Posts in category 'Personal Finance'

Your mindset about money is just as important as having the right financial tools and strategies. Your beliefs, attitudes, and habits shape your financial success. Shifting to a money-smart mindset means adjusting your thinking and behaviors to align with your financial goals and values.

Here are some strategies to help you cultivate a money-smart mindset:

Strategy 1: Define Your Financial Goals and Values

Clarifying what you want to achieve with your money is the first step to financial success. What are your short-term and long-term financial goals? What values do you want your money to support?

Some examples of financial goals might include:

• Building an emergency fund with 3-6 months of living expenses.
• Paying off c...

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Money management is an essential skill, and learning it as a teen can set you up for a lifetime of financial success. Whether you're tracking your spending, budgeting for future goals, or building your credit, every financial choice helps shape your future. Thanks to our partners at Idaho Central Credit Union (ICCU), we're sharing key tips from their Money Guide for Teens to help young individuals develop smart spending habits.

Where Does Your Money Go?

Managing money starts with understanding your spending habits. The ICCU mobile app makes it easy to track your finances anytime, anywhere. From setting up a budget to establishing goals, these tools empower you to take control of your financial future.

Smart Spending

Kn...

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As the holiday shopping continues, amazing deals are all around us. Without a good game plan, however, you could be missing out on making the most of your holiday savings.

Come up with a strategy

Plan out your purchases before you start shopping. It's easy to get carried away in the frenzy of low prices. Deciding what you want ahead of time will save you from impulse buying. Check out the store's ads and come up with a list of the items you want to purchase.  Make sure to look at the fine print, many deeply discounted items are only available "in-store."

Know your purchases

Just because something is discounted, doesn't mean it's actually a good deal.  Many retailers will hike prices up and then mark them down.  Do s...

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Every October, the Social Security Administration (SSA) adjusts to Social Security programs to keep pace with inflation. These adjustments then go into effect the following January. The most significant of these annual changes are typically the Cost-of-Living-Adjustments (COLA), the annual tax caps and earning limit increases.

This article is intended as general education information only and is not meant to convey specific tax advice. To discuss your specific situation, speak with a with a qualified tax professional.

Cost of Living (COLA)

What is COLA? Since 1975, Social Security recipients have received Cost-of-Living-Adjustments (COLA) every year. The purpose of the COL...

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We all like money, and we all like freedom … so why are so few Americans financially free? Only 1 in 10 Americans are living their definition of financial freedom, according to a 2023 study, and for most, freedom simply means making ends meet without major stress or debt.

That's a problem we can fix. In our experience, the best way to create a financially secure culture is to live it, one person at a time. But you can only crack the code if you know where you're at right now.

Take the

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