4 Tips for Navigating Interest Rates and Loans in 2023 With the Federal Reserve continuing to raise interest rates to fight inflation, it can feel intimidating to navigate interest rates, loans and mortgages these days. The Fed raised rates for the 10th consecutive time following their meeting on May 3rd. However, the modest .25% hike suggests policymakers might be moving in a new direction for… Read More
6 Ways Your Teen Can Prepare for Financial Responsibility According to a Greenlight® study in 2021, 74% of teens don’t feel confident about their financial education. What’s more, only 13 states require high school students to take a personal-finance class to graduate. So, the chances of your teen learning basic money lessons, without your help, are meager. Since financial literacy is key to building… Read More
Retail vs. Bank Credit Cards: Which Is Right for You? There are a lot of credit cards out there today. Name a demographic or spending category, and a credit card is probably designed just for people within that category. On top of that, there are different kinds of cards, including retail and bank cards. No wonder that the average American adult has three credit cards… Read More
6 Ways to Fight Inflation and Rising Costs with A Look Back At the 1960s As FirstBank celebrates 60 years of “banking for good,” we’re looking back at our inception date, 1963. In the same year, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, and President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. While the culture has changed drastically, rising costs and inflation have made 1963 feel worlds… Read More
Love Don’t Cost a Thing: Plan a Romantic Valentine’s Day Without Breaking the Bank Americans spend an estimated 117.4 billion dollars per year on dating, but that number is coming down as high inflation takes its toll on love. With the cost of food, cocktails, gas, and personal care services skyrocketing, around 40% of people on dating apps are changing their dating habits or pressing pause on their search… Read More
Zelle® Safety: How FirstBank is Helping Safeguard its Customers from Mobile Payment Scams As mobile payment apps/services like Venmo or Zelle® become more popular due to its quick and convenient way to send money, it’s also become another target for scammers. Whether it’s repaying a friend for concert tickets or sending money to a handyman or babysitter, electronic payments like these have reduced the reliance on cash and… Read More
8 Side Gigs to Land Extra Cash Who couldn’t use some extra dough in today’s high-priced market? Whether you’re trying to outpace inflation, saving for a big purchase, or aiming to grow your emergency fund, finding creative ways to earn extra cash can help you expedite your financial goals. Fortunately, we’re highlighting eight ways to earn some extra cash using your skills,… Read More
5 Ways to Avoid Overdrafts Insufficient funds notices and overdraft fees can be an unnecessary strain on your finances, but with some planning and these five strategies, you can help avoid them. Here’s how: Sign up for Account Alerts Most online banking services offer email or even text message alerts to warn you of low balances. An alert can notify you when… Read More
Building and Managing Credit Effectively The ability to effectively manage your credit is a key component of financial literacy and the purpose of today’s article is to briefly shed light on a few credit essentials. What is credit, and why is it important? Before we get into what factors make up a credit score, it’s helpful to grasp why it’s… Read More
Su plan para un mejor presupuesto Es posible que elaborar un presupuesto no sea la tarea más glamorosa de su lista de tareas pendientes, pero ciertamente es una de las más importantes. Esto se debe a que los presupuestos afectan cada parte de su vida financiera, desde cuánto puede ahorrar para unas vacaciones paradisíacas hasta su capacidad de pagar la deuda… Read More