Annual budgets aren’t just for big corporations or the wealthy. Whether you’re planning for a vacation, saving for retirement or buying a home, a yearly budget is very important. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just by spending as little as possible you can take control of your financial life. Being financially responsible can be easy with a well-planned budget!

Trying to improve your credit score? Those three little numbers can be crucial if you want to rent an apartment, buy a car, or open low rate, high benefit credit cards. Here are five ways you can boost your credit score and own your future!

1) Leave accounts open

Before you make the decision to close an account, make sure you check if closing the account will negatively affect your credit score. One of the biggest factors in calculating your credit score is the length of time your account has been established, so keeping cards, even when you don’t use them, can help your score.

Every year, we make tons of resolutions. We sign up for a gym membership and vow to get healthy, we swear to ourselves we’ll start going to bed on time, and we make promises to become healthier, happier people.  But this year, the best resolutions you can make are the ones that affect your finances. Help nurse your credit score back to health, make your checking account happier, or invest in your future and start down the path of a healthier, happy financial year.

For a millenial, saving can seem like a scary word. We often look at saving as something meant for adults looking to buy a house or save for retirement, simply not applicable to us. However, starting to save in your 20's can have incredibly positive effects on your financial wellbeing as you continue into adulthood. Here are some reasons saving is important and some ways to start saving (even if you think you have no money). 

It seems like everyday there's a new data breach or "hack" we have to worry about on one of our favorite platforms like Facebook or Google. Almost everything we do is online in some capacity, and managing our finances is no exception. Using these amazing online tools is convenient and helps us be more attentive to our finances but it also puts our personal information at risk of being "hacked". Thanks to our friends at Two Cents, we've provided some tips below for upping your cyber security game. 

College is the start of your adult life, and you'll start to see some changes in your day to day routine. From paying rent, to grocery shopping, to managing your free time and homework schedule, college comes with a lot of responsibilities you've never had to consider. One of these considerations is your personal finances. You might be wondering, "Where do I even start?". We hear you. Here's 5 helpful tips from our friends at Money Under 30 to follow as a college student getting started in your financial journey. 

As summer comes to a close, and fall is upon us, most of us are probably realizing the same thing; we spent way too much money this summer. From vacations, to home improvement, to the perfect beach bag, summer spending can get to even the best of us. But not to worry! As fall rolls around, here are some certified tips to get back on track with your savings account just in time for the holidays!

Share Certificates: You might have seen this term before but didn’t know what it meant. Share Certificates are a secure, long term investment that give you the returns you deserve, while giving you the flexibility to choose how much you invest and the length of term.