up Saving While Slowing Down Spending Do you find that money pours out of your checking account and only trickles into your savings account? If stemming cash outflow each week is difficult, consider strategies to help you decrease spending and increase your...
College Student and – Landlord?
Don’t laugh! It may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. As college housing costs continue to rise, you may want to check out the housing market in the town where your child attends school. Buying a house in a college town can provide your child with a place to live...
Online Resources for Consumers
Consumers of all ages are increasingly turning to the Internet for help with managing their finances, but knowing where to go online for reliable, practical money tips can be challenging. That's why the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has compiled a "Top 10"...
Couples and Money
Ask some couples how often they discuss financial issues, and you could be greeted by blank stares. Ask those same couples how often they argue about money, and you might get an earful. According to family counselors, finances are a major source of disagreement...
Education Fund on Empty?
If you don’t have enough money saved to send your high schooler to college, don’t give up hope. You still may be able to get your college planning back on the road again.
Better Than a Crystal Ball
As you welcome the new year, you’re probably not thinking about the many ways that life could take a turn for the worse. But it could. An illness, a natural disaster, or an unexpected financial setback are only some of the events that could disrupt your life and your...
Home Renovations that Don’t Pay
Some improvements are likely to increase your home’s value. However, others may actually decrease potential buyers’ interest in your home. So, put away your toolbox until you know more about projects that typically don’t pay. Too Much Improvement When you remodel your...
Education Insurance
If you have read the papers or listened to the news lately, you are probably well aware that the cost of a college education keeps rising — generally, at a rate higher than the rate of inflation. A private college that would have charged $12,000 per year for tuition...
Find a Penny, Save It Up
When the economy is turbulent and the costs of the items you buy every day are rising, it may seem impossible to save more for your long-term goals. Yet making a few changes to your daily routine may help you uncover some money you could start saving instead of...
A Gift Worth Giving
Giving a gift of life insurance may be a solution.
Get on Track with a Spending Plan
Have you ever felt like you’re walking on a treadmill with your personal finances — doing a lot of work but not getting anywhere? If so, you may need a spending plan to get back on track. A spending plan is a tool for prioritizing your financial goals and managing...
Higher Education = High Debt?
For many families, the path to a college degree is paved with debt. As tuition has increased at more than twice the inflation rate for the past decade, more parents and students are borrowing money to pay the costs of a higher education. The average student loan debt...