If 2016 didn’t financially go the way you hoped, it’s OK. A new year is about to begin, which means a new start to tackling money troubles and ending next year on a more financially successful note. Change Your Way of Thinking Sometimes it isn’t necessarily how much money you make that’s the issue. Money problems tend to start in how you think about money. As a result, sometimes all you need to do is change your way of thinking. Read on →

If you want to make 2017 the year that your finances are going in a more positive direction, then now is the time to start—not January. To truly begin on a clean slate, you want to make sure you don’t take any financial issues with you into the new year by taking care of your money problems this December. Build Strong Financial Habits Don’t let your holiday gift-giving list get out of your financial hands this year. Read on →

By now, you’ve probably invited all your Thanksgiving guests. Friends and family are about to join you on a special day to give thanks for all they’ve received this year. As you begin writing your list of all you need for Thanksgiving dinner, you may be in shock at how quickly things add up. Fortunately, you don’t have to break your budget in order to provide a Thanksgiving meal, especially with these tips! Read on →

As crazy as it sounds, you don’t have to be a certain age to fall victim to identity theft. In fact, you don’t even have to have a driver’s license or have attended kindergarten yet! Identity theft can happen to anyone. Do you know how to tell if your child’s identity has been stolen? Protect Your Children Did you know that a 2011 study from ID Analytics stated that more than 140,000 minors every year have their identity stolen? Read on →

No one goes into their marriage thinking the end result will be divorce. Unfortunately, however, divorce seems to be a common happening in many Americans’ lives. Take steps to protect your finances through it all, especially your divorce. Divorce With Financial Care There are many things out of your control when it comes to going through a divorce. As a result, it’s important to control what you can in terms of your financial health, particularly in setting yourself up for life after divorce. Read on →

Do you want to know the secret to paying off debt? It’s not getting into debt in the first place! And while you may think that debt is just a part of life nowadays, we’re here to tell you it doesn’t have to be. You can be living a life of financial freedom and no debt by using the following practices. Stay Out of Debt One of the main reasons people get into debt is simple—by spending more than they have. Read on →

Credit can be a difficult financial topic to cover with your children. However, it’s probably one of the most important money lessons your kids can learn from you. In their lives, their credit score will follow them—through purchasing a new car, buying a home and obtaining good interest rates. Therefore, it’s vitally important that you teach them the strong financial skills they need to maintain a healthy credit score. Credit 101 Read on →

So you made some financial resolutions back in January that you haven’t quite hit yet. Instead of giving up and telling yourself you’ll just try again next year, start taking the steps that you should have completed a couple months ago. Who knows? You could still meet your end-of-year goal. 2016 Isn’t Over Yet Don’t lose hope if you feel there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. There are still many opportunities to get your finances back on track, even starting as soon as today! Read on →

How many times have you used this phrase with your child, Money doesn’t grow on trees? Once, twice, a million? It seems this sentence is almost a right of passage into adulthood. And if you have not said it at least once by now, you soon will! However, after you use this statement, set the stage for some lessons to help teach your child the value of money. Where Money Really Comes From Read on →

Get ready! If you have or are thinking about applying for a First Volunteer Bank CheckCard, you are about to see a whole new look and feature added to it - a chip! And believe it or not, this one little chip holds a number of benefits we are proud to be able to share with our customers! Check out the Chip Advantages Unfortunately, in today’s society, fraud is a common thing. Read on →