Financial Education and Outreach

Financial Success amidst COVID and the Holiday Season

This year has been challenging for everyone, and we are all still adjusting to living in the midst of a global pandemic. On top of that, we are now entering one of the most financially stressful times of the year: the holiday season. Many families…
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Holiday Shopping with Anything but Cash can quickly turn into DEBT

As you start to create your holiday gift lists, you will likely encounter retailers – including online retailers - that are offering layaway services as well as “buy now, pay later” plans (through online providers such as Quadpay, Sezzle,…
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The Financial Life of Pets

One of the most heartwarming scenes in movies is when a child receives a puppy he/she has been wishing for.  The first few moments when a dog meets its new owner, or when they are reunited after a long time apart, can make even the strongest…
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Costs of Homeownership

House hunting is a very exciting process and as you start to zero in on that perfect home, you need to dig deeper into your budget.  How much of a down payment will you need? How much will your monthly mortgage payment be? What interest rates…
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Understand the Federal Tax Deferral before it’s too Late

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If you are a federal employee or member of the military, the 6.2% social security tax withholding on your regular paycheck is currently on a mandatory deferral until January 2021 if your taxable wages are below a certain threshold; $4,000 per…
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Is Now a Good Time to Refinance Student Loans?

Interest rates are low, so it is the perfect time to refinance, right? Not necessarily! Whether a “refi” makes financial sense will depend on several factors related to your personal portfolio of loans.  Here are a few tips to consider…
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Positivity in a Pandemic

The news, social media and likely your phone calls with friends lately have been filled with doom and gloom.  COVID-19 has changed our lives. For many people, the changes have not been welcome or enjoyable and are far from over.  There will…
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Affordable Summer Fun while Social Distancing

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Every summer brings the challenge of trying to cram as much fun into two months as possible without depleting your bank account.  Summer of 2020 brings the added challenge of having fun while following the CDC recommendations for social distancing.…
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Spring Cleaning Your Bank Account to Improve Your Financial Health

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Now that you are spending more time at home, your financial situation has likely changed.  Your income may have decreased due to the pandemic and you cannot spend money on shopping and entertainment like you once did. As a result, your bank…
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Budgeting in a Crisis

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We are a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects are being felt hard by Americans, especially financially.  While states are starting to lift restrictions, the economy will not automatically bounce back.  We need to prepare to…
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How to Defend Against Future Abuse

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Abuse of older Americans comes in many forms and it can be overwhelming to think of all the tactics a fraudster may use to obtain your personal and financial information.  It’s important to keep track of current strategies of abuse but it…
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Abuse Prevention Strategies

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In an effort to protect older Americans from financial abuse, Protect Week helps you identify, avoid and report financial exploitation.  Identifying key abuse strategies is essential so that you can protect yourself and those you love from…
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Protecting Your Parents from Abuse

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One of the most heartbreaking things to learn about is the abuse of older Americans.  When you first hear that this is an issue, it might not resonate with you. At the time, you may have older family members that are in good health and have…
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Beware of COVID-19 Related Scams

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It seems that overnight our world has turned completely upside down.  As quickly as we all started working from home, social distancing and hoarding toilet paper, scammers and hackers created new ways to try to take advantage of us during this…
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Teaching and Entertaining Your Kids During Social Distancing

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Social Distancing is hard for everyone and those with kids at home really know how long it can take for an hour to go by.  Since the COVID-19 crisis, many great resources for entertaining children at home have popped up.  From virtual field…
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