You Can Make Your Space Your Own

Nothing is worse than being stuck in a home where all of the walls are white and you can’t even make your space your own. Owning a home will allow you to paint the walls how’d you like and make any changes you want to make your living space more customized and comfortable.

You Can’t Get Kicked Out By a Landlord

Renters can get an eviction notice unexpectedly if the owner decides to sell the home or rent it to others at any point of time. Owning your home could relieve this unnecessary stress and conflict that can come out of getting kicked out of your living space.

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). 

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.

We know tax preparation isn’t fun, but, unfortunately, it’s necessary. Though it may seem like an inconvenience, filing your taxes correctly can sometimes give you a nice return. You may be reluctant to begin because of the confusion on where to start or what information is necessary. We are here, however, to simplify taxes for you so the task can seem less daunting.

What are income tax returns?

Income tax returns are documents that are used to evaluate whether you owe any taxes this year or if you are eligible for a tax refund. Taxes are calculated based on your total income minus any deductions you are eligible for.

The “new year new you” vibe may have died down, but spring cleaning could help you get back on track. Here are our top four picks of things that should be cleaned spring:

1. Declutter

If you’re anything like me, your daily cleaning habits tend to align more with “out of sight, out of mind” rather than actually putting things away. This mentality, however, is the reason I have random junk in my drawers that I could probably just throw-away. Spend some time going through the places where you carelessly shoved things into and evaluate whether to keep or toss.

Financial independence brings lots of exciting opportunities as well as a host of responsibilities. As you embark on your journey through USC and beyond, all of us here at USC Credit Union want you to know we are here to help you establish sound financial habits and give you useful tools and services so managing your money is a positive experience—not a chore.

More good news on the financial education front! The Council of Graduate Schools is pushing for universities nationwide to step up when it comes to financial education for students. Fifteen institutions are taking part in a 3-year project to “enhance the financial literacy of graduate and undergraduate students.”

This project is coming just in time. Student loan debt is surpassing $1 trillion, and many students have no idea what they’re getting themselves into.

Sonya Britt, an associate professor of family studies and human services at Kansas State College of Human Ecology, says,

“Most of the students who enter college don’t get financial literacy courses when they’re in high school, so many students aren’t familiar with basic money management skills such as making payments and the awareness of how fast credit card debt accumulates. There’s a lot of need but not a lot of resources for college students.”

10 Great Cars Under $25K

Kelley Blue Book has compiled a list of the 10 coolest cars priced at under $25,000, with something for just about every taste and age bracket.

#1 The company’s #1 pick is the Scion FR-S. This sporty model features rear-wheel-drive, 200 h.p. and an available 6-speed manual transmission. It’s relatively svelte for a new car, at around 2,800 lbs., and Car and Driver reckons that it’s good for 0-60 sprints in around 6 seconds. Very cool.